Brands aren’t what you say about yourself, brands are what you do. They are built over time, through consistency between what you say, what others say about you and the behaviour you demonstrate every day.
This is why authenticity is the buzzword of leadership. You can’t say one thing and then do another, people are smart they see through it quickly and then they don’t trust you.
Brands are no different, but they are harder to ensure that consistency is always achieved, because they rely on the same interpretation of the brand promises (what they say) by the people that work for them to turn them into what a brand actually does (what your employees do to interpret your brand).
Having clear and simple messaging that you can share with employees and the world means that you have a better chance of ensuring that the brand’s intent and promise is fairly delivered by the behaviour of your people.
In this article Philippa Snare, former CMO UK of Microsoft, covers:
- Creating a Consistent Brand Promise
- Brand Messaging Impacts the Whole Organisation
- Who is Getting Their Brand Promise Right