Chief Brand and Talent Officer

Modern brand strategy continues to be based on the premise of “Branding follows Strategy”, with the corporate strategy defining the longerterm principles of the brand strategy. Much the same applies to the Human Resources strategy. In many companies, separate and poorly coordinated Brand and Human Resources strategy papers continue to be churned out. This is the result of rigid organizational frameworks, coupled with the failure to recognize synergy potentials, leading to inadequate implementation of overall corporate strategy. Ever greater strategic challenges call for close cooperation between both sectors, both in recruitment and in employee development and loyalty motivation programs.

It has long been evident in the services sector that any strong brand depends on the people representing it. Ever more companies are moving away from being purely product-oriented organizations to becoming consumer-oriented enterprises. Anticipating client needs and expectations and being able to fulfill them with the appropriate product packages requires a high level of client and service appreciation from both staff and management. The expectations are high, and the role of employees as brand ambassadors has become a core differentiation factor. Employee-client contacts constitute the proof point of the brand claim, reaching well beyond all the classic communication initiatives.

In reality, this is all too rarely achieved. The brand claim promises uniqueness. Client services or consultancy, however, are average at best. Employee performance frequently proves to be the weakest link in the brand experience chain. The employees are barely conscious of their role, their knowledge of the corporate brand is minimal and hence, their behavior is rarely oriented toward the brand. From the outset it is crucial to recruit the “right” employees in order for them to be able to fulfill the brand promise once they have been trained, and long-term brand loyalty has been instilled. Achieving this objective does not begin at recruitment, in actual fact it is initiated much earlier with the coordination of the Brand and HR strategies.

Derived from the corporate strategy, the Brand strategy defines the differentiation positioning of the brand within the competitive environment (brand positioning) and what the brand stands for (brand personality). This includes defining brand values that reflect a clear self-concept as well as the stylistic elements making the brand distinctive. These conceptual fundamentals can and must be implemented as guidelines in HR strategy as well. The key is simplicity: brand values act as guidelines for employees and indicate what conduct is expected of them.

In HR strategies, however, a multitude of separately defined values frequently appear, making operational implementation difficult. Too many values create confusion. A few distinctive and jointly supported values that flow directly into job profiles, performance evaluations, personnel development and overall brand claims are sufficient.

The brand accompanies employees during all the stages in which they are involved with the company: before the job application, during recruitment, as an employee, right up to leaving the company, possibly even as an “alumnus” and retiree. A life cycle, from the HR perspective, including all the relevant processes from recruitment through onboarding via coaching and development, up to separation. Internally as well as outwardly in relationship to the client, the brand represents an experience at all points-of-contact and needs to be defined for every phase. The brand represents a common denominator, the consistent corporate theme.

In times of ever-frequent reorganizations, HR departments are increasingly challenged in the change management process. In rebranding in particular, a brand can offer support in making sense of a concept. Brands are illustrative and require few words to demonstrate strategies that all too often are delivered in dry, long-winded PowerPoint presentations. Images offer identification for the head and the heart – not only clearly outlining where the journey is headed, but also with the aim of becoming an integral part of the corporate culture.

Brand and employees are aligned, they are repre sented by management, and measures are implemented in joint communications and HR processes and projects – e.g. in designing the brand strategy principles or in developing the employer brand on the recruitment market (Employer Branding) as well as anchoring the brand internally (Internal Branding) via employee development training. Although there is substantial risk that both disciplines will continue adhering to their established, separate ways, the mutual challenges illustrate just how ineffective the isolated approach is.

HR is a brand’s most valuable partner and multiplier. In turn, a brand gives HR an efficient, enduring and particularly communicative tool with which to fulfill its tasks. In their function as brand multipliers, communications and HR employees move closer to each other. Both are needed as client and/or employee-oriented partners and consultants in order to make a brand come to life. A task that requires close cooperation between the managers of all projects and processes, who need to recognize the potentials offered by such merging. They stand to benefit from the added value. And thus ultimately does the client.

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