Internal Branding and how it affects Brand Equity

Long term brand equity is something that every brand aims to achieve. Let’s not fool ourselves, the more consumers trust a brand is the more loyal they are; and the more loyal they are, the more likely it is that they will keep spending their money with the brand. However, we must take into the account the fact that brand loyalty also keeps customers buying our products even when the company ‘slips’ or even raises prices. This means that brand equity is extremely important and brands must do their best to ensure that they keep their consumers happy

. Unfortunately, many brands focus on different marketing strategies to ensure that they keep consumers loyal, but are remiss to realise that their internal staff are paramount to ensuring brand equity.

Scott Davis, a branding expert, believes that a brand driven organization needs to have employees who are passionate about being brand advocates. They would first need to know what a brand is, how it is built, what the organization’s brand stands for and what their role is in maintaining the brand’s reputation. An employee who is invested in what the company has to offer will be sincere in their interaction with customers and the customers may feel a greater connection with the brand.

Consumers love to ‘feel good’ about the brand they’re supporting and although they are invested in the brand’s charity work or other PR obligations, they want to feel good while at the point of purchase or even strolling by an employee at their favorite store. In light of this, companies need to ensure that they not only instill good work ethics into their employees by continued training exercises and workshops, but they also need to ensure that their employees feel valued and are given a sense of purpose and responsibility for maintaining brand reputation and loyalty.