Internalbranding

MELCRUM’S

Special Report on:

Internal
branding
How to create and sustain a
successful internal brand
By David Grossman, ABC, APR, Fellow PRSA
dg&a

MELCRUM’S SPECIAL REPORT ON:
Internal branding 2

Internal branding
How to create and sustain
a successful internal brand
By David Grossman

David Grossman, APR, ABC, Fellow PRSA,
President and Principal thoughtpartner™, dg&a
CONTENTS

About the author REPORT:
David Grossman is an award-winning industry
Introduction .................................................3
expert and consultant in internal and leadership
communication – acting as an advocate for Internal branding defined .................................4
employees and their communication needs, and as Internal branding and employee engagement . . . . . . . . . . 4
a thoughtpartner™ to management.
How to create an internal brand ..........................6

dg&a is a boutique communications consultancy
that helps leaders and teams be at their best, tell AN EIGHT-STEP BRAND MODEL:
their story from the “inside-out”, and deliver Step 1: Identify the business outcome . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
measurable business results. dg&a’s client roster Step 2: Determine the needs of key audiences . . . . . . . . . . 7
includes Abbott Laboratories, Cisco Systems,
McDonald’s, Nielsen and Texas Instruments. Step 3: Identify communication goals ....................8

Step 4: Develop core messages and test them . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Most recently, Grossman is helping create what he Step 5: Create an internal theme and visual identity . . . . 11
calls leadercommunicators™ who unleash the
Step 6: Develop your plan and align management . . . 12
power of communication to engage employees and
drive performance. His methodologies in strategy Step 7: Develop tools, train and communicate . . . . . . . . 19

development and messaging have won him Step 8: Evaluate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
accolades for bringing structure and sound
discipline to the practice of communication.
In conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
His agency, which focuses on organizational
consulting and strategic leadership and internal CASE STUDY:
communications, was recently named 2007
Boutique Agency of the Year by PRWeek and was Bayhealth Medical Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

credited with “expanding and evolving its service
offerings” and for how its large clients “looked to ABOUT MELCRUM: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
the firm to handle critical leadership issues”.

In 2006, dg&a won the Silver Anvil award from the
Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) and the
Golden World Award from the International Public
Relations Association (IPRA). In addition, dg&a has
won numerous national and international awards.

Internal branding 3

About this report INTRODUCTION
A successful brand starts on the inside,
and when organizations get the link Internal branding is a complex challenge, but executed correctly, an internal
between their internal and external branding initiative can reap great rewards for communicators and their
brands right, they’ll notice strong organizations. This report contains resources that will help even the most
business results. seasoned communication professional tackle the challenge of internal branding, in
any organization, at any level.
This report takes you through an eight-
step process for mastering internal Through this report, you’ll learn how to build a solid business case for internal
branding efforts in your organization. branding – one that will help non-communicators and communication
You’ll receive guidance on shaping your professionals alike see the link between employee engagement and the internal
brand using a proven process, including life of an organization’s external brand. At the same time, this report will provide a
tools, which will help you build an proven process for building brands that resonate with employees, and achieve
internal brand that resonates with business results.
employees, and mirrors your company
values. Why learn about internal branding?
Internal branding is a powerful new strategy to help us drive the business results
The report also shares tips and advice our management teams want. Traditionally organizations have spent billions on
from case-study companies that have external branding – the concept has been around for decades, and the business
already built and molded their own results are indisputable. Brands are a major currency of conversation: in fact, the
thriving internal brand. average American mentions 56 brands in the course of a week’s conversation1.
We know from years of research and business results that a brand’s share of mind
corresponds to a share of the collective consumer wallet.

What’s not always as obvious to businesses is the relationship between their
external brand, the one they spend millions in marketing dollars to build and
protect, and their internal brand – the one that’s experienced and brought to life
by their employees. Branding starts on the inside and since the brand is ultimately
defined as a promise, those who carry out and deliver on that promise are the first
and most important audience.

