Perspective Chapter: Living the Brand

Abstract

The way employees embody brand purpose and values build or erode the brand’s equity. It is people who bring the brand to life as they interact with brand stakeholders across brand contact points over time. Traditionally, brand management is concerned with the corporate and customer-facing brands. Inside organizations, the functional ownership of the employer and internal brand often resides with human resources management, with brand management having varying levels of involvement. Yet it is the employer and internal brand that defines the brand’s culture organization wide, straddling the theoretical domains of business, brand, marketing, corporate communication, human resources, talent management and more. In this chapter, we’ll explore the nature and purpose of the employer and internal brand, discuss approaches to the alignment thereof, and propose ways in which a strategically aligned leadership team can ensure brand alignment, co-creation, loyalty and advocacy through people living the brand.