The MediaBanc Brand Initiation Program: Developing a Culture of Employee Brand Advocacy
Employee brand advocacy, a corporate culture which turns employees into brand advocates, is one of the major driving forces of successful brand-building in many organizations today. The culture nurtures employees who are deeply passionate about the company’s brand and enables them to express the brand’s vision to other stakeholders.
MediaBanc Group recently underwent a rebranding exercise, carrying a new tagline, “Be Informed” with the objective of strengthening its position as the leading media monitoring and media intelligence agency in the Southeast Asia region. With over 280 employees based in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore, Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok and Ho Chi Minh, the company placed emphasis on internal branding, which is marketing from within its organization to engage the emotional drivers of employees’ commitment in delivering its brand promise.
Companies are becoming aware that sending the right message to their employees is just as important as making a good impression with customers, vendors and investors. MediaBanc recognizes that employees are the key force behind many great companies. By giving them the right message and encouragement, employees will be happy, leading to increased productivity. Turning employees into brand advocates forms a stronger, more powerful brand that is able to bond with customers. With satisfied employees, they provide better service, leading to satisfied customers.
MediaBanc plans to instil the understanding that “Information is King” and the “One Heart Philosophy” in their employees to help them understand the company’s vision and the importance of working together as one in their respective roles in delivering the brand promises.
As part of the Brand Initiation Program for their employees, MediaBanc had produced premium items such as notebooks, laptop bags and pens, among other items, to create a ‘branded’ human resource. This approach not only creates a strong visual identity amongst the employees, but the key messages embedded in the products serve as a constant reminder of the corporate and brand messages that unify its employees.
A brand culture workshop was conducted for employees across Southeast Asia to help them understand the brand better followed by an election of Brand Ambassadors. Department heads and employees that displayed leadership qualities were chosen as brand ambassadors. The selected brand ambassadors were tasked to continuously cascade and harness the essence of the Mediabanc brand to their colleagues.
Building a successful, strong team across Southeast Asia takes time but not impossible. Likewise in many decisions in business, it requires a strategic vision. With this new brand initiation program, MediaBanc hopes to deliver employee satisfaction for its employees in their work environment with the firm belief that their employees are their greatest assets that contribute towards the organization’s success.