Brands mean business – and employees embody your brand
Employee behavior as a touchpoint with your customers is incredibly important –
and a negative experience will cost you more than just the opportunity of doing
business with that individual. In a recent study of customer behavior, 8 percent of
customers switching brands are lured away by competition; in contrast, 68 percent
are turned away by an employee’s indifferent attitude2. And, those who have a
negative experience with your brand will talk. On average, statistics indicate that
every unsatisfied customer tells at least eight people about their experience. And
now, those consumers can share their experiences not just with their friends and
people they know personally, but with the whole world through blogs, message
boards and other forms of social media.

Keep in mind, the brand promise holds true as a concept whether your end
customer is another business or an individual consumer. Businesses that operate in
References the business-to-business (B2B) space have just as much at stake as a business-to-
1. Keller Fay Group survey, 2006 consumer enterprise. In many B2B industries, customer service is the true
2. American Marketing Association differentiator among companies. In fact, the community in which you do business

Internal branding 4

Common pitfalls of internal may be smaller and by extension even more connected – making word of mouth
branding all that much more important. Every touchpoint with a customer, whether
• Thinking it’s “just a logo”. business or consumer, is an opportunity to deliver on your brand promise – or not.
• Losing sight of your messages and
business goals during the iterative It stands to reason, then, that companies that are good at building their brands
design process. know they are really managing the things people in the company do to help fulfill
• Not engaging the right people at the the brand promise. Employees are the living embodiment of your brand, and they
right times to get buy-in. have the ability to make or break your brand promise at every moment, at every
• Not supporting the brand with interaction.
ongoing communication.
• Failing to seek employee input. We as communicators can’t manage product quality or cost – but what we can do
• Neglecting to ground the logo and to ensure our customers are satisfied with our brand, is to help employees
rallying cry in specific, meaningful understand and deliver on the brand promise. That’s where internal branding
actions. comes in.

INTERNAL BRANDING DEFINED

Internal branding may look different in different kinds of companies, but at the
core of an internal branding strategy, it’s about presenting a credible, compelling
and differentiating story about your organization, product or initiative. That story
drives engagement and the behavior you want, engaging talent to drive
performance inside the organization. Internal branding builds brand ambassadors
that deliver the brand promise, and speak out positively on behalf of the
organization

It’s not a logo, a “program” or tagline, and it’s not about applying your external
brand to internal vehicles.

It’s the merger of marketing – what you SAY about your brand – and human
resources – what your employees DO. An internal brand is the “glue” that binds
the culture and organization together so the company can make good on its
external promise. Think of it as activating your organization’s DNA.

INTERNAL BRANDING AND EMPLOYEE ENGAGEMENT

In the simplest terms, internal branding drives employee engagement. It helps
inspire and engage employees, and connect them to your organization. Engaged
employees are the ones who will deliver on your brand promise. A vision is only a
vision, a goal is only a goal, a strategy is only a strategy until people act upon it.
An organization’s assets are untapped until people tap them – and that’s when
strategy becomes action that drives performance.

However, organizations don’t automatically inspire employees to give beyond
what’s required. There needs to be a greater call to action to drive engagement.
And in turn, engagement will drive business results.

Internal branding 5

According to a 2007 study3, organizations and business units with high
engagement levels have 12 percent higher customer advocacy, 18 percent higher
productivity, and 12 percent higher profitability than those with average
engagement levels. Conversely, those with low engagement levels have 31 to 51
percent more employee turnover, 51 percent more inventory shrinkage and 62
percent more accidents than companies with average engagement levels.

Done right, internal branding promotes employee engagement – and that comes
with several payoffs. For one, a strong internal brand creates and sustains strategic
alignment with company goals among employees. It can help revitalize customer
experience and service, build employee loyalty and maximize productivity. Internal
branding can impact organizations’ abilities to retain employees and attract new
talent.

Above all, and most importantly in light of the customer experience data discussed
earlier, internal branding instills a passion in employees to advocate on behalf of
the brand, and ultimately to fulfill the brand promise.

