How Employees Can Build Your Brand

Branding is about creating an image that sets your organization apart from the rest of the market. Nothing delivers and reinforces this brand image better, or worse, than the employees that represent the organization. Establishing a brand is hard work, so it’s critical for employees to understand and live the brand throughout their daily interaction with clients. Internal communication is key to employees building their brand.

Brand Rant highlights how Best Buy, the nations leading electronic dealer known for burnout and high turnover, is implementing project ROWE (Results-Only Work Environment) to increase employee morale and productivity. This week in the Brand Spotlight, Citigroup Inc. reveals how important a logo is to branding, as well as the challenges that come with re-branding. Lori Rosenwasser is the executive director for brand engagement working out of the Landor’s Associates, UK. She joins the show to talk about how she works with clients to build engagement programs that align their internal organizations and employees to deliver on their brand promise.

Branding: All you need is Love.

With so many brands in the market, consumers choose brands that make them feel good. Developing a personal connection between a brand and a consumer requires understanding of the consumer’s culture and creating a unique brand image. Like any relationship, the relationship between a consumer and a brand takes time and trust, but when developed properly, it proves to be worthwhile.

Emotional appeal comes in many forms. Our Brand Rant explains how Russell Stover plans to use sex appeal to change their brand image from grandma to gourmet chocolate. Southwest Airlines takes the Brand Spotlight with their innovative “Ding!” by creating one-on-one communication between consumers and their brand through the click of a mouse. Transforming planned purchases to impulse buys; Southwest ‘s “Ding!” has created over 2 million subscribers. Matt Krumm, Marketing Director for Kleenex and Barnett Helzberg, Jr., third generation president of Kansas City-based Helzberg Diamonds join the show to explain how emotion sells everything from Kleenexes with their “Let it Out” campaign to Diamonds with “I am Loved” campaign that Barnett developed himself.

What does the Super Bowl do for a Brand?

With 93.2 million viewers tuning in, the Super Bowl has become the place for marketers to promote their product. It’s no longer just about the game day commercials, these spots are now viewed online for weeks following the “big game” and become hot topics among spectators. Many brands successfully use the Super Bowl to create “buzz.”

This week’s Brand Rant discusses how Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co. is using Kevin Federline to sell more insurance. And in the Brand Spotlight Budweiser and Bud Light ads teamed up and finished on top for Super Bowl ’07. Anheuser-Busch took seven of the Top 10 spots in the USA Today most popular ads ranking. Dr. Robert Passikoff, Founder & President of Brand Keys, Inc. offers his insight on which brands scored big and which ones missed the field goal during Super Bowl ’07.