Global CEO Jez Frampton spoke at the World Business Forum 2012 about Interbrand's 13th annual Best Global Brands report. Frampton explained that Interbrand studies the economic success of brands, the role brand plays in consumer purchase decisions and how far into the future will the brand impact customer loyalty and future sales. He notes of the brand ranking within the report, "The number itself is great, but more importantly it reminds companies of the importance of brands."

The importance of internal brand engagement was stressed. "It's as much to do with what's going on in your company as outside," Frampton said. The key too, he explained, is in listening to customers and staying relevant. The Best Global Brands 2012 report is itself a reflection of what's going on in the world.

Coca Cola, number one on the ranking, "always seems to be on the edge" of what's trending globally Frampton added. The historic rise of Apple on the list, questions about the company's future and the strong showing of technology bands as a whole reflect how much technology has become part of our lives. While the numbers for the report and valuations were completed months ago, Frampton noted that recent headlines declaring Google overtook Microsoft for the first time demonstrate that the Best Global Brands report is a solid future predictor.

Ann Lewnes, SVP of Global Marketing for Adobe, and Andy Palmer, EVP at Nissan, joined Frampton on stage to discuss branding. Both Lewnes and Palmer agreed that the focus on internal brand engagement has become critical with an understanding that "the brand matters." Lewnes noted Adobe's ranking on the report motivates the team from the engineers to the marketers to ensure that products are developed with the brand story in mind. Palmer said that "where we are" on Best Global Brands functions at Nissan as a "sanity check."

Listening is critical for brands today. Adobe, for example, showed technology that could de-blur photographs at a conference, and it was so well-received conversations about the new innovation went viral. While Adobe as a software company has the ability to create a product from idea to launch within months or a year, for an automotive company like Nissan, the process can take far longer. So how can the brand ensure it's incorporating listening to consumers, staying relevant and keeping the brand in its long-term product development goals?

Palmer explained that marketers, PR and engineers are working together at Nissan to ensure that the story of the products and the products themselves connect long before launch, helping to ensure the process stays true to the brand. He noted Nissan's teams work together to analyze data, listen to trends and the marketplace, study the global picture and "demystify this thing called brand."

Lewnes and Palmer each shared views of their brands into the future. Lewnes observed, "I actually think the world is getting smaller." With more and more people around the world seeking similar products and having shared consumer experiences, Lewnes noted they are finding that where once different locals needed different marketing campaigns, testing indicates the same campaign can now be used in the US and Japan, for example. Palmer added that Nissan is stepping up its focus on consistent tone in its messaging globally.

Lewnes and Palmer also shared that going forward commitment to brand transparency and corporate social responsibility will play growing roles. "People want to know more about the companies they buy from," Lewnes commented. Palmer noted that within emerging markets such as India, where compared to the US's car ownership rate being about 800 in 1000 people, it's at about 50 in 1000. He noted we will "have to democratize the motor car again," yet the "planet simply can't" handle that level of increased Co2. So we will have to see the emergence of significant use of electric vehicles, fuel cells and other sustainable technologies.

Ultimately, in as Frampton described it, "our highly social, networked world," it will be "responsiveness" that will drive brands' stories into the future.

In a recent Harvard Business Review blog post, professor Bill George brings to light the foibles and unethical doings of several high-level leaders of the last year. Among them:

• Dominque Strauss-Kahn – a leading French politician and former head of the International Monetary Fund, charged with sexual assault.
• David Sokol, rumored to be Warren Buffett successor, was forced to resign after violating Berkshire Hathaway’s insider-trading rules and purchasing roughly US $10 million in Lubrizol stock prior to recommending that Berkshire Hathaway purchase the company. 
• Mark Hurd, former Hewlett-Packard CEO resigned post sexual harassment – expenses scandal.

As George points out, what these three leaders have in common is that at the pinnacle of their careers, they jeopardized their position and prestige by abusing their status for seemingly ephemeral gains – money, sex, and power. And at the heart each controversy lies an unexamined self – not bad people, but individuals that have lost their footing and succumbed to the seductions in their path.
 
He suggests that when leaders rely on external gratification for fulfillment versus internal fulfillment and the satisfaction that comes with building a team and doing something greater than oneself, a vicious impetus is produced: a deep desire for more, whether it is more rewards, press, perks, bonuses, stock appreciation, or the like. In turn, this leads them farther from reality. This disconnect means they are likely to act irresponsibly if a problem comes to the surface and put their organization at risk. (For example, Lehman CEO Richard Fuld’s denial that Lehman Brothers was undercapitalized, and his persistent rejection of advice to seek added capital.)

So, how does this relate to Buddhism and branding? At the heart of Buddhist thought is that chaos and suffering emanate from our desires. But if our desires are rooted in compassion, with the ability to see and speak the truth, we’ll be planting seeds of improvement, not chaos.

 
Similarly, as we tell leaders time and again, they play a pivotal role in shaping and defining the values that drive their brand, and more importantly, a brand is nothing without its employees. Any brand leader who loses sight of this is putting their organization and bottom line at risk.

And as George advises, “This requires reframing their leadership from being heroes to being servants of the people they lead. This process requires thought and introspection because many people get into leadership roles in response their ego needs.”