Internal brands are rooted in the same thing external brands are: the equity of the
brand and the reputation of the organization. Together, they give the whole
picture of the organization – what it’s about both inside and out. It’s a way to
activate the external brand, and bring it to life within the organization. Naturally,
the internal brand shouldn’t be the same as the external brand, because the
audiences are different, and the outcomes you seek are different. In all cases,
though, the internal brand needs to work with the external brand, and sometimes
it will need to work externally as well.

Telling your story
Internal branding is about telling your story and driving the desired behaviors to
deliver on your brand promise. To do that, you need to connect employees to the
organization, to help them understand who you are, where you’re headed, and
how they fit in and contribute. You want to tell a story to instill employee pride in
good work, and you want to drive the most critical behaviors that will reinforce
and deliver on your brand promise.

When do you need internal branding?
How do you know when you need internal branding? Here are some questions to
ask yourself. If they resonate with you, you probably need to be thinking about
your internal brand.
• Do you rely on employees to deliver your brand?
• Do your employees believe in the products or services your organization
offers?
• Are they standing 100 percent behind the mission of your brand?
• Do they live it?
• Are you going through a significant change in your organization?
• Do you need to rally employees around a key initiative or business priority?
References
3. Gallup 2007

Internal branding 6

HOW TO CREATE AN INTERNAL BRAND

Developing an internal brand is a strategic process, not unlike the effort and
thinking that goes into developing an external brand. With the correct process
and a focus on the outcome, you’ll be able to develop a sound, effective internal
brand.

This report outlines one approach to creating an internal brand. It’s an iterative,
eight-step proven model – the iBrand model (see Figure 1, below) – that’s been
successful with hundreds of organizations dg&a has worked with. The iBrand
model is based on years of experience with what works, and what doesn’t, when
creating internal brands for organizations of every size, culture and industry. Of
course, the process can be adapted for use within any organization, but the core
principles remain the same:
1. Identify the business outcome you seek.
2. Determine where your key audiences are coming from and engage them.
3. Identify communications goals.
4. Develop core messages and test them.
5. Create an internal theme and visual identity that’s grounded strategically.
6. Develop communication plan and align management.
7. Develop tools, train and communicate.
8. Evaluate.

Fig 1: dg&a’s intenal branding approach, ibrand

Internal branding 7

STEP 1: IDENTIFY THE BUSINESS OUTCOME YOU SEEK

This first step speaks to the need for us to be business people first and
communicators second. The principle behind this step is that if we know what
success looks like from a business perspective, then we can be focused on driving
the expected business results.

Defining the business outcome up front helps ensure we’re all focused on the
same results, and that we can deliver on the vision for success. To articulate the
business outcome in terms that will guide your internal branding process, you
need to understand the landscape. The two most common types of internal
branding drive two different outcomes – one broader, one more specific.

The outcomes can be:

1. Organization-related
• This can extend to vision and values, or culture change initiatives, resulting
in broad engagement. This category is generally about furthering an
emotional connection between employees and the organization.

2. Initiative-related
• In this case, the outcome and the branding are about driving specific
behaviors, as they relate to an initiative or business goal within the
corporation.

It’s important in this step to secure alignment from the team, and from leadership,
on what business outcomes you seek. Everything you do from here on will be
rooted in these outcomes, and the outcome will give you the standing to make
decisions and guide the project as input is given later on.

STEP 2: DETERMINE THE NEEDS OF KEY AUDIENCES

A key factor in the success of any internal branding initiative is audience
involvement. Smart communicators involve key audiences in the process of
building the internal brand so the audience will believe it, own it and advocate for
it. We all know that people don’t like it when things are “done to them”, so make
sure your audience’s voice is reflected in the brand as you build it.

Audience involvement is also critical to understand the “reality” of the situation
you face so that when you establish the messaging and branding, your words
align with employees’ actions. If you say one thing, and employees hear or feel
something entirely different, your internal brand is going to fall flat.

Ultimately, this step is about knowing your audience and what’s important to
them so messages are developed with them in mind. One tool that’s especially
helpful is an audience mindset analysis. The key communication principle here is
that “the more I know about you, the better I’m able to communicate with you”.

