Move over marketing. HR is the new brand guardian.
The Marketing function has pretty much had a lockdown on developing and managing corporate brand strategy in recent memory, but there are reasons to believe that this might be changing. Human Resources is emerging as the group to watch when it comes to implementing the most meaningful aspects of the brand.One of the themes in my work is that a well defined brand strategy goes well beyond marketing and communications. It even goes deeper than “aligning” customer facing staff to the brand proposition (although that is a good idea). Where it gets most interesting is in the plumbing of the organization where people’s skills, behaviours and rewards systems are forged. The most authentic, and resilient brand will be the one that lives deep in the organization and its people. This is where HR comes in. For HR groups who enjoy a strong position at the executive table, brand building can be an important part of their role. For HR groups who can’t get access to the C-suite, brand is the ideal way to make it very clear that HR has a strategic job in shaping corporate success. Even within the traditional boundaries of HR there are many vital connections with brand building. Recruitment standards and strategies, new staff orientation, training and development, performance management, rewards and compensation, employee communications…these are all such powerful branding tools, it’s amazing that it has taken this long for companies to figure out how central HR is. Add newer roles like culture and values mapping and change management and HR emerges as the new essential member of the branding team.
HR must be at the table in any process that is going to shift the brand or corporate positioning, and even if a change process is not underway, it’s still a great test to examine your organization’s HR practices and policies for fit with the brand. Are you recruiting brand-right people, in a process that is consistent with your stated values; do you inform new employees about your brand story, positioning and value proposition, and their role in delivering it; do you train and develop staff to live the brand, regardless of what function they are in; do your compensation systems reward brand-right behaviour….the list goes on.
It will still be a very challenging idea for most organizations for HR to be the brand champion. The ideal is for Marketing and HR to work together in a powerful combination of brand leadership and execution.
