BRANDEMiX BRANDEblog

“Half” Joke Reveals Half HR Truth

2010-03-10T14:16:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I met with the VP of Human Resources at a Fortune 500 company. I asked him how many people he had working for him and he said “About half.”[sound]Though he said it in jest, it’s no secret that workplace morale- intrinsically tied to workplace productivity, is down. In January a Conference Board survey found that only 45% of those polled were satisfied with their jobs. Last month,

Forget Engagement and Strive for FUNCTIONALL

2010-02-28T06:11:00.000-08:00

The last Employee Engagement conference I attended had speakers from both Human Resources and Communications at Fortune 500 companies presenting case studies of their latest Internal Branding efforts. Based on their similarities, I deduced that the trend in Employee Communications is "I Am [insert company name]"They must have all read the same 3-step engagement doctrine which lists the path to

What's Your Budget for Failure?

2010-02-04T09:08:00.000-08:00

The year was 1994 and something called a job board was beinglaunched- specifically CareerMosaic, named after the web browser credited forpopularizing an old thing called the Internet.In a meeting with top executives, Bernard

Who’s Steering Your Corporate Ship?

2010-02-03T11:40:00.001-08:00

A leader is a tone-setter, responsible for bringing people together and setting a model of attitude and behavior. It’s the reason social movements form around charismatic luminaries, and the greatest football teams always have headstrong quarterbacks. Without a CEO who lives and embodies the brand, customers will not buy into it. The changing demographics in the workplace (brain drain) and heighted focus on worker efficiency is bringing the corporate intranet into the spotlight.From my trusted sources comes a few tales of how companies are breaking down the borders between internal and

Brand Vs Employer Brand

2009-11-11T07:56:00.001-08:00

Here’s the first thing you need to know: There’s no such thing as an employer brand.In reality, your company only gets to have one brand. It’s not as if you can have a consumer brand that targets consumers, an employer brand that targets employees, an investor brand that targets investors, and a vendor brand that targets vendors. You can’t simply build a different brand with a different meaning

The Biggest Winner: Social Movement Media

2009-10-21T10:09:00.000-07:00

As further evidence that brands are becoming social movements, the Wall Street Journal reported this week that NBC plans to produce more programming that promotes a specific cause. Shows like “The Biggest Loser” that espouse social causes have become the lone bright spot in NBC’s otherwise struggling portfolio. Their success is not surprising -- there’s high demand for social meaning today, and

This is not a well-written article

2009-10-14T14:05:00.000-07:00

In the latest episode of “Real Time with Bill Maher,” Bill paid a rather interesting compliment to Sarah Silverman. He said, “you’re amazing because you’re willing to unsettle an audience. Anyone can come out and tell people what they want to hear, but you’re willing to scare them.” This fact may be one of the secret ingredients to Silverman’s success and it also offers an insight into what

Would your husband marry you again?

2009-10-01T09:54:00.000-07:00

This week’s post was inspired by Dan and Chip Heath’s “Made To Stick” column in this month’s Fast Company. The Heath brothers are calling for “an arms race of goodness -- a generation of companies that compete on real emotion rather than stick-on sentiments.”The column covers an issue in branding that has long been a topic of discontent for me. Creating an emotional bond with customers is not a

Udorse It, You Bought It

2009-09-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

I'm thrilled to introduce a special guest posting this week from writer and advertising illuminato Terry Selucky. Her work has been featured throughout the NY lit scene, most recently in New York Magazine. Below Terry shares insights into a new social media branding tool called Udorse. It's a creative attempt to help brands leverage word-of-mouth in creating a movement. It's a thought-provoking

Employee Communications

2009-09-25T05:25:00.000-07:00

My Company's Employee Communications(answers)

Gartner Says More Tweets Coming to Company Communications

2009-09-25T05:11:00.000-07:00

Are your internal communications keeping up with the times? BRANDEMiX can help! Gartner Highlights Four Ways in Which Enterprises Are Using TwitterBy 2011, Enterprise Microblogging Will Be a Standard Feature on 80 Percent of Social Software PlatformsAs businesses struggle to consider the uses of microblogging platforms such as Twitter in the workplace, Gartner, Inc. has highlighted the four ways

Lights Out Branding

2009-09-03T09:16:00.001-07:00

I stumbled into a brilliant Social Movement Marketing case study at Mashable’s Summer of Social Good Conference last week. Andy Ridley, the executive director of Earth Hour, presented an inspiring case study of the work his organization (WWF) has been doing.Previously I’ve discussed how successful social movements are able to balance a seemingly contradictory dynamic: They empower individuals by

Fiesta Time!

2009-08-26T08:41:00.001-07:00

It’s nice to see the theory of Social Movement Marketing get some national exposure…too bad it had to come from the Ford Motor Co. Though Ford (and GM for that matter) have consistently botched their attempts to sell cars that American youths relate to, Ford has nailed it this time…at least from a marketing standpoint. To market their new Fiesta model, a sub-compact for urban youths, Ford is

Sell the culture not the cause

2009-08-19T13:35:00.001-07:00

In consumer marketing there’s a term called “selling the category.” For example, if your company sells spray-tan and you run an ad that says “look like George Hamilton all year,” you would be selling the category – you’re only convincing consumers of their need to buy spray-tan in general, but not your particular brand. Unless you’re the market-share leader, selling the category is not a good

Activate your bandits

2009-08-12T13:01:00.001-07:00

Ingrid Newkirk, president of PETA, said, “thinkers may prepare revolutions, but bandits must carry them out.” Her speech is often dripping with social movement metaphors – she clearly recognizes the importance of turning boardroom theory into action. Since your brand is the personality of your organization, it’s that which is responsible for inspiring action. It cannot be merely an intellectual

Brand comes from the heart not the mouth

2009-08-07T13:25:00.001-07:00

If you’re looking to craft a brand that naturally attracts donors and volunteers the way social movements attract followers, start by getting a mirror. Just about everything you need to know about your brand can be found by looking within your organization.A brand isn’t just conjured out of thin air. There must be substance behind it or your brand will never amount to more than just a catch