(draft)
The branding landscape is dominated by the marketers, the promise makers the people who commission the neon lights and the funky adverts. In our consumer society brands have become an obsession. But an often forgotten fact is that the people who make or break brands are the employees, the promise guardians.
Traditionally employee and customer communication has been very similar ('we show them the adverts!'). There's very strong evidence to suggest that staff (who are also educated consumers) are starting to reject PR and spin-style communication within organisations. But still 80% of spending on brands within organisations is on the physical brand trappings with very little attention given to the cultural and behavioural dimensions. It will have to change.
The core hypothesis of this book is that individuals within organisations who are committed to winning the brand war should focus most of their time on ensuring that their people are authentically engaged with the brand. Neglect this area and risk brand disasters of the Barings scale or creeping brand death, a slow poisoning from within. Read Brand Engagement and find out how to make the most of your brand asset.
'Brands need to be backed by accountable reachable people inside businesses (not websites, and interminable electronic answering systems). The way to customer loyalty is not necessarily the brand, but the business behind the brand. How that business acts and reacts, how it deals with relationships, how it deals with complaints and problems, and above all how it interfaces with customers and consumers are the essence of marketing. The worry is, many businesses seem to adopt a different negative strategy. In this sense, political marketing can be the ultimate example of short term hype and glossy promises, exchanged for votes; and then - post-election - consumers (nee voters) are forgotten.... until the next time! And in 2008, there are many examples of poor, inappropriate, and even Machiavellian marketing then ever before. When this is coupled with declining levels of customer satisfaction, and all the evidence pointing to a downward trend, customers and their needs need to be elevated to centre stage if we're ever to stop and reverse the slide. In this challenging and engaging new book, Ian Buckingham puts these factors in stark relief which demands the attention of senior executives, line managers, consumers and employees alike.' - Philip J. Kitchen, Ph.D., Professor of Strategic Marketing, Director, Research Centre for Marketing, Communications, and International Strategy, University of Hull
'Unlike most management texts Ian's book is not just a nagging reminder of the importance of employee engagement but it gives valuable insights into how to develop effective relationships within organizations in the best interest of customer service and ultimately the brand. It does so in a very inspiring but accessible and approachable way.' - Richard Skelley, Head of Professional Services RBS
'Ian Buckingham's thought provoking Brand Engagement challenges many well-trodden ways of engaging employees. It's as much a call to action as a commentary, drawing upon his substantial experience, insights into a range of organisational settings and love of the arts. As he advocates, Ian brings himself to this compelling work.' - Jane Cathrall, Head of HR & Resourcing, The Financial Services Authority
'This book is fascinating. Ian Buckingham cuts through the nonsense with the common-sense message that authentic, holistic relationships between people are at the heart of successful brands. I am ready to join the brand revolution!' - Rowan Hoban, Founder of Barefoot Business, www.barefootbusiness.com
'I have just read your book and it is excellent...I am about to read it again. I think we have ordered about 10 so far.' - Bill Parsons, Organisation Development Director
'I'd recommend this as an informative and enjoyable read about the "cultural and behavioral dimensions" of brands. It covers the sort of information communicators should understand if we're to do our jobs well.' - Rodney Gray, Employee Communication and Surveys
'Tells four well-detailed case histories that illustrate well how employee branding can be set in motion, developed and managed, and the assiduous reader will be left in little doubt how to set about the task.' - Roderick White, Admap
'I have just finished your book and thought it was excellent and very thought provoking. I have been able to apply it in my role as Resourcing and Employer Branding Manager at Bhs and intend to use it in the new role as Head of Retail Resourcing and Employer Brand at 3mobile.' - Paul Gibbins, Bhs
Prologue – Brand Engagement in Context
ACT 1: BRAND ENGAGEMENT, EVERYMAN AND THE HERO LEADER
What does great brand engagement feel like?
The CEO is dead – long live the ceo!
Are we at the tail end of spin?
What characterises an effective chief engagement officer?
ACT 2: DECONSTRUCTING BRAND ('BUT WE DON'T EVEN BRAND ANIMALS ANY MORE')
Brand and authenticity
Brand anthropology
New ways of telling old stories
Leadership engagement
Brand and motivation
The national perspective – nation branding
The ARM Holdings story
ACT 3: THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS
What's been happening in the communication market?
Employment brand
Engage people by letting them play
Inside-out communication (the power of partnership)
Behaviour brand creep
Brandscape and the brand engagement journey
Mergers and acquisitions
The quest for balance
What do committed employees look like?
Zurich Financial Services case study
ACT 4: CULTURE AS A WEAPON OF MASS CONSTRUCTION
What's culture got to do with it?
The culture development process
A culture-first approach to change (Motability Case Study)
The use of tools
ACT 5: BRING YOURSELF TO WORK
Everything begins with a story
Mythology, the ancient arts and employee engagement
The story of Good Company
Authenticity and engagement
John Lewis Group
A Case study in engagement
Becoming comfortable with the emotional dimension
In conversation with an industry expert
Retention Issues?
The story of the Yorkshire Building Society – a true mutual
In conclusion
Ian P. Buckingham is the founder of the Bring Yourself 2 Work Consultancy Fellowship. He is
an employee engagement specialist and much published thought leader, with his own leadership career spanning financial services, people-centred consultancy and the communications agency worlds. As the founding MD of Interbrand Inside, (arguably the original employee engagement agency), he created the methodology for bringing brands to life from within. Ian works across sectors and has helped organisations ranging from Orange, Zurich and Shell through to Barcap and Goldman Sachs transform the relationship between their people, the brand and the business for very tangible bottom line benefits.
