LIVINGTHE BRAND ii This page is intentionally left blank iii LIVINGTHE BRAND how to transform every member of your organization into a brand champion 3rd edition Nicholas Ind IN ASSOCIATION WITH London and Philadelphia iv Publisher’s note Every possible effort has been made to ensure that the information contained in this book is accurate at the time of going to press, and the publishers and author cannot accept responsibility for any errors or omissions, however caused. No responsibility for loss or damage occasioned to any person acting, or refraining from action, as a result of the material in this publication can be accepted by the editor, the publisher or the author. First published in Great Britain and the United States in 2001 by Kogan Page Limited Second Edition 2004 Third Edition 2007 Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publica- tion may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic repro- duction in accordance with the terms and licences issued by the CLA. Enquiries con- cerning reproduction outside these terms should be sent to the publishers at the undermentioned addresses: 120 Pentonville Road 525 South 4th Street, #241 London N1 9JN Philadelphia PA 19147 United Kingdom USA www.kogan-page.co.uk © Nicholas Ind, 2001, 2004, 2007 The right of Nicholas Ind to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. ISBN 978 0 7494 5083 0 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Ind, Nicholas. Living the brand : how to transform every member of your organization into a brand champion / Nicholas Ind. -- 3rd ed. p. cm. Includes index. ISBN 978-0-7494-5083-0 1. Brand name products. 2. Business names. 3. Management--Employee participation. 4. Corporate image. I. Title. HD69.B7I533 2007 658.8927--dc22 2007036040 Typeset by Saxon Graphics Ltd, Derby Printed and bound in Great Britain by MPG Books Ltd, Bodmin, Cornwall v Contents Introduction 1 1 I’m genuinely feeling groovy 3 2 Living brands 15 3 Why people need vision and values 27 4 Why organizations need purpose and values 41 5 Defining the brand 71 6 Bringing the brand to life 105 7 Sustaining the brand: stories and myths 137 8 Measuring success 155 9 Managing the brand 171 10 Conclusion 181 Index 187 vi This page is intentionally left blank vii A CarbonNeutral® publication To soak up the carbon dioxide emissions generated in the production of this book and to help protect our climate, native trees have been planted with Future Forests. Future Forests is a UK-based company with a global vision: to protect the earth’s climate. viii This page is intentionally left blank 1 Introduction Living the Brand is about how organizations empower and enthuse their employees. The core argument is that this is best achieved by articulating a sense of the organization that is credible and motivating both internally and externally. However, simply stating the organization’s purpose and values by themselves is not enough. Organizations need to build meaning into the ideas so that employees can genuinely live the brand in their day- to-day lives. This is increasingly important if businesses and government and voluntary organizations want to make best use of the intellectual resources of all of their employees; to capture the most innovative ideas; to build strong and lasting relationships with customers; to use the enthu- siasm and imagination of people. The book is aimed at communication and marketing professionals and human resources personnel who are interested in the potential benefits of engaging the employees of an organization in the imaginative pursuit of a common cause. It demonstrates why this is important to individuals and organizations and how it can best be delivered. The idea of engaging employees may seem a simple one but it is hard to achieve in practice because it cannot be ordered and controlled. Rather it requires practi- tioners to work within the cultural framework of the organization; it involves the creation of a rational and emotional idea that enthuses employees and helps deliver organizational goals. One of the keys to a book of this sort is to find good and interesting examples. Overall, I have tried to avoid the frequently cited organizations that appear in most business texts. Instead I have sought out organizations that I believe give some real insight into the problems of articulating and then delivering brands through people. To provide a flavour of the power of a company that seems to do this well, the book starts with a story about a 2 Living the Brand very distinctive organization – Patagonia – which believes that business should be used to further environmental causes. However, this alternative stance is not the rationale for its inclusion. Rather the example shows how values emerge out of a founder’s beliefs and an organization’s memory. When values are deep rooted – as they seem to be at Patagonia – they have the power of authenticity. They guide decision making from the funda- mental (the policy on quality) to the incidental (organic food in the canteen) not because there is some command and control structure that dictates it but because people believe in the ideas behind the values. Having used a specific example to illustrate the general concept, the book will look at the nature of branding and why people have become such important definers of the brand. Underlying this discussion is the sense that both individuals and organizations need values. It is essential to their wellbeing and their sense of worth. The final part of the book looks at the best methods for articulating brand ideas and for embedding them into the organization. This section, in particular, will cite examples of best practice from around the world and provide readers with ideas and templates that they can adapt to their own organizations. In this third edition of Living the Brand I have updated facts and figures and introduced some new examples that exemplify the core principles. Overall I have not changed the substance of the arguments since the first edition although some of my ideas and views have evolved. I have also retained the story of Patagonia as the first chapter in the book. This is essentially unchanged. I could have re-written it, but the story of my per- sonal interaction with the company when I first encountered the people there retains its original power for me.