Friday, May 13, 2011

'None of us stands out.'

When I opened a trade magazine this morning, I was reminded of getting ready for high school while my dad dressed for his workday at IBM: white shirt, blue tie, dark suit. Everyday the same.

There, in the middle of this magazine, was a two-page ad for a large, reputable printing company. It featured the company's employees standing in its production facility, smiling at the camera.

Cool, right? Could have been. Except that every single one of them was dressed in the exact same blue shirt branded with the company logo. Over 100 men and women, all looking the same. The headline might as well have read, "Do business with us, because none of us stands out."

Why didn't someone in leadership think to say, "Hey, everyone, we're taking a company snapshot tomorrow and we want to feature YOU—the people who make us the company we are. Show some personality and wear your favorite shirt. Better still, why not your favorite hat!"

I bet the customers of this company care more about who is
in the shirt than they do about what's on the shirt. Those customers have come to know the company and its brand through those people. They might even be able to look through the crowd and pick out the people they've dined with, fished with, bought from—if only they could tell one from another!

While an organization's brand image might have been concocted by smart executives and marketers, employees are the only ones that can bring your brand to life, by sharing its values with other people.

Even my dad got the chance to dress more individually once IBM learned that people built relationships with other people, not ties.

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