Developing brand culture

What is brand culture?

Brand culture can be hard to explain and instil into any company, with increased challenges when there are multiple sites and when existing businesses are required to unite under a common brand identity. We have extensive experience in using branding as part of the toolkit to unify different teams and businesses under one brand.

The brand forms part of any business culture, but creating a new brand identity will not automatically create a new culture. The culture comes from the way the brand values are brought to life through the behaviours, attitudes of the staff and the brand communications. So the cultural development will depend on a clear brand story, a strong set of brand values and an understanding of how these can be brought to life and be incorporated into the working lives of staff.

A compelling story

The brand story is a part of the brand guidelines and is developed during that process. It is the background to the brand, the explanation of where the brand came from, its purpose, core values and the principles on which it is built.

The brand story can only be developed after the research, target audience consultation and competitor research has been completed and analysed.

The brand story will bring the brand to life and explain its heritage and its future.

It will include;

Purpose
and values

  • Define the purpose of the brand
  • The core values and principles that are important to the brand

Target
audience

  • Their needs, desires, and how the brand meets and serves these
  • Differentiators
  • How the brand differs from competitors
  • The unique qualities, features and benefits that make the brand special

Brand
message

  • A clear and concise brand message that encapsulates the purpose, values, and unique characteristics

Brand
narrative

  • The brand background, including the history, how the brand developed and the aspirations of the brand. This part promotes the assets of the brand and gives it a foundation.

Bringing the brand values to life

The cultural development occurs through lived behaviours and communications that embody the brand values. The brand guidelines will take the brand values and keywords that we have identified for the brand and show how these can be implemented through actions and words.

Integrating them with working life

The adoption, growth and success of the culture will be greatly enhanced by the leadership team identifying and developing ways of bringing these brand values into the working environment.

This can be through a variety of ways;

Training and
onboarding

  • Incorporate brand values into the training and onboarding process for new employees
  • Ensure they understand the importance of these values in the company culture

Recognition
and reward

  • Acknowledge employees who successfully embody the brand values through internal award or incentive schemes

Internal
communication

  • Regularly communicate the brand values through internal channels such as newsletters, meetings, or company-wide emails
  • Share success stories or examples of employees who exemplify the brand values
  • Allow staff to give feedback on how the values can be brought to life

Integration in
performance metrics

  • Incorporate brand values into performance evaluations