BRAND PERFORMANCE THROUGH A CONSTITUENT–CENTRIC APPROACH

Somewhere on the wall of nearly every corporate office in America there rests a "values" statement. Contrary to current popular opinion, company values statements aren't entirely inconsequential. After all, Enron's read: "We treat others as we expect to be treated ourselves." Today's corporate leaders face a whole new set of challenges brought on by the transparency of their internal actions to the outside world. Their promises are expected to be delivered in the boardroom, the marketplace and the social landscape. Based on the current scheme of things, there is a higher calling for brand leaders who would listen. That is, the notion of becoming constituent-centric. A constituent-centric approach to branding involves a focus on establishing open, vital lines of communication – not only with external audiences (such as customers and prospects), but with internal audiences as well. If a company is in tune with the expectations and realities of its constituents, then its values become self-evident and, ultimately, its brand promises are more easily realized. Over the past few years, we've noticed intelligent brands, from American Express and Shell to Ben & Jerry's and Aveda, openly embracing the concept that the facilitation of ongoing constituent dialog leads to customer and employee satisfaction, which directly affects brand performance. By aligning internal operating principles with external communications, these companies have built a more loyal customer base, enabled clear differentiation in a crowded marketplace, and proven that the most successful brand campaigns start with a strong sense of self.

PLOTTING STRATEGIC COURSE THROUGH COLLECTIVE VISION

One of the best ways of formulating a constituent-centric brand strategy is to build it through the perspectives of the people who comprise the company. This process of self-discovery is popularly known as "organizational alignment." As a practice, organizational alignment is helpful in many ways. It enables an exchange of information and perspectives that cuts across traditional departmental silos and fosters enhanced group understanding. It also facilitates the development of mutually agreeable goals, a shared sense of responsibility in achieving those goals, and the articulation and clarification of key strategic messages around which future brand activities emerge. In the organizational alignment process, collective vision is the ultimate objective. It is invariably easier to grow and prosper as a company when artificial "job" boundaries dissolve and a collective vision takes over. Collective visions inspire an atmosphere of engagement and ownership – improving lives of employees as well as the health of an organization. Once you have a clear vision and know who you really are as a brand, the right course of action becomes clear. All communications begin to look, feel and act like they come from the same place. Better still, everyone within the company feels connected with the expression itself as well as the outcome. Decisions are made based on a shared sense of brand identity. The best marketing programs work as extensions of a company's collective brand vision. Each individual element reflects dimensions of the brand's overall persona – and works with the others as a cohesive whole. Constituent-centric approaches are powerfully effective because they transform into bottom-line benefits. Once a company has achieved internal alignment, its brand naturally becomes more connected, meaningful and fundamental to the diverse groups supporting it – and as a result, constituents become "brand advocates." It has been said that the best brands never stand still. Like people, brand visions and personalities progress over time. And so should the activities that support them. For today’s businesses, the fundamental challenge is to embrace this process of evolution, while recognizing that successful implementation will reflect back on the bottom line.

1 The Fifth Discipline, Peter M. Senge, Published by Doubleday Currency, 1990