A networking event to help internal communicators learn how to maintain an organisation’s internal reputation considered the question: are your employees brand advocates or brand terrorists? The CIPR Inside event featured contributions and case studies from Darren Briggs, a partner with The Company Agency; Jenny Davenport, a partner at People in Business, and Alec Rattray, head of marketing communications at Serco. Here CIPR Inside committee member Vicki Davies MCIPR discusses the increasing risk posed to organisations which do not take internal brand management and employee communication seriously.
‘Lose dollars for the firm and I will be understanding. 'Lose reputation and I will be ruthless’ must be one of today’s most cited business aphorisms. Given it is a comment from Warren Buffett – listed in this year’s Forbes as the world’s third richest man – these words speak volumes about the importance of employees as brand advocates.
If external reputation is one of the key areas keeping chief executives awake at night, has the business world really caught up with the link that what employees say and do affects external reputation?
Once the media was the single most effective way for disgruntled staff to share the internal perception of an organisation’s brand with the general public. In 2002, the reputation and credibility of the £623 million national air traffic control centre at Swanwick, Hampshire was at risk after disgruntled staff leaked concerns to the media about what they perceived to be ‘potentially catastrophic’ problems at the centre.
The coming of age of the internet, and in particular, blogs offers employees the opportunity to communicate points of view across the world at the click of a button. Organisations of every size, from governments, major food retailers to small and medium enterprises are all open to this type of brand terrorism – generated by staff and recipients of poor customer service alike.
Worldwide computer retailer Dell saw its reputation compromised last year when just one customer vented his frustration about his laptop and the firm’s customer support on his personal blog. His postings attracted hundreds of responses, and ultimately the incident influenced public perception to such an extent that market researchers concluded the firm had sustained long term damage to its brand image.
Now more than ever, the role of internal communicators in ensuring internal experience matches the external brand promise, has become a boardroom issue.
About CIPR Inside
Originally formed in 1995, the group provides a forum for internal communications specialists, and other PR professionals who are interested and involved, to exchange experiences and develop strategies to meet the many challenges organisations face, not least of which is change.