Building Better Brands from Within

1. Listen to Employees Systematically

Authentic branding starts with understanding your employees’ perspectives. These are the people interacting with your brand daily, giving them valuable insights into how your business operates and resonates.

Unilever provides a fantastic example of this by embedding sustainability across its operations through systematic employee feedback. Their “UniVoice” survey regularly gathers insights on a variety of topics, ensuring sustainability becomes a lived value, not just a talking point.

At a tactical level, inviting employees to co-create or update foundational brand elements like mission statements or messaging reveals how connected they feel to these ideas. Exercises like asking employees to recite the company’s mission statement from memory can uncover opportunities to refine or simplify core messages for better alignment.

2. Act Decisively on Feedback

Listening to employees is only the first step; acting decisively on that feedback is where impact happens. While it’s essential to incorporate their input, the ultimate decisions must reflect your brand’s long-term goals and values.

For example, Netflix faced employee backlash over airing controversial content but chose to stand by its brand mission of artistic freedom. By remaining transparent about its rationale, Netflix upheld its values while fostering trust, even when not all suggestions were implemented.

Transparency is key. Clearly communicating why decisions are made, even if feedback cannot always be acted upon, fosters trust and keeps employees engaged in the brand-building process.

3. Align Employee Experience with Brand Values

Your employees are your brand’s frontline ambassadors. If you promote values externally, they must be mirrored in your workplace culture. Ben & Jerry’s excels at this, involving employees in advocacy campaigns aligned with its social mission, such as climate justice and equality.

When employees actively live out your brand values, they become authentic storytellers, sharing those values with customers and partners naturally. For instance, sustainability-focused brands might adopt eco-friendly office practices or reward employees for adopting green habits to reinforce their external commitments internally.

Building Better Brands through Internal Focus.

At Agnikii Digital, we believe great brands are built not just through external efforts but by empowering the people at their core: employees. Today, employees are no longer passive receivers of corporate messaging; they’re active participants who can shape and amplify a brand’s story with authenticity and purpose.

When your team lives and breathes your brand’s values, it creates a ripple effect that strengthens your organisation both internally and externally. Here’s how to tap into this powerful dynamic to build stronger, more resonant brands.

4. Empower Employees as Brand Advocates

Providing employees with the tools and encouragement to represent your brand amplifies its reach. Patagonia sets the bar by offering employees paid leave to volunteer for environmental causes, aligning with its broader commitment to sustainability.

Additionally, initiatives like Patagonia’s “Worn Wear” programme, where employees encourage customers to repair clothing rather than buy new items, showcase how engaged employees can directly support brand goals. Offering branded resources, social media guidelines, and recognition for advocacy efforts makes it easier for employees to take pride in sharing your story.

5. Make It Engaging and Fun

Brand building doesn’t always have to feel like work. Introducing elements of play can spark creativity and excitement. Google’s “Innovation Week” is a great example of employees pitching ideas to improve products or processes, with the best ones earning rewards.

This gamified approach not only fosters collaboration but also demonstrates the impact of employee-driven innovation on business outcomes. By making brand-building fun, you create a culture where employees feel inspired to contribute meaningfully.

6. Measure the Impact of Internal Branding Initiatives

Like any marketing effort, internal brand activation must be measured for success. HubSpot, for instance, conducts regular feedback sessions and pulse surveys to track how aligned employees feel with the brand’s values and mission. These insights shape both internal culture and external brand perception.

Metrics such as employee engagement, customer feedback, and even social media mentions can reveal how well your strategies are working. Regular analysis ensures alignment with goals and helps refine efforts for continued improvement.