Internal branding 8

Questions that help identify With data in hand – primary research if possible, well-informed secondary
audience perceptions information if not – you’ll want to conduct an audience analysis. To do this, you’ll
• What’s keeping them up at night? need to list and prioritize your key audiences, and then begin to articulate where
• Why do they have a particular each one is coming from. Figure 2, below, outlines a few ways you can segment
attitude about the program? audiences.
• What concerns do they have?
• What issues are they struggling Once your audiences are prioritized, look at the most important two to three
with? groups, and articulate what each one’s perceptions are regarding the topic at
• What might the skeptics say? hand. How do they currently think about it? What do they feel, both positive and
• What positive perceptions do they negative? (The list of questions, left, will help as you’re working on this).
have?
• What excites them the most? Once you understand the audience’s mindset, you then need to think about what
• What details or assets can we you want this audience to do as part of the specific topic. With a firm grasp of
leverage? where your audience is coming from, and what you ultimately want them to
• What are the realities of their job think, feel and do to drive your business outcome, you can then develop your
that may impact what they need specific communication-related goals.
from communication or how they get
their information?
STEP 3: IDENTIFY COMMUNICATION GOALS

These are the specific goals we want this communication initiative to accomplish,
and will be derived from the business outcome and audience mindset. To achieve
your business outcome, given the audience’s mindset, what do you need the
communication to do?
Some examples of categories for communication goals are:
• Raise awareness about a product, service, department or initiative.
• Provide target audience(s) with relevant and timely information.

Fig 2: Audience segmentation to assist with internal branding

Internal branding 9

Message maps • Drive understanding of vision, mission, values and so on.
More information on how to use • Increase employee participation in initiatives or activities.
message maps to develop core • Build support for change or calm fears about impending change.
messages can be found in Melcrum’s
Practitioner’s Guide to Essential Goals should be narrow, and “SMART” – a common approach, defined below:
techniques for employee • Specific
engagement. • Measurable
• Achievable
www.melcrum.com • Realistic
• Time-bound

STEP 4: DEVELOP CORE MESSAGES AND TEST THEM

Now it’s time for the heart of the process – the messages that your internal brand
needs to convey. There are many approaches to messaging, and you may already
have a process in place that works for you. What’s important is that you take a
strategic and coordinated approach to messaging in your organization, and that
you develop messages that are rooted in the business outcomes and goals you’re
trying to achieve. Here’s an overview of dg&a’s messaging methodology – the
messagemapTM.

A message map is the foundation for all communications relating to an
organization, or a specific project or initiative. It helps develop the core concepts
behind a specific initiative or strategy up front, before trying to populate messages

Fig 3: The message map in stages

Internal branding 10

to use across a variety of tactics. The message map is developed in a facilitated
session with all the key subject-matter experts at the table – this ensures
alignment, and helps drill down to the core messages.

Anatomy of a message map
A message map (see Figure 3, previous page) has four distinct levels:
1. Key message or elevator speech
2. Supporting messages
3. Proof points
4. Anecdotes and illustrations

1. The Elevator Speech
The top level – or “the Elevator Speech” – is a one or two sentence message that
summarizes a topic at the 40,000-foot level. This is what someone would say if
they were going from floor eight to floor five in an elevator, and were asked,
“What’s this key initiative about?”.

Another way to look at that elevator speech is that it should fit on the back of a
business card. It needs to be short, compelling and to the point. As you can see
from the above diagram, the elevator speech will be the basis for your internal
brand. The brand should reflect and complement the key concepts (not necessarily
the words) articulated in the elevator speech.

2. Supporting messages
The second layer of the message map – the supporting messages – help amplify
the elevator speech. Supporting messages typically address five main categories:
1. What it is (a description of the topic)
2. Case for change
3. What’s happening
4. Benefits
5. Expected behaviors and actions

3. Proof points
The third layer, proof points, contains the facts and supporting information to
corroborate your supporting messages. If someone asked you to “prove” your
supporting message, these are the facts, figures and additional messages you
would use to build your case.

