Creating the Living Brand

Abstract

This article appeared in a column headed ‘Best Practice’ and focuses on an aspect of brand loyalty rarely written about: how to inspire and maintain brand loyalty among the employees of the brand owner. It advances the idea that if those employees really ‘buy into’ the brand image and a bond is generated between them, then sustaining that image is made easier. Thus, even in service industries, normally characterized by low pay and low employee retention rate, the fostering of such a bond pays a double dividend: employee loyalty and customer (brand) loyalty. The employees themselves become enthusiastic ambassadors for the brand, communicating a ‘feel good’ factor to the public. This sounds like a wonderful paradigm but does it cost too much for the brand owner? By patiently exposing the theme through the example of two phenomenally successful convenience store chains in Oklahoma and Pennsylvania, respectively, the answers are surprisingly...