So the next time, a CEO or CMO is tempted to turn left on scandal lane, they should remember what they and their brand stands for, and that an “eye for an eye makes the whole world blind."

No brand wants to confront the news that the U.S. Supreme Court may hear a potential class action lawsuit involving alleged widespread discrimination against female employees. But for Walmart, it’s especially bad news. It’s not simply the fact that the lawsuit could potentially include one million current and former female Walmart employees (that’s one percent of all American females), it’s also that the news has been a springboard for the media to revisit previous stories involving Walmart’s low pay, poor benefits, and cheap and sometimes flimsy products.

Just as consumers evaluate brands based on how they treat the environment (BP, we’re looking at you), consumers also evaluate brands based on how they treat their employees. When a brand declares that it wants to help people “Live Better” by saving them money, it’s only natural that consumers may ask if that brand is helping its employees to “Live Better” as well. Shoppers love a bargain, but as brands associated with child labor have learned, they don’t want to feel guilty about saving money.
 
Walmart would do well to remember that the lawsuit on hand is far more than just a public relations issue: It’s an employee engagement issue. Walmart’s employees stand front and center in its stores wearing vests emblazoned with the words “How Can I Help You?” They are the face and representation of the brand— something that Walmart needs to remind itself.

Now is the time for Walmart to make the link between its many laudable corporate citizenship efforts and its brand. The question Walmart needs to begin asking itself is this: How is Walmart helping its employees “Live Better” today? There is a story to be told. Let’s hope Walmart begins telling it.

This year's marcus evans Corporate Reputation Risk & Management conference featured a strong social media component. SAP, Grainger, Southwest Airlines, and MWV shared how their communications have evolved from pushing controlled messages to engaging employees and external stakeholders in a dialogue to shape their company reputation. Twitter, YouTube, blog, and Facebook have provided outlets for employees to have even more influence in shaping their company reputation. But the big question on virtually everyone's mind was how should the risks of an open dialogue be best managed to truly help build your corporate reputation?

Several speakers suggested introducing new types of control measures such as social media guidelines and new positions to monitor and manage rogue messages. Interestingly, companies such as noted rule-breaker Southwest Airlines and B2B icon SAP are moving in the opposite direction with a less is more approach. Rather than try to rein in communications, they have given their employees more freedom to express themselves and quickly experienced small wins that have helped build stronger reputations for their companies. For example, rumors were self-corrected by employees, stronger connections with customers were created, and employees felt more engaged in shaping their company.

This less is more approach is only effective when you have a strong culture focused on a deep and all-encompassing employee understanding of the company's vision. For this strategy to work effectively, employees need to be aligned with the messages you want to share and need to be invested in the success of the company.

In that sense, brands considering where to focus their efforts and limited resources would do better to put less emphasis on putting more controls in place, and more effort toward helping employees better understand the CEO’s vision and what makes a company a special place to work. In the end, giving your employees the tools and freedom to spread that message and build your reputation makes more sense than reigning them in and holding them back.

A brand's verbal strategy—from your naming architecture to your messaging and the brand voice you dress it all up in—boils down to an artful seduction: We use words to woo. It's all about driving your audiences to choose you and then inspiring them to stay loyal and true.

But too often, organizations make the mistake of beginning and ending that courtship with external audiences, when they first should focus on the home front.

Great brands know that their internal verbal strategy needs to reflect the external-facing one. Your people are your greatest asset, but they will stop singing your praises if you are not attentive. Time spent on training a disengaged work force will suddenly be out-sized to other organizational efforts.

If, on the other hand, you show your people the care they deserve, they'll repay you many times over with brand evangelism and loyalty. It saves time and energy in recruiting and training, and you'll reap the benefits of focused, dedicated team players shining your brand's best attributes outward into all their customer-facing interactions.

Skeptical about the wisdom of the internal investment? The details from Interbrand's research on the subject are compelling, as discussed by Tom Zara in "Changing the World from the Inside Out: Engaging Employees via Corporate Citizenship."

In a time when business strategists are crowdsourcing solutions from every exterior source, it's also advisable—even imperative—to turn within for answers to challenges and creative questions facing your organization, as Interbrand's Jeff Mancini argues.

So when your verbal strategy for internal brand engagement mirrors the ideal verbal strategy for all your other audiences, it means:

Get the messages straight. Your people need to know what your brand stands for, and what you expect from them. Getting your team to act like they're on your team is essential, and the only way to do that is to use messaging to tell them in no uncertain terms what the organization stands for. Values, identity, authenticity—all these things are equally important to employees as they are to customers.

Watch your tone. Words matter. Tone matters. Use your brand voice internally to demonstrate to your people how the brand speaks when it faces outside, what its values are. The more they get a chance to use your brand voice, the more people internalize the personality of your brand—and turn that effort into behavior.

Name judiciously. There's such a thing as over-naming. There are also such things as under-naming; and these represent wasted opportunities to engage effectively with internal audiences. A benefits program, a code of conduct, an affinity group, an initiative in the workplace—think long and hard about how to use naming for these internal-facing entities to further rally your troops around your brand.

Connect with the people who represent you, and it will boost the success of all you do in the wider world. When it comes to verbal identity, don't forget to love the ones you're with.