Chapter 8: Internal Word of Mouth: The Role of Brand Champions

It is estimated that up to 75 percent of organizational change processes fail because of people issues. Designing a change process to brand customer service is a relatively contained process. Implementing it is long-term and ongoing. We have learned that keeping everyone interested and engaged over the long haul is at the heart of the issue to avoid failure.

While support from upper management is obviously critical, it can be seductive to understate the role that general staff play in the brand integration process. And there is no better way to jump-start this engagement than with brand champions.

The Role of Brand Champions

The brand champion process operates much the same way that marketing professionals gain public exposure. Both aim for critical masses of people thinking of their brand first. Branded customer service is not likely to be consistently delivered if employees feel they are forced to comply with on-brand behavioral standards (push projects). It takes time and resources to create commitment (pull) for delivering on-brand service, but it is an investment that will reduce catch-up efforts demanded down the road to remove employee resistance.

Think of brand champions as internal sponsors for your branded customer service initiatives. As figure 5 indicates, brand champions can cascade sponsorship for your brand throughout your entire business, influencing behavior on a daily basis.

Figure 5: Infusing your brand into the spirit of your business

One of the striking benefits of working with a brand champion team is that it is easily monitored to provide a quick measurement of how far on-brand behaviors have penetrated the organization. If the brand champions do not deliver the brand promise in their behaviors, chances are that the rest of the organization is not delivering. They reflect what is happening with your entire internal branding effort.

Brand champions, as table 4 indicates, can play a variety of roles. Here are the three most critical:

1. Live the brand. Keep the branded customer service orientation alive and visible through demonstrable behavior.

2. Support and advance the vision. Implement and measure the impact of as many good ideas as possible to support branded customer service efforts.

3. Work as one team. Act as internal consultants and inspire the entire organization; become a resource to senior management.

Table 4: Brand champion roles

LIVE THE BRAND	SUPPORT AND ADVANCE THE VISION	WORK AS ONE TEAM
Share their understanding of the brand Push an ideal picture of the brand Practice brand values	Help plan and implement the vision Measure progress Coordinate implementation	Exchange brand information Coordinate brand communication Host update meetings

Walk into a Krispy Kreme Doughnuts location and you will find animated staff who are excited about being part of a successful corporation. They are proud of their product, which brings smiles to their customers' mouths. Krispy Kreme's product, if consumed in large amounts, will make you obese. Doughnuts aren't that good for your energy level—or your teeth. Yet tremendous levels of enthusiasm are evident in the Krispy Kreme outlets. In contrast, we have visited large pharmaceutical companies engaged in the production and distribution of drugs that save lives but having none of Krispy Kreme's enthusiasm.

One of the big differences is that Krispy Kreme early on paid attention to commitment; the outlet managers are, in effect, the brand champions for the huge doughnut maker. Conversely, many older corporations didn't begin their enterprises paying attention to staff mood, customer focus issues, and branding. To expect managers in such corporations to suddenly assume the role of brand champions is wishful thinking. A brand champion team composed of staff members who are genuinely excited about what they do has a much better chance of fulfilling the three major roles required of brand champions.