Your Company Culture is your Internal Brand?

Your Company Culture is your Internal Brand? – By Arnie Wohlgemut

In an interview at the 2019 Global Leadership Summit, Bosoma Saint John made this statement: “Your culture is your internal brand.” Having worked in marketing at Pepsi, Apple and Uber, I believed she has experience which supports that statement!

One of the consulting services I offer is assistance in change management. This often includes internal culture change. Seeing how internal cultures at Uber and Google are currently bubbling to the surface, affecting their company’s brand image, Bosoma’s words made sense.

Over the course of my career, I’ve learned many things about brand image and company cultures. Not surprisingly, I have witnessed some amazing similarities and important ties between a company’s internal brand and its brand image.

For example, your internal brand has the power to consistently compliment and reinforce your public brand image and brand identity. Please allow me to explain.

Internal brand is a reflection of how a company views itself and functions internally. It’s more than framed mission / vision statements, HR policies and a flexible work environment. It is a reflection of how management demonstrates the company’s purpose and it’s promise to the employees. Employees witness daily, management’s personality and values, and behave accordingly. This is where toxic workplace cultures begin, or where thriving employees are nurtured.

To build and maintain a positive internal brand or healthy workplace culture, you need strong and consistent leadership. When employees share the same understanding of the management promise, personality and values, they begin to demonstrate company and brand loyalty.

Brand image is more than logos, catch phrases and marketing efforts. Brand image is intended to demonstrate a service promise or product purpose. A brand image, is to showcase the company’s intended personality and values, and is part of the brand identity. Brand image cannot shape or improve the internal brand or change toxic workplace cultures.

To build and maintain your brand image and brand identity, you need strong and consistent leadership. When a customer shares the same understanding of the brand image and brand identity, they begin to demonstrate brand loyalty.

The common thread is strong and consistent leadership.

“Everyone wins when the leader gets better.”

Tim Price

Ever wonder why our “internal brand” is not taken seriously? It is more powerful that any marketing efforts you could launch: It has the power to undue a company’s reputation; It has the power to bring your business to new heights or to new lows. It is your internal brand that can impact your brand image and shape your company’s “perceived reputation”.

I encourage you to step up to your leadership responsibilities and build a team that has a positive internal brand, you won’t regret it!