Company's employees hold the key to success

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Brand strategy development and implementation are critical components of the profitable positioning and marketing of any organisation. However, the key to a successful brand are the people within the organisation.

"Employees are the enablers who mould brand perception and, unless they are engaged to become passionate brand ambassadors, investing in a brand on an external level alone will not deliver maximum returns on the brand investment," she says.

"People are the heart of the company and it is the way in which they live the brand that contributes directly to the bottom line.

"People need to feel involved, cared for and to care about those around them. It is not a soft issue.

"It really is about the way the entire company operates and who the company is at its centre. A brand's success is 100% about people performing to meet the business goals."

Nelson says that most companies churn out the tired old adage: "Our people are our most important asset."

However, the reality is that people do not feel driven to perform to the maximum requirement. Case studies show that this is seldom due to hard factors like salary and benefits - it is due to a lack of involvement, understanding, pride and recognition, and a disconnect with the company vision.

Nelson believes that working from the inside out is the key to effective branding. "After all, delivering on the brand promise is paramount. People competence, confidence and wellbeing is critical to delivering on the promise."

Importantly though, there is no one-size-fits-all solution to effective branding from within. "Each organisation has its own unique brand, vision, purpose and culture. We believe that the body of the brand consists of the people that bring it to life.

"People need to feel connected. Our contribution to an organisation is about making the connections - connecting people with the vision, brand promise, strategy and purpose of business, connecting individual contributions to the bigger picture and connecting involvement with performance," says Nelson.