4. Anecdotes and illustrations
Finally, the last layer is made up of anecdotes and stories. This is one of the most
important components of the message map. This level includes the stories that
help create an emotional connection with your audience by bringing messages to
life and connecting the elevator speech, supporting messages and proof points.

Testing your messages
Once you’ve articulated the messages and created your message map, it’s time to
test them. This is so important to the process that we recommend doing a round


When to use sub-brands of focus groups at this point to get your audiences’ reactions first-hand. Generally,
Larger companies often have an overall members of the functional team will “test drive” messages among their team
internal brand, but may want to create members as well.
sub-brands for specific initiatives or
projects. This can be done, but carefully. Once you have a completed message map, you’re set to begin ideating your
Guiding principles to keep in mind: internal brand. First, though, you need to prioritize. Even though a good message
• Be careful about branding everything; map is only one page, an internal brand can’t possibly convey everything. You’ll
your overall brand loses impact when still need to drill down to the two or three most important messages that will
it’s surrounded by clutter. move audiences to action (see advice, left, for using sub-brands).
• Sub-brands should work with master
brands, and support them so that People are much more likely to listen or care about what others say if the
messages are clearly reinforced. messages are meaningful to them, or if they’re interested in the messages. That’s
• Make sure there’s a clear need for a why you should only include those messages that connect to your outcome –
sub-brand; at times programs can just don’t clutter the communication. The fastest way to disengage folks is to
as easily fall under the master brand. overwhelm them. Use the outcomes identified in step one as a filter for the
messages that should be included in your communication. Using the message
map, you can easily pull the two or three points that speak to your audience and
the outcome you want to achieve.

STEP 5: CREATE AN INTERNAL THEME AND VISUAL IDENTITY

At this point, you’re well-informed about audience needs and mindsets, and you
have a set of messages that drive to the outcome you seek. And, you know that
the key players (management/leadership) are in agreement with your course. Now
it’s time to use all we’ve learned and established throughout the process to guide
your theme and visual identity development.

Keep in mind, this isn’t about picking wallpaper; it’s about getting messages
across in a strategic way.

For the ideation session itself, it’s usually best to start with the theme, or rallying cry
(sometimes called a tagline or slogan). An effective theme or rallying cry must be:
• Relevant to and resonate with all our audiences.
• Clearly tied to the business goal.
• An inspirational concept all audiences will want to support.
• Simple and instantly understandable – but carry many meanings.
• Memorable and unique.
• Complementary to the external brand.

At this point, you’re looking for lots of ideas – don’t filter them for quality yet.
Ideally, at the end of the session you’ll have dozens of different options (there may
be several versions of the same concept). If there’s not one clear favorite (and
there often isn’t), have participants indicate their top two or three choices, and
narrow them down so that you have three to five solid options. Then, in a smaller
group, analyze the top choices to determine which best represent the concepts
you want to communicate, and which clearly connect to your strategy and goals.


Tests for a good theme
Here are some questions to ask to check if you’re on the right track with your
chosen themes:
• Is it brief? It needs to be as few words as possible, and communicate one
simple idea.
• Is it specific? Avoid vague words or generalizations.
• Say it out loud! Could you use it in a speech, presentation or other
communication? Could you hear others using it?

Visualizing your theme
Once you establish your brief, impactful theme, you can start to look at ways to
represent it visually. Remember, the visual identity should also reinforce the
messages and actions you’re trying to drive through imagery, colors and
typography. The two should work together to communicate your whole message.

Obviously, your visual identity should work with your external brand and existing
logo. Look for simplicity, contrast and color in an eye-catching logo, and make
sure it will work on various types of vehicles. Consider all the possibilities for the
use of your internal brand – will it be used on posters and signage? What about
on small items, such as post-it notes or stickers?

Your theme and identity can then be leveraged creatively as your communication
plan is developed. A theme and identity provide consistency audiences can identify
with, and will make for a cohesive communication strategy.

STEP 6: DEVELOP YOUR PLAN AND ALIGN MANAGEMENT

So now you have your internal brand, what do you do with it? At this point your
next step is to develop an overall communication plan with employee needs in
mind. Your research and information from steps 1 to 4 will be invaluable here, as
you shape the strategies and tactics that will launch your internal brand.

