Internal Branding Increases Profits and Brand Success.

Have you ever wondered what role your employees play in your brand’s success? We have the answer: A Whole Lot.  Every successful brand starts with motivated and inspired employees.  

No other recent brand success embodies this philosophy more than Delta Air Lines. On January 21, Delta reported annual 2013 profits of $2.7 billion – a profit stated after each of its 80,000 employees receives a profit sharing check worth approximately 8% of their yearly salary on Valentine’s Day.  Two days after announcing the profit, Air Transport World named Delta its ATW 2014 Global Airline of the Year.  ATW cited several selection criteria including consistent high standards of customer service and excellent employee relations. 

Delta’s internal branding program was key in this success.  It was no easy journey for Delta after its merger with Northwest.  By early 2011, cultures were still clashing, customer satisfaction metrics had plummeted, key facilities were tattered, and service fragmented.  Delta’s current CEO, Richard Anderson, directed the company to revisit the core brand values Delta’s founder, C.E. Woolman, introduced in 1928 during the airline’s infancy.  Today – with over $4 billion invested in technology improvements, facility rebuilding, and customer service training for all its client-facing staff – the results are stellar.

Can an internal branding program benefit your company?  It’s very important to look at the internal side of the brand before going to market with a brand promise, and there are numerous considerations and steps that should be taken, for example:

• Explore the company culture and health in an Executive Brand Workshop
• Employee market research
• Identification of core values
• Development of key messages
• Brand handbook development
• Internal messaging systems
• Internal guerilla tactics
• Creating an internal brand champion team