Connective Branding (PDF)

This book bridges the gap between strengthening the 'employee
brand' and the building 'external brand image' by
synthesizing the two approaches. The result is a blurring of the
boundaries and assigning creative powers to both. A customer has a
number of interactions with the company, and each of these
interactions has an impact on the brand equity account -
either positive or negative. Examples of interactions include: the
product itself, the purchasing process, the consumption experience,
the 'face' of the organization, the call center, media
etc. The real issue for the company is how to translate the
optimized 'ideal' customer journey into effective
company programmes, how to track their progress and their actual
impact on brand equity, customer satisfaction and loyalty.

This book takes a holistic view to brand management and distills
this complex system into palatable chunks, involving all functions
of the company. The book demonstrates the effect of an organization
that facilitates and rewards employee brand commitment on
'external brand equity (eg: customer satisfaction and
loyalty) and 'internal brand equity' (eg: product
improvement and innovation potential resident in the
organization).

While the more obvious benefits of this approach include the
usual suspects such as increased sales and revenues, less obvious
benefits include employee stress reduction through the elimination
of tensions and incongruity between external and internal value
systems. The result is a significant contribution to creativity,
brand commitment, overall employee satisfaction and, finally, a
company's ability to attract and retain talent.

The above is achieved via a very practical, step-by-step guide,
lavishly illustrated with case studies from over 100 fascinating
brands (the authors have researched and surveyed companies such as:
Aer Lingus, BMW, BP, Deutsche Bank, Ducati, Edun, Google, innocent
drinks, Lacoste, Lego, Manner, Maggi, Orange, Old Mutual, Rabobank,
Sony, SOS Childrens Villages, Siemens, Thomas Sabo, TED/United,
TUI, UBS, Vauxhall, Wal-Mart, Wikimedia, any many more) the authors
are able to paint a very real picture of the issues facing business
and provide powerful solutions. Refreshingly, this book draws
on examples from across the globe, giving the book cultural depth.
Each case helps demonstrate the arguments put forward by the
authors.

After reading this book the audience should be able to answer
the following questions:

* How can I build a strong brand? Where do I start? Which
analyses do I have to conduct? Who needs to be involved?

* How can I make sure every part of the organisation lives the
brand?

* How can I revive the brand ? How can I create a new and
relevant connection between the brand and key target
audiences?

* How can I develop and expand the brand? How can future
orientation become part of the brand?

* How can I best structure the brand portfolio? Which role should
each of the brands adapt in order to optimise results?

* How do I best manage the brand? How do I cultivate and empower
brand enthusiasts in the organisation? How do I foster and leverage
networked collaboration?