A brand is a strategy

It isn't that complicated

A brand is a strategy.

It is how we present ourselves to the market for maximum advantage.
It defines our differentiated value so that people can choose us.
And done properly, it creates the means to succeed.
Nobody wants a computer and then selects an Apple. They wanted an Apple.
Nobody wants a motorcycle and picks a Harley. They wanted a Harley.
Nobody wants a soda and picks a Coke. They wanted a Coke.

This is what it means to have a strong brand

It obviates the game of competing by establishing its own monopoly.
The only thing competing with Apple is someone’s ability to justify the purchase.
The only thing competing with Harley is someone’s readiness to change their life.
The only thing competing with Coke is thirst and availability.

There are no good or bad brands.

There are only strong or weak brands.
Weak brands are uncertain, trying to appeal to the biggest possible audience with bland promises.
Strong brands are clear. They are for someone specific. They promise something specific.

A brand isn’t a logo or tagline.

Those are reminders of the brand.
But the brand tells you what logo, ad, color, and product features make sense.
It aligns everyone inside the company to a shared vision of the value you offer.
Coke’s brand isn’t Santa Claus or polar bears. It’s happiness.
Nike’s brand isn’t a swoosh. It’s the idea that everyone has an athlete inside them.
Harley’s brand isn’t the crest. It’s the idea that an accountant can feel like a rebel on the weekends.
Taglines are fashion. Brands are ideas.

More than “how people talk about you when you aren’t in the room,” a brand is your promise

Look at Nike.
Its brand is so strong that if you heard they were making a hotel, you could envision it clearly.
A gym, yes. Healthy food, of course.
But they wouldn’t offer comfortable mattresses. They would offer “places to recover.”
You’d get fewer happy hours and more running groups.
Their promise is obvious and extensible beyond shoes and apparel.
That’s what a strong brand can do.

Your brand is bigger than marketing.

Advertising reaches a tiny slice of potential buyers in-market*. It converts demand.
Branding reaches everyone else. It creates demand.
Your brand tells investors why your long-term vision is a smart investment choice.
It is the promise you make to your own people of what they should expect.
It connects what you build (consumer marketing) to how you make it (employer branding)
More than putting a human face on your consumer offerings, showing your people is how you create emotional connections between you and your customers.
And emotional connections buy more, stay longer, and sing your praises.

Successful recruiting requires a strong brand around why talent should choose you.

20MM businesses in North America, all of whom will tell you they have great people, great culture, and a great future.
Without a compelling differentiated value, candidates will pick the one that pays the most.
And that’s a fight you don’t actually want to win.

How to “see” the employer brand’s value?

Higher quality of applicant (ask your hiring managers)
Lower spend on ads and agencies (ask finance)
More candidates are inbound (they come to you, ask your recruiter)
More hiring managers are excited by the available skills and experiences (ask the hiring manager)
More candidates accepting roles (ask HR)
Less turnover (ask HR)
More faces and more emotion in your consumer marketing (ask your CMO)
More trust between hiring managers and recruiters (ask your TA lead)
More predictability in hiring timetables (ask HR)
Increased productivity from fewer empty seats (ask your COO)

The real impact

A company with no brand is a commodity (do you know who makes your paper clips or tomatoes?).
Commodities don’t attract quality talent. They attract placeholders and seat fillers.
And those are not the people who generate value every single day.
They won’t help you innovate or build the next amazing product.
They won’t grow your business.

Taking your brand seriously means you take business growth seriously.

I don’t know. Maybe this is something you print out and slide under your boss’s door. Or everyone’s door. Or just copy to everyone in your contacts list.

Like the tooth fairy, but about business growth.

Just a thought.

-James

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📍 Want to see how easy your employer brand can be? Check this out.

-j