As part of the plan, identify the:
• key audiences you need to reach;
• best communication vehicles and voices for communicating the message
(e.g., in-person meeting, newsletter article, letter from the president and
so on);
• roles and accountabilities; and
• appropriate timing.

It’s also important to remember that repetition is critical to ensuring your audience
receives the message and understands what’s expected of them. When employees
hear the same message from their supervisor (their preferred source), the CEO,
through the intranet or through the grapevine, they’re more likely to take notice,
believe it – and most importantly – act on it.


As you build your plan, keep in mind that internal brand and messages will need
to be reinforced on an ongoing basis – and applied to existing communication
channels as appropriate. Figures 4 to 9 on the following pages describe some of
the channels you might consider to launch your internal brand, and some tips and
best practices for each channel.

Fig 4: Face-to-face meetings


Fig 5: Written communication


Fig 6: Voicemail and intranet communication


Fig 7: Internet and social media channels


Fig 8: Company publications and surveys


Fig 9: External media and word-of-mouth communication


Management support
Once the communication plan is established, management must be re-engaged to
validate the plan and, most importantly, ensure they are aligned on their role in
communicating. It’s a truism: Alignment needs to happen before communication.
Even the most brilliant internal brand and supporting communication plan will fall
flat without management support.

It’s only once management is on board and understands how you’re going to
bring the brand to life that you can begin to introduce it companywide. This will
ensure that they become your advocates – or champions – not only with their
teams, but with all employees.

STEP 7: DEVELOP TOOLS, TRAIN AND COMMUNICATE

As communicators, we often create great tools, but the people for whom they’re
designed don’t understand how to use them. In many cases, that’s because there
often isn’t accountability or measurement associated with the tools. People also
aren’t going to admit that they don’t know how to use something. We can solve
this by ensuring the appropriate tools, training, accountability and measurement
are in place.

Four factors that drive and affect business results

1. Tools
These can include toolkits, executive key messages, scripts and so on, all targeted
to various audiences and created with audience needs and mindset as guiding

Fig 10: Factors that drive business results


Leadership communication principles. As you develop the tools, think specifically about what you want people
A special note about measuring leaders’ to do. In the case of a new internal brand, it may be helpful to create guidelines
communication effectiveness: people for how the brand can be used, and where it’s most effective or appropriate.
only do what they are accountable for
because at the end of the day, their 2. Training
reputation and jobs are on the line. Training in the context of internal branding can be crucial. Communication is a
learned skill, and one that’s not always emphasized among leaders – but it’s a
Leaders need to know their role as leader critical competency for leaders at all levels. Communication can be formal or
communicators and be accountable for informal – leaders who have good communication skills and habits can be
it. Ideally, communication should be a “trained” through informal conversation or written suggestions. For those who
part of a leader’s individual performance will have the largest role in communication, it’s often a good idea to consider
metrics so communication is seen as a more formal training.
natural part of the business and progress
can be tracked. 3. Accountability
Accountability is driven by the members of management you enlisted support
from in step 6 – they’re the champions you’ll need to help you move people to
action. To ensure you’ve covered all your bases, identify accountability measures
by key audience – how will each group be held accountable?

4. Measurement
Measurement is also is critical to monitoring and proving your success. In this case,
you will measure exactly how leaders are reacting to and delivering the messages
so you can adjust strategy as necessary (see the note, left, for advice on measuring
the effectiveness of leadership communication).

Without these four components, your internal brand and communication plan
won’t drive business results as well as you want it to.

STEP 8: EVALUATE

Evaluation is one of the most critical steps of the iBrand process. This is where
“the rubber meets the road” and you determine whether your brand is a success
or not.

In general, your measurement strategy should connect back to the outcome and
goals you determined in steps 1 and 3. You can do this by measuring:
• overall employee engagement, commitment or satisfaction;
• understanding of messages;
• leaders and how they communicated;
• specific behavior changes; and
• business benefits or change.

