Values and branding, the new ammunition of the organizations

I am aware that values and branding are not new concepts in the corporate area of organizations.

Values and CSR were introduced strongly in the mid-1990s 90 in the corporate culture of many companies, especially those that could suffer the most problems arising from their own activity (Oil, Energy, Telecommunications…).

Looking back it is not difficult to conclude that these first steps were not taken as an altruistic character but as a compensation mechanism for the damage caused to society by the organizations themselves.

Values are the lifeblood of companies

Values endow companies with souls, of that there's no doubt. If we scan the network for corporate statements we will see how today there are few companies that have not listed their corporate values as part of their DNA. We could move that same idea to brands.

However, I am convinced that part of the process has failed and the idea of securities and branding doesn't reach the markets, doesn't reach people.

Errors in the branding process

Branding and construction processes remain overly guided from management and with little or no involvement from in-house professionals (I am sorry, the word “Employees” I find it archaic and disrespectful) external.

What's the point of stakeholders participating in creating a brand?

It's a matter of Humanization of the brand itself, and therefore connection.

Let's imagine that a company committee has decided that the core values of a brand are the Innovation, respect for difference, reliability and consistency. I'm sure they haven't been chosen at random., but taking into account on the one hand the needs of the markets and on the other the characteristics of the products or services that includes.

But let's imagine that to those values we can add those of the people who make up the group of managers, Professional, Collaborators, Shareholders, and -why not- Customers. These people will endow, as the branding expert Ivan Diaz points out, of the culture to the brand.

So, new values associated with the brand's environment will be added to the 5 pillar values, and could be very values “Human”, like nonconformism (Creativity), empathy, assertiveness, the culture of effort, flexibility, kindness,… Isn't it enriching?

The combination of values in a company's branding process can turn its brands into great emotional connectors and their stakeholders in passionate brand ambassadors.

“Employee” And “human resources”, two expressions that need to evolve

If we are looking for synonyms of “Employee” we'll find words like “Used”, “Used”, “Spent”, “Served”, “Handled”… Inspiring? Can anyone be proud to be used or spent?

“Human resources” doesn't get rid of cacophony: Are humans mere resources? Wouldn't it be the other way around, that companies are the resource for the expression and development of talent?

It's not easy to find consensus alternatives, nor for “Employees” nor for “human resources”. In the first case, I'd rather call them Professional (as opposed to entrepreneurs or entrepreneurs), still not very convinced. In the case of “human resources” I read more and more often “human capital”, “people management”, “talent management”, but I'm missing the component that talks about connecting, to build bridges between an organization and its brands, people and markets. I leave it there. If you have any ideas, I hope the wind doesn't take it away and you share it.

Values and branding need to go hand in hand. Your alliance will undoubtedly be the best ammunition of the organizations, because both values and branding are part of people.

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