by Sean McCoy (@TheRealMcCoyTRM) If I told you that Starbucks wasn’t in the business of selling coffee, you’d think I’d lost it. But they’re not. They’re in the people business, selling coffee.
And that’s not semantics – it’s the fundamental difference between being a powerful brand and a non-starter. Whether you’re selling iron ore or irons, airtime or aeroplanes, holidays or whole foods – successful brands are built around staff, not the other way around.
Much of the branding focus is outward bound. We’re very concerned about the looks, colours, logos, clever straplines, ads, Facebook friends, 
websites, retail space and brochures but what we don’t realise is that those become broken promises if the people working in the business don’t match up to expectations they create. A brand has to feel the same way that it looks.And the way it feels is all about internal branding – employee behaviour.
There’s nothing mechanical about employee behaviour at Hitachi Construction Machinery because they understand exactly what is required of them to ‘be’ the brand. But it wasn’t always like that. It took several months to research, develop and activate a customised employee motivation programme which HCMSA says elicited an ‘overwhelmingly positive’ response from staff and customers. Sounds like the construction equipment business is moving heaven and earth to be the best…
First impressions count – and you’ve only got seconds to make it.
The energetic BafanaBafana fan with his huge smile and even bigger sunglasses is brand South Africa. But the surly customs official at international arrivals is brand South Africa too. The efficient cashier proudly wearing a green uniform and a friendly face is brand Nedbank. So too is the silent security guard mechanically handing over the visitors’ book. The funky barista aiming for a personal best in every cappuccino he creates is the epitome of the Vida e Caffe brand. But when a relationship breakup or a nasty bill from the panelbeater turns him into Cruella de Vil, customer loyalty is tested to the max. We’re influenced by behaviour – and loyalty is often greater to a person who’s given us fantastic service than to a product.
Why is Singita the best hotel in the world? No, it’s not because of its uber luxurious safari experience. It’s the best in the world because everyone involved, from the trackers to the travel agents, understands that the Singita brand is about its 100 year vision based on preserving rare and iconic ecosystems for future generations. And you only get that kind of understanding by really focused, intensive and sustained internal brand engagement.
Internal brand activation is often a low-priority grudge purchase, and is the first casualty of cost-cutting. And that can be fatal because when staff aren’t engaged with the brand values, they’re not delivering on the external promises and they’re not meeting customers’ expectations. The result? Customers feel betrayed and they take their patronage elsewhere. Those betrayals erode the brand and will eventually erode the bottom line.
Look at Disney. Even their website says ..”each of us has a vital role in nurturing the Disney brand. People who work at Disney believe in the core purpose of the Disney brand which is to provide the world with special entertainment with a heart,” it’s not about what they do, but how they do it. And they do it so well. From the toilet cleaner in Orlando to Tinkerbell in Paris, from the concierge to the CEO, each of them is ‘special entertainment’ personified. Disney invests in ‘brand-training’ and it shows.
So, if you don’t want a Mickey Mouse brand – staff up or stuff up.
– Dr Sean McCoy, MD and founding member of HKLM, is a prominent figure in the branding arena with his expertise centered on client service, brand strategy and business development. Sean has been chairperson for the Brand Council of South Africa since last year.
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