Brand culture connects the dots between an organization’s brand promise and experience – both for employees and customers.
This set of values, beliefs, and behaviors exemplify how a brand is perceived internally and lived daily by employees. Having a clear brand purpose and mission that aligns with employee experience is vital to the creation and cultivation of a meaningful brand culture. For banks and credit unions, brand culture impacts not only how employees collaborate but also how they engage and are perceived by customers and communities.
Data spotlighted by McKinsey finds that being a purpose-driven brand correlates to financial performance. “In times of rapid change, strong brands particularly need the benefits of these robust foundations,” according to McKinsey’s “The Future of Brand Strategy.” “[These include] a deep understanding of customers and the market based on rigorously tested concepts, a clear purpose brought to life by creativity, and an inspiring brand experience delivered consistently across all touchpoints to drive both brand perception and business performance.”
Brand Culture is a Business Advantage
When employees have a shared sense of purpose, the impacts can be profound. Organizations with a strong brand culture and employer brand strategy increase employee engagement and retention. A strong brand culture promotes collaboration, sparks innovation, and turns employees into powerful brand advocates. Employees who not only understand their own roles – but also how they fit into a broader mission – are more likely to think creatively, proactively contribute, and uncover new and better ways to operate. This in turn builds organizational authenticity and community trust, creating external brand loyalty.
How to Activate Brand Culture
While having a defined mission, vision, and values is foundational, living those principles on a day-to-day basis requires a purpose infused into every touchpoint. This includes how an organization hires, trains, and talks to employees. “Employee engagement and company culture are an outgrowth of a holistic employer brand strategy,” says Juliet D’Ambrosio, Chief Experience Officer for Adrenaline. “It becomes a fulcrum around which to make decisions about hiring, recruiting, performance management and reviews, and employee experience programs.” In fact, 83% of employees who have a positive workplace culture are deeply motivated to deliver high-quality work, according to Independent Banker.
As a first step, it’s critical to hire for cultural fit – then continue to invest in employees. Welcome materials and employee training should incorporate a primer on brand culture and how those values are reflected in everything, from teamwork and troubleshooting to customer engagement. Newsletters, town halls, and other opportunities for internal employee communication and feedback should reinforce company culture and employer brand strategy. It’s also essential to create recognition and rewards that align with the brand’s values. If collaboration is a key pillar, for example, consider structuring a program that rewards employees who go above and beyond to achieve team success.
The best brand cultures build trust, encourage engagement, and empower frontline employees to become brand ambassadors who embrace and embody brand values. This means trusting staff to represent the brand in their interactions with customers and giving them a role in defining the brand. “Our executive team, we’ve got like 150 years of combined experience, but we don’t have all the answers,” says Jay Bearden, President and CEO of Legend Bank, in Independent Banker. He says encouraging staff sharing increases brand advocacy. “You’re ‘buying in’ a lot stronger too if you think you could be heard and make a contribution.” He recognizes that great ideas can and do come from others, including employees early in their career and those who interact with customers every day.
Culture is a Powerful Influencer
Strong brand culture happens strategically, not accidentally. It takes a consistent effort by everyone to model an organization’s values. In discussing the community flywheel model of branding, McKinsey notes that “brands that have activated the community flywheel have put building community at the core of their strategies.” And employees are the primary community activators of that culture. When employees understand and buy into brand culture, they will reward the organization with their loyalty, engagement, and commitment to their jobs and to the broader company mission. Employers too, must walk the walk to ensure their brand’s culture is both sticky and sustainable.
EastRise Credit Union provides a compelling example of activating brand culture. Following the successful merger of two organizations, the new brand strategy focused on unity. “In the spirit of cooperation, both organizations had an opportunity to come together,” according to Yvonne Garand, Chief Brand and Marketing Officer, on the Believe in Banking podcast. “We recognized that if we wanted to maintain our values-based, mission-driven purpose, it would benefit our people, our employees, and our members to partner with another like-minded institution.” With a brand promise to “care for our people and communities” EastRise personifies brand principles that are personal, powerful, and proud.
While brand culture originates from within an organization, its impacts are far-reaching. Across every sphere of influence, alignment with audiences around culture continually strengthens and sustains the organization’s core purpose. For customers, they experience the brand culture through every interaction – from transactions and technology to sponsorships and community events. It’s brand culture that drives community connection and public perception. When done right, brand culture is the engine of brand differentiation that fuels an organization’s long-term success.
Adrenaline is an end-to-end brand experience company serving the financial industry. We move brands and businesses ahead by delivering on every aspect of their experience across digital and physical channels, from strategy through implementation. Our multi-disciplinary team works with leadership to advise on purpose, position, culture, and retail growth strategies. We create brands people love and engage audiences from employees to customers with story-led design and insights-driven marketing; and we design and build transformative brand experiences across branch networks, leading the construction and implementation of physical spaces that drive business advantage and make the brand experience real.