Description
(draft)
The branding landscape is dominated by the marketers, the promise makers the people who commission the neon lights and the funky adverts. In our consumer society brands have become an obsession. But an often forgotten fact is that the people who make or break brands are the employees, the promise guardians.
Traditionally employee and customer communication has been very similar ('we show them the adverts!'). There's very strong evidence to suggest that staff (who are also educated consumers) are starting to reject PR and spin-style communication within organisations. But still 80% of spending on brands within organisations is on the physical brand trappings with very little attention given to the cultural and behavioural dimensions. It will have to change.
The core hypothesis of this book is that individuals within organisations who are committed to winning the brand war should focus most of their time on ensuring that their people are authentically engaged with the brand. Neglect this area and risk brand disasters of the Barings scale or creeping brand death, a slow poisoning from within. Read Brand Engagement and find out how to make the most of your brand asset.
Reviews
'Brands need to be backed by accountable reachable people inside businesses (not websites, and interminable electronic answering systems). The way to customer loyalty is not necessarily the brand, but the business behind the brand. How that business acts and reacts, how it deals with relationships, how it deals with complaints and problems, and above all how it interfaces with customers and consumers are the essence of marketing. The worry is, many businesses seem to adopt a different negative strategy. In this sense, political marketing can be the ultimate example of short term hype and glossy promises, exchanged for votes; and then - post-election - consumers (nee voters) are forgotten.... until the next time! And in 2008, there are many examples of poor, inappropriate, and even Machiavellian marketing then ever before. When this is coupled with declining levels of customer satisfaction, and all the evidence pointing to a downward trend, customers and their needs need to be elevated to centre stage if we're ever to stop and reverse the slide. In this challenging and engaging new book, Ian Buckingham puts these factors in stark relief which demands the attention of senior executives, line managers, consumers and employees alike.' - Philip J. Kitchen, Ph.D., Professor of Strategic Marketing, Director, Research Centre for Marketing, Communications, and International Strategy, University of Hull
'Unlike most management texts Ian's book is not just a nagging reminder of the importance of employee engagement but it gives valuable insights into how to develop effective relationships within organizations in the best interest of customer service and ultimately the brand. It does so in a very inspiring but accessible and approachable way.' - Richard Skelley, Head of Professional Services RBS
'Ian Buckingham's thought provoking Brand Engagement challenges many well-trodden ways of engaging employees. It's as much a call to action as a commentary, drawing upon his substantial experience, insights into a range of organisational settings and love of the arts. As he advocates, Ian brings himself to this compelling work.' - Jane Cathrall, Head of HR & Resourcing, The Financial Services Authority
'This book is fascinating. Ian Buckingham cuts through the nonsense with the common-sense message that authentic, holistic relationships between people are at the heart of successful brands. I am ready to join the brand revolution!' - Rowan Hoban, Founder of Barefoot Business, www.barefootbusiness.com
'I have just read your book and it is excellent...I am about to read it again. I think we have ordered about 10 so far.' - Bill Parsons, Organisation Development Director
'I'd recommend this as an informative and enjoyable read about the "cultural and behavioral dimensions" of brands. It covers the sort of information communicators should understand if we're to do our jobs well.' - Rodney Gray, Employee Communication and Surveys
'Tells four well-detailed case histories that illustrate well how employee branding can be set in motion, developed and managed, and the assiduous reader will be left in little doubt how to set about the task.' - Roderick White, Admap
'I have just finished your book and thought it was excellent and very thought provoking. I have been able to apply it in my role as Resourcing and Employer Branding Manager at Bhs and intend to use it in the new role as Head of Retail Resourcing and Employer Brand at 3mobile.' - Paul Gibbins, Bhs
Contents
Prologue – Brand Engagement in Context
ACT 1: BRAND ENGAGEMENT, EVERYMAN AND THE HERO LEADER
What does great brand engagement feel like?
The CEO is dead – long live the ceo!
Are we at the tail end of spin?
What characterises an effective chief engagement officer?
ACT 2: DECONSTRUCTING BRAND ('BUT WE DON'T EVEN BRAND ANIMALS ANY MORE')
Brand and authenticity
Brand anthropology
New ways of telling old stories
Leadership engagement
Brand and motivation
The national perspective – nation branding
The ARM Holdings story
ACT 3: THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS
What's been happening in the communication market?
Employment brand
Engage people by letting them play
Inside-out communication (the power of partnership)
Behaviour brand creep
Brandscape and the brand engagement journey
Mergers and acquisitions
The quest for balance
What do committed employees look like?
Zurich Financial Services case study
ACT 4: CULTURE AS A WEAPON OF MASS CONSTRUCTION
What's culture got to do with it?
The culture development process
A culture-first approach to change (Motability Case Study)
The use of tools
ACT 5: BRING YOURSELF TO WORK
Everything begins with a story
Mythology, the ancient arts and employee engagement
The story of Good Company
Authenticity and engagement
John Lewis Group
A Case study in engagement
Becoming comfortable with the emotional dimension
In conversation with an industry expert
Retention Issues?
The story of the Yorkshire Building Society – a true mutual
In conclusion
Authors
Ian P. Buckingham is the founder of the Bring Yourself 2 Work Consultancy Fellowship. He is
an employee engagement specialist and much published thought leader, with his own leadership career spanning financial services, people-centred consultancy and the communications agency worlds. As the founding MD of Interbrand Inside, (arguably the original employee engagement agency), he created the methodology for bringing brands to life from within. Ian works across sectors and has helped organisations ranging from Orange, Zurich and Shell through to Barcap and Goldman Sachs transform the relationship between their people, the brand and the business for very tangible bottom line benefits.
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