"Corporate Branding: How The Best Build And Nuture Brands"

Companies spend millions building a corporate branding identity. It's no wonder, then, that once they've established a brand their next obsession is protecting it.

A branding is the reputation and image of a company, says Bernd Schmitt, a Columbia Business School professor and head of the Center on Global Brand Leadership. It's conveyed via names, logos, ads, packaging and word-of-mouth.

Corporate branding used to focus on logo and name, But in the mid-1990s, it took on a broader meaning. 'It's the promise and how you communicate it, Schmitt said.

Protecting a corporate branding image isn't defensive. It's defining a promise, keeping it and making sure your message connects with consumers. Sniffing out threats has a role.

For Coca-Cola and Visa, the product is the promise. For others, like Cardinal Health, a brand is a vow of quality service.

Brand As Promise

Dublin, Ohio-based Cardinal Health is a top provider of products and services for the health care industry. The gowns and products it delivers have many names.

Cardinal's corporate branding image and value are as a problem solver, says Public Affairs Vice President Geoffrey Fenton, who oversees its branding efforts.

At the most basic level, corporate branding depends on infrastructure. Visa is "everywhere you want to be." You can slide your card anywhere.

But there are also intangibles. GM's Saturn promises a no-haggle car purchase.

"FedEx could be branded on its infrastructure, saying it has more trucks than any other delivery company, but it didn't," Fenton said. "Its corporate branding image is reliability and peace of mind."

Something To Agree On

Ultimately your corporate branding image must be a mission your target market accepts. Ron Cappello, president of New York-based consultancy Enterprise IG, says credibility is key to success, especially in a relationship.

"When Microsoft said it would team up with NBC, people bought it," said Cappello, who's consulted with Cardinal, Merck and others. Both are leaders in media and technology. But if, say, Ford had teamed up with NBC, that would have been a stretch.

Once you've nailed down your mission and message, think about protection. The threats are many.

Image Police

Some companies assign workers to patrol brand image. Others hire outside help. AT&T uses several companies to track its corporate branding image. Its PR officials review daily reports.

Coke's brand patrol force of six trademark lawyers does the job. And the company is quick to respond to unlicensed use of its name.

"We always start out with a letter,' said Caroline Katz, one Coke attorney. 'It will either be a cease-and-desist letter or just a letter to let them know we've noticed what they are doing and that we'd appreciate it if they talked to us."

Coca-Cola employees report incidents to the "Coca-Cola Cares Hotline" when they notice problems.

Experts say the worst threats to a company's corporate branding image come from within. Brands suffer when there is a major disconnect between what's promised and what's delivered.

"That's a self-inflicted wound," Cappello said.

Airlines are a case in point.

"They can't control the weather, and they can't control the skies," Cappello said. "So the promise of on-time rings hollow."

Cappello says the airlines should focus on empathy with travelers.

"How the airlines handle communications can really impact their brand," he said. "Are they being truthful? Are they calling people up and saying they're canceling flights?"

The most easily identified attack is imitation of your brand. If someone steals your look, you can sue.

But there are more subtle external threats. You see it in the phone wars. One company claims to have better rates than another. True or not, your job is to fight back - and fast. "A lie becomes the truth in 24 hours unless it's rebutted," Cappello said, quoting Mark Twain.

Columbia's Schmitt says you have two choices in responding.

You can copy the attacker with an ad that shows why your rates are better. Or you can be indirect - and focus on your unique product or service.

Role Of Employees

One powerful tool for both communicating your promise and protecting your corporate branding image is employees.

"You give them incentives and reward them with the brand objective in mind," Schmitt said. He cites rewards tied to customer satisfaction ratings, for instance.

You also want employees to know their input and support count. That means companies must practice what they preach.

"This whole idea about a firewall, that you can protect a brand by projecting a certain image outside and no one knows what's going on inside, doesn't work anymore," Schmitt said. "If you are known to be secretive and manipulative and sleazy, don't be surprised if there's lots of bad stuff about you on the Web."

A company must also have corporate branding guidelines for workers.

Annual Training

Intel's yearly meetings for new and seasoned employees include "classes to become familiar with the brand," said Pam Pollace, vice president of corporate marketing.

Cardinal tells its 43,000 employees of "standards to make sure you are speaking, acting, behaving, representing yourself in a way that is consistent with the company's corporate branding image," Fenton said. The rules also govern use of logos and graphics. The Cardinal Bird has size and color specs.

Experts also say corporate branding protection should focus less on defense.

"Protecting is seen as something very reactive," Schmitt said. "The best long-term protection is to do well and have a great product."

By Adelia Cellini Linecker
Excerpted from Investor's Business Daily