Let me start with a definition of sorts. A good brand tells a powerful story. A great brand gives people powerful stories to tell. And an extraordinary brand – an Apple, a Virgin, a Rolls Royce – IS the story. That’s not just true of consumer and corporate brands. It’s true of Employer Brands, too[…]
The human being alone among creatures on earth is a storytelling animal: sees the present rising out of a past, heading into a future; perceives reality in narrative form.” (Novak, 1975) What impact can storytelling have on organisational development and growth? As I have tried to demonstrate throughout this series of articles, story is perhaps[…]
When Fortune magazine describes an organisation as “the most innovative company in America” for six years in a row, there’s a good chance it can teach us a thing or two about employer branding. All the more so, perhaps, when the company in question is a recognised leader in its sector and was using the[…]
I have in front of me the brand guidelines for one of the UK’s leading not-for-profit organisations. It contains over 50 pages of detailed rules relating to design, layout, use of colour, typography, photographic principles, illustration styles, grid templates and logo placement. But what does it have to say about the use of language? Well,[…]
Imagine a world where the majority of your employees simply don’t trust your organisation…where your business and recruitment marketing activities are viewed with increasing suspicion… and where nearly two thirds of people will question the credibility of statements made by your CEO and other organisational leaders. A nightmare scenario? Sadly not. As the 2017 Edelman[…]
I recall presenting some draft graduate brochure copy to the HR manager of a major multinational in the cosmetics sector. “It’s great, ” he said. “It covers everything we need to say about the company, its values and its working environment.” Short pause. “Of course, it’s all crap.” The point is, if he knew it[…]
What metaphors do you live by? You may see life as a struggle, an adventure, a maze, a canvas, a roller coaster or even a box of chocolates. Whatever your particular metaphor – and however unconscious it may be – it will profoundly influence what you focus on and how you understand and engage with[…]
Do you know what happens when you type the term “Chief Storyteller” into LinkedIn’s search field? Try it. On the very first results page you will meet John Nash at Travelport Labs, Marie Dosier at Architas, Russell Brady at Adobe, Steve Clayton at Microsoft, Stephen Hamm at IBM, Terrence Gargiulo at Accenture and Julie Roehm at[…]
At the risk of stating the obvious, employer brands never exist in a vacuum. They exist in parallel with corporate brands and consumer brands – and the challenge, at the organisational level, is to bring them all into alignment. Which is not quite as simple as it sounds. One reason for this is a long[…]
Do you recall the game of croquet in Alice in Wonderland? In this story, live flamingos are used as mallets, live hedgehogs are used as balls, and some rather sullen soldiers stand on their hands and feet to make the hoops. The only problem is, none of these actors does what’s expected of them. Alice’s[…]