What effect do your organization's internal branding efforts have on employee attitudes and behavior?

Communication World, March-April, 2007

Australia

Mergers and acquisitions can create a mismatch between external brand and employee experience. Insurance company QBE Australia Asia Pacific has grown substantially through acquisition and is now focusing on using internal branding to link its diverse successful businesses.

Historically, QBE has left individual businesses alone when they have been acquired. There is a highly segmented and successful brand awareness within target markets for each of the specialized insurance lines. However, this specialization creates multiple views of the brand internally, and the fragmentation shows up in engagement survey results.

Together, the management team and marketing, human resources and internal communication staff are creating an integrated employer brand to create a more consistent experience for employees. The program is identifying the best parts of each business and will integrate induction, policies, learning, visual identity and communication.

Jonathan Champ

Manager, internal communication,

QBE Australia Asia Pacific

Sydney, Australia

Brazil

At Dana Corp., we realized that people are our key differentiator. We developed the slogan "A Dana sou eu," which roughly translates to "Dana is me." We encouraged employees to wear T-shirts with the "A Dana sou eu" slogan on them, and shared employees' stories with their colleagues and our collaborators through our internal newsletter.

This year the campaign got an extra spin. We recorded employees talking about themselves and the company--for example: "My name is Ricardo. I work as a machine operator in the pumps division in Diadema. I am Dana because I believe in a better future and that we can make a difference." These recordings became the company's phone greeting. It was a huge success among Dana's employees and clients.

We also worked with the plant leaders to develop performance indicators. When an individual or team makes improvements, their photo and a note about their project are posted on a movable bulletin board and presented to the person or team as a gift from the plant leader. This program has boosted morale, increased productivity and drawn the leaders closer to their teams.

Luis Ferreira

Corporate communications

and marketing manager,

Dana Corp.

Diadema, Brazil

South Africa

The Absa Group (a member of Barclays PLC) is one of South Africa's largest financial services organizations, offering a range of financial products and services to personal, business and corporate customers in South Africa.

Our brand is experienced through our people, so it is crucial that our staff understand and live the Absa brand.

Our workforce is 35,000 people strong, and the company's human resources, marketing and internal communication groups invest in intensive learning and development programs for the staff to help them understand the brand and their personal impact on its success. The first program was "I am the brand," a simple and effective customer-centric service plan for our staff, including understanding the brand, its personality and values. The program included workshops, manuals, video materials, etc., and was run on a train-the-trainer model.

As a sequel to this very successful program, Absa embarked on a second internal branding exercise called "I am Absa and proud of it."

For our most recent brand campaign, "My Bank," an intensive internal staff drive preceded the external campaign. This was achieved through interpersonal communication, back-office marketing material, road shows, internal TV broadcasts and staff functions. Including staff from the outset helped to improve staff ownership of the brand, shift behavior and change mind-sets for the better. It was one of the biggest external brand campaigns the company has ever run, and including staff was a notable success in the implementation.

Angie Burton

General manager, group marketing,

Absa Group

Johannesburg, South Africa

what's your perspective?

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