It’s often said that what gets measured gets done. Although it may appear
overwhelming to measure the impact of internal branding and communications,
the reward is worth the effort. Measurement lends credibility with an
organization’s employees and its leaders and is critical in ensuring communication


continues to be represented at the table as a driver of value for the
business/organization.

The key to successfully measuring communication is to focus metrics on the
outcome (the action you seek), not the output (how you communicate). Since the
goal of internal branding is to drive action and behaviors, it’s not enough to know
that a message was distributed to employees. Rather, measurement needs to
focus on whether the message was received, heard and acted upon.

Measurement doesn’t have to be complicated, time-consuming or expensive.
However, it’s important to remember that when measuring the impact and
effectiveness of communication, both qualitative and quantitative results are ideal,
so you know both the “what” and the “why”.

Take action and drive results
Measuring the impact of communications isn’t enough, though. Employees often
feel “over-surveyed”, and don’t always see results or action steps once
measurement is complete, which often impacts the response rate. Once you know
where you are and where employees are in relation to business goals and
strategies, use the information to take action and drive results.

Scorecards4 are a great evaluation tool. They’re an easy way to combine several
metrics into an overall assessment. If you have an existing scorecard your company
uses, see if you can incorporate a communication-specific line item. If not, you can
also create a scorecard focused specifically on the impact the initiative has over time.

Ultimately, what you find out during measurement should take you back to the
beginning, as you use feedback and results to assess how to further carry the
message.

IN CONCLUSION

Internal branding is about telling your story and driving behaviors to deliver on
your brand promise. The process outlined in this report gives you the strategic
basis for a solid, effective internal branding campaign, and will set you up for
success in your organization.

Keep in mind what’s at stake – the equity of the brand and the reputation of your
organization. But also, keep in mind the opportunity you have as a communicator
– to leverage internal branding to differentiate your organization, product or
service in ways no one else can, and ultimately to drive business results in the
References organization.
4. A balanced scorecard is a concept for
measuring whether the activities of a
company are meeting its objectives in
terms of vision and strategy.


CASE STUDY: BAYHEALTH MEDICAL CENTER

Speaking with “one voice” at Bayhealth Medical Center

Bayhealth Medical Center – the second-largest healthcare system in Delaware, US – was formed from a merger
of two established hospitals. Given the marriage of two cultures through the merger, management realized the
organization needed to speak better with “one voice” about its mission, vision, values, the leadership
behaviors that were critical to the culture, and how each staff member could contribute to the organization’s
growth and success, all while appreciating the differences between the hospitals.

Management knew creating a new culture was a long-term effort – so they partnered with dg&a to involve
and engage key stakeholders in answering fundamental questions and have a hand in delivering a solution.
Key elements of the strategic approach included:
1. Aligning management first, then equipping supervisors with the information they need to align and
motivate staff.
2. Defining messages in context of the re-organization, and the cultures and personalities of the individual
hospitals.
3. Putting a “human face” on Bayhealth’s mission, values and behaviors through a strong internal brand
created using the iBrand eight-step process.

Along the way, management found out much more than just their key messages; they learned things they
could do to better manage their organization. Beyond several policy changes and easy fixes, the work led to an
internal communication plan with strategic messages and tools to energize, involve and align “many faces”
with “one mission.”

Identifying outcomes
Given the desired outcome of helping the organization speak with one voice about its mission, vision, and
values, the next step was research and audience analysis.

Who are we talking to, and what do they think?
Primary research included a survey, interviews and focus groups. Individual interviews with 12 senior
management, board and community members indicated that merger issues remained, including a lack of
alignment with the hospital’s direction and lack of appreciation of differences between the two hospitals. We
drafted a set of initial messages based on the information gathered during the interviews (i.e. mission, key
components, behaviors and values) to test in focus groups.

Measurable communication goals
With an understanding of the landscape, Bayhealth was able to set five specific communication goals:
1. 85 percent of staff understand all key messages.
2. 75 percent of staff understand Bayhealth mission.
3. 75 percent of staff understand Bayhealth vision.
4. 75 percent of staff understand Bayhealth behaviors.
5. 75 percent of staff understand their role in helping achieve the mission.

