Inside-Out Branding
"Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
"Don’t judge a book by its cover.”
This saying is a warning to not misjudge in a bad way, but it is also true as a warning to not over-esteem anything from what is presented on the outside. When we fix the exterior, we are not really transforming anything that matters. Whatever is on the inside is what will be experienced by others; what is on the inside will always come out.
I’ve spent my entire adult life (17+ years) working in marketing and branding, and I’ve come to realize it is an empty and endless effort to try to change something from the outside. I founded two branding firms and held many of the C-suite titles in the field, and I’ve worked with top brands in real estate, hospitality, fashion, lifestyle, consumer goods, media, tech, and even world-renowned motivational speakers. I’ve worked with talented creative and technical minds to tackle brand issues and come up with strategies and solutions that will help them engage the customer in new ways as the world turned digital and then social and now…conscious? I’ve been a part of teams tasked to build “legacy” and “impact" for brands that are looking to stay relevant to the new conscious consumer.
The problem is, the very act of “branding” can be a vain effort. By “re-dressing” a brand or person, it is completely contradicting what today’s conscious consumer is looking for - transparency and authenticity. Now a consumer is highly capable of discovering the truth with access to technology and with the global demand for more transparent operations. Brands and leaders in business need to be ready for Gen Z, to be ready for the following generations who will have even more access to the “behind the scenes” information on the companies with whom they engage.
With this being true, I know that we now need to be human-centered as leaders and businesses. From the inside-out, we need to actually care about our shareholders, who encompass not only investors but employees, customers and communities. In order to do this, we all need to realize there is no business or success without serving all of these groups genuinely, as we would treat ourselves. This may sound “lofty”, but that doesn’t make it false. The world is pushing in this direction, and the leaders who will emerge successful will be authentically centered around the people they serve.
Clearly, this means that a measure of the people one serves is part of the answer, and technology will be able to increasingly provide that, but I believe there is a donut hole in having a measure of the consumer. The shape and size of thast hole depends upon the lack of sincerity of brands and leaders. However big and however deep the insincere motivations go determines how big the hole will be no matter what measure one has.
I have worked with and for many businesses and I know there are brands, leaders and corporate cultures where the underlying use of the ideas of mission, wellness, impact, purpose, and meaning is far from honest. This exterior facade ultimately leads to a dead end as it doesn’t have the necessary foundation. Shareholders see through it and it breaks down from the inside-out. Employees are on the front lines, and if their wellbeing is not at the heart of the business, they won’t stay. They are the human experience that customers and communities see, so what begins with employees will carry outward to all shareholders like a ripple effect.
I am passionate about this topic because I believe this is integral to the growth of business. Brands and people are ultimately both effected by the honest use of business. There are methods to explore and many issues to dive into in discussing inside-out branding. It is not a simple concept to tackle, which is why I have made it a pillar of my business. I am committed to helping brands grow from the inside, starting with their people, which will transform everything on the outside.