The branded cultures contribute greatly to defining the personality of the organization and, in turn, personality is one of the drivers that concur in the definition of strategic positioning. The companies establish contact with the outside according to their particular vision of the world, their values, and beliefs, their own culture. The latter is a factor directly linked to the way of being and doing of the organization, which must be shared by all its members. This translates into a set of singular facts perceived internally and externally, which differentiate one company from another and serve, on the one hand, to coalesce it internally and, on the other, to position it in the environment.
The positioning of a company, and ultimately its brand, seek identification and differentiation with respect to the competition. The essence of that difference is translated into certain behavior patterns throughout the organization. This is something that reflects the corporate culture and that reaches the customer, before, during and after each commercial transaction. For that reason, today more than ever, brands need to build dialogues with citizens. It is necessary to consider that the companies can be valued in economic terms by their shareholders, but citizen’s value them based on their perceptions constructed by the ideals that they transmit and by the set of their interactions with them, either at a corporate level or transferred to their products or services. These perceptions translate into what shapes the reality of the brand, which identifies the difference between what it believes it is and what it really is, based on what the citizens think.
It is clear that while the functional or material aspects of any product or service are easily copied. The knowledge, experience, and talent of the people who make up the organization are much more difficult to copy. The behaviors developed by a company, as a result of its personality, its competences and its capabilities, configure in itself an extension of the strategic positioning adopted by them or transferred to their brands.
Let us think that it is a fantastic tool to build commitment, agree on management philosophy, motivate staff and facilitate socialization. If internal messages about beliefs are not clear or misinterpreted by employees, then the company’s positioning will also be confusing and misunderstood by customers. Strategic positioning is inevitably linked to culture, which emanates from values and purpose. As a result, you should be able to evolve to reflect any changes that affect your environment, although this is not as simple as we saw here. There is, therefore, a great paradox: It is difficult to change the culture of an organization, while the flexibility and speed of adaptation to new environments are essential for the survival of any company.
To Manage This Change It Will Be Necessary To:
1- Identify what kind of culture the company needs.
2- Measure the existing culture to identify the gaps between the current and the desired.
3- Decide how to close those gaps.
4 -And repeat the process periodically.
Culture is learned, shared and transmitted. The client may not be aware of the corporate or brand strategy, but surely he will be aware of the behaviors derived from it. This is how positioning directly reaches the mind of the client; seasoned perhaps by the inputs it receives through communication, which is a means and not a tool in itself for the construction of a positioning. Branding is a discipline that is aligned with the business strategy, it must support all the strategies and tactics of the entire organization. It should be considered as the end of a process. And positioning, as the basis of any brand-building strategy, must consider the tangible and intangible strengths of the brand and, in them; culture is the reflection of its essential values and attitudes.
Learn how to build a strong branded culture for your company. Download our free eBook now! With the right strategies, you can build a living, breathing force that will promote your brand better than any marketing campaign out there.Visit our webpage https://www.internal-brand.com or email us at jerome@jeromejoseph.com for more information.