Connective Branding

I was interviewed about the internal branding process at frog design for a new book called "Connective Branding – Building Brand Equity in a Demanding World" (Wiley 2009; p. 319-320) that just came out. While I am not sure we ever really lived in world that was not "demanding," the concept of "Connective Branding" is a catchy new, well, brand of brand management that is worth checking out.

The book offers a comprehensive and detailed framework for practitioners to create a holistic brand experience that bridges the gap between strengthening the employee brand and building external brand image by synthesizing the two approaches. In more than 120 interviews with marketing professionals, branding experts, and academics, the authors (Christina Vallaster and Claudia Fisher) examine the driving forces behind the shift from traditional branding to "Connective Branding" including (the following is an excerpt from the book micro-site):

• Broadening of audiences – moving beyond a sole focus on the customer and building brand-consistent relationships with employees, investors, partners, suppliers, distributors, special interest groups and any other key stakeholders
• Networked collaboration – moving beyond the notion that the marketing department is the sole owner of the brand by empowering deputizing brand champions within the organisation and encouraging systematic collaboration with all functions touching the brand
• Living Brand Values from within – moving beyond the emphasis on external image creation and harnessing the power of employees to enact the brand, thereby creating a brand that permeates the entire organisation and cultivating authenticity
• Building Interactive Relationships – moving beyond one-way, disruptive and manipulative communication to interactive brand co-creation
• Addressing Corporate Social Responsibility strategically – moving beyond a paradigm that sees profitability and doing good as conflicting goals, and embracing CSR as a strategic opportunity that benefits both the company and society at large

I have blogged about the "new brand continuum" on several occasions, and I wholeheartedly agree with all of the book's conclusions. Call it "Connective Branding" or "Holistic Branding" or whatever else appeals to you. All these concepts are based on the same assumption: the principles of traditional brand management are obsolete. Brands are public funds that you co-create with your stakeholders. If you ignore this new reality, you will be a very lonely and ineffective brand champion.

More about the book
Order it on Amazon

Comments

[az medical marijuana doctor]

That brings audience lively. A strategy to perform well.

[Ralph Whitbeck]

I agree totally with your position. Building brand champions inside the company and letting them spread the message of your brand is far more personal and effective then letting a single voice flow from a marketing department.

The marketing department is there to set guidelines and provide employees with the tools to empower them to spread the positive messages of the Brand. Our BrandEnsemble tool works with companies to offer a single educational source for employees to be brand champions.

[Ryan Moede]

Thanks for sharing about the book - sounds like a good read.

Specifically to your point about corporate social responsibility, Good has a solid article today about it's current status among today's brands: http://www.good.is/?p=14932