Case study continued overleaf


CASE STUDY CONTINUED:
Bayhealth Medical Center

Messages that resonate “A corresponding visual identity
Focus groups were conducted to validate messaging and provide was developed that showcased
fodder for the theme development. Feedback showed staff the ‘many faces’ of Bayhealth,
thought and spoke differently about Bayhealth, especially in terms and the brand was applied
of mission and values. For the first time, staff wrestled with the throughout the subsequent
issue of whether it’s okay to have separate personalities at each communication campaign.”
hospital, but the same culture overall. All shared a sense of pride
and seemed to want the same thing – for Bayhealth to provide the best community healthcare services. This
unifying theme formed the basis of the messages. Finally, interviews with the communications team
corroborated a need for a core set of messages for the organization and validated the theme.

Many Faces. One Mission.
Building on the insights gathered in steps 1-4, the internal brand developed clearly articulated the Bayhealth
messages under the theme “Many Faces, One Mission”. The theme represented the diversity of identities
within the organization, but emphasized the universal desire to provide the best community healthcare services
– a desire that united all Bayhealth employees. A corresponding visual identity was developed that showcased
the “many faces” of Bayhealth, and the brand was applied throughout the subsequent communication
campaign.

Alignment is critical
The launch plan shared ways to deliver the messages in the most meaningful ways for staff. Senior
management then approved the messages and launch plan with its corresponding suite of internal tools for
bringing the messages to life within the organization. To further build alignment and support, upper
management and supervisors were invited to a meeting to learn about the new messages and how they were
developed. This meeting helped ensure alignment and understanding in their role as they reinforced the
messages with staff and actively demonstrated the values and behaviors.

Bring the message to life
The centerpiece of the launch plan was a vision brochure that clearly articulated the Bayhealth messages, and
used personal stories of staff, volunteers and patients to put a face on Bayhealth’s values. The brochure
included a pocket card with the key messages, as well as a response card employees could send to the CEO
with feedback on what they read. In addition, supervisors received a toolkit that included the brochure, key
messages for different audiences, Bayhealth background, listing of facilities, overview of services, important
facts/figures and graphic standards.

The vision brochure was mailed to each employee’s home so it would stand out from other materials received
at the office. Directors held department meetings to share and further reinforce the mission and specifically
discuss its relevance and applicability to their department. The materials and messages also were integrated
into employee orientation programs, Bayhealth’s patient service program, rewards and recognition programs
and staff performance reviews.

Realize success
To evaluate the effectiveness of the program, a survey was conducted with staff to gauge awareness and
understanding of the mission, behaviors and values and their role in bringing these to life. Results were up

Case study continued overleaf


CASE STUDY CONTINUED:
Bayhealth Medical Center

across the board, with most dramatic increases in understanding of Bayhealth’s mission, values and overall
messages.

For the first time, management was aligned on its key messages and understood the critical role it plays in
bringing the Bayhealth vision to life and growing their business. As part of a strategic internal communication
plan, the hospital discovered messages that resonate with their key stakeholders and unearthed issues that
remained from the merger so they could finally be addressed.

Follow-up research with employees showed an understanding of key messages increased at every level,
exceeding the aggressive goals set forth at the beginning of the project. In fact, the program surpassed every
goal and was able to drive a 14 percent increase in staff understanding through “Many Faces. One Mission”.

The results
Having set the five specific communication goals, and having undertaken the steps identified in the iBrand
model, Bayhealth achieved the following results:

1. Objective: 85 percent of staff understand all key messages.
Result: 90 percent understanding – 5 percent increase over goal; 14 percent overall increase.
2. Objective: 75 percent of staff understand Bayhealth mission.
3. Objective: 75 percent of staff understand Bayhealth vision.
Result: 87 percent understanding -–12 percent increase over goal; 24 percent overall increase.
4. Objective: 75 percent of staff understand Bayhealth behaviors.
5. Objective: 75 percent of staff understand their role in helping achieve the mission.


About Melcrum

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