The relationship between internal comms and branding
A topic we’ve covered on the show before is the relationship between internal comms and branding. We’re going to be looking at this subject again in this episode, because it’s one of those areas that we cannot revisit too often. In this interview, we will be talking to someone who’s going to explain to us the connection between internal and external brand, and also some of the common misconceptions that organisations have about brand and what brand is. It’s not just the logo, it’s not just the font, it’s not just the colours that we use. It’s much deeper than that and how we get our employees to connect to that brand and embody that brand is really important. As part of that, we’re going to look at the linkages between leadership within the organisation, how that drives the way that the brand is lived internally and externally and the language that’s used around the brand and how contagious that can be in a positive sense.
The other thing that we’re going to be looking at in the majority of this interview is the connection between internal communications and brand, and the fact that sometimes these are seen as two separate entities within organisations, sometimes they’re actually part of the same function, but very rarely are they actually seen as two sides of the same coin. So we’re going to be looking at that in more detail. We’re going to be exploring the importance of why the brand itself should be able to answer the question as to why the organisation exists and what its key purpose is. Then finally, we’re going to be looking at the importance of measurement and why measurement of internal comms and the impact that it has on brand is a really important thing. This is something that internal communicators should be focusing on for their work in order to prove the return on investment. So, again, it’s a really interesting revisit of a topic that we’ve looked at before, but from a different angle when we’re looking at the connection between organisational brands and the role of internal communications in helping to craft and share that brand both internally and externally.
Guest profile
Douglas Spencer is founder and president at Spencer Brenneman, LLC, a Boston-based firm which helps mission-driven organisations reframe their focus and remaster their messages. Douglas has more than 30 years of branding and marketing experience, working with professionals from around the world in sectors such as financial and professional services, tech, higher education, healthcare, and not-for-profits. Before starting Spencer Brenneman, Douglas was Vice President, Global Head of Brand Management for Thomson Reuters. In that role, he guided the migration of the multiple Thomson and Reuters businesses to form the then-new Thomson Reuters brand.
It’s in that role that he first fell in love with internal communications and the power it has to transform organisations into the best versions of themselves. That comes through loud and clear in his book, “Do They Care?” The one question all brands should ask themselves, continually, which starts by making the case that employees first must care about what you do in order to do it successfully.
Useful links
Link to a relevant episode of the podcast: https://thebigpicturepeople.co.uk/blog/podcast/building-brand-promise-from-the-inside-out-with-arafa-heneghan-s1-e1/
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/douglasspencer
Spencer Brenneman, LLC https://spencerbrenneman.com/
Messaging on Mission Podcast https://message.builders/internalcomms