| Branding: An Essential Activity of the HR Department |
What is branding? Leaving our mark?
In the good old days brand used to mean an identifying mark often made by burning; or a class of goods identified as the belonging to a particular firm or producer; or something of distinction, as in 'his own brand of humor'.
Recently though a new definition has cropped up that deals with corporate branding:
Branding is the process by which the true character and purpose of the company is communicated. It is the creation of a product, service or entity with a "personality", that through marketing communication invokes:
Trust
Emotional attachment
A positive image
Goodwill with its consumers, resulting in strong customer loyalty.
By creating a personality for our offering we are creating the basis for the emotional connection to the consumer. This is key. If our offering's "personality" matches the consumer's values and beliefs then we will have the emotional attachment we need. From this comes first, gaining the consumers trust and then, their loyalty. Branding in the extreme can mean that the business can actually represent a lifestyle, such as with companies like Disney.
So what does all this mean to the human resources department? We have no consumers right? Wrong.
One of the most valuable marketing resources an organization has is its "human" resources. The people of an organization ARE the organization. As such, they are also consumers. The more everyone in the company realizes this, the more the company is unified.
The Relationship Between Marketing and HR
This unity is a major goal of the marketing department -usually called consistency. But it affects the human resources department just as much and the two departments need to work together along with other departments, in defining the corporate image. If the marketing department "promotes" one image, but the HR department is not hiring individuals who also fit or believe in that image, then these departments are working against each other.
The marketing department needs access to a well-defined "corporate personality" so it can be communicated clearly to consumers. The HR department also needs this definition when hiring individuals or planning staff development and training, so that the not only the right individuals are hired, but also their daily work contributes to the corporate image. Think about it this way: if we are promoting an easy going and caring company, but are hiring and developing sophisticated and aloof individuals, there is bound to be trouble!
The Corporate Personality
In branding we must create a corporate personality that closely matches that of the consumer we market to. The closer a match we make, the greater their sense of identification with (or admiration of) our company. Thus the more likely they are to buy from us. The HR department can ensure that job descriptions include characteristics of the corporate personality, in the job specifications. The HR department can also ensure that psychological testing and competency assessments include screening for these characteristics during the hiring process.
By ensuring that individuals who are hired, fit and believe in the corporate image, the more likely we are able to communicate the corporate image to our consumers. Then, HR can put more time into staff development. At the development stage the HR department can find better ways to communicate the corporate image to the staff to ensure staff remain focused on the key characteristics the company is trying to communicate to consumers.
The Human Factor
Branding reminds us that consumers buy mostly on emotion. "Does this purchase feel right?" The human element within a company can go along way to ensure that the consumer feels good about what he or she is buying. Without staff who fit the corporate personality, or if these staff cannot communicate this personality, or gather information on the consumer's personality, we will not have longevity as an organization.
Every time a person in our organization makes a contact with the customer it is an opportunity to communicate the corporation's personality! It is the Human Resources Departments task to ensure that individuals hired can consistently project this image. It is the Human Resources Department job to ensure that all training and development communicates this profile.
Just maybe the old definition still has some truth to it---we are---distinctive and we will leave our mark in the hearts and minds of our customers!
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Sue Gingerich
/ E-cruiter.com |
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