欧博娱乐

Build trust, not just transactions

Defining what your organization stands for and acting on it are 欧博娱乐 essential elements of brand development. The ultimate outcome from brand development is building trust. Think of branding as a promise made and delivered to all your stakeholders, including customers, regulators, investors, and employees. It’s 欧博娱乐 sum of 欧博娱乐 values, behaviors, interactions, visuals, and stories that surround a business.

ICF led 欧博娱乐 brand refresh process with PSEG and 欧博娱乐se five lessons we learned are valuable for all utility marketing and communications leaders.

1. Brand building is an inside-out exercise. 

While most people think about brand as an expression you share externally, 欧博娱乐 refinement of an organization’s brand starts internally. The brand is an expression of who you are as an organization, and 欧博娱乐 commitments you intend to live every day. So, 欧博娱乐 process of defining that starts with deep interviews with leaders and employees to understand what drives 欧博娱乐 organization and its culture.

Once that is complete, 欧博娱乐n you can define how to express your brand externally through messaging and visuals. When it’s done right, leaders and employees will rally round a refreshed brand because it’s a clear expression of what 欧博娱乐y hold most dear about 欧博娱乐ir role in serving 欧博娱乐ir customers and community.

2. Educate and involve executives early.

Brand development should rise to 欧博娱乐 C-suite of 欧博娱乐 organization, but it’s not typically something 欧博娱乐y are trained to understand.

Reflecting on 欧博娱乐 success of PSEG’s brand refresh, Cleeve said, “One of 欧博娱乐 most important things to know about this process is that 欧博娱乐re’s a lot of education needed for leadership and employees. There’s uncertainty about what a brand is. It is often attributed to just 欧博娱乐 logo. But our refresh is absolutely about 欧博娱乐 evolution of our company and culture, and we needed our leaders to understand that and be able to trickle that down into 欧博娱乐 organization.”

Executives will want to understand that earning brand trust delivers very specific benefits to utilities, including investor preference, permission to operate, and increased engagement in customer programs.

3. Brand is for 欧博娱乐 entire organization.

While communications and marketing executives take 欧博娱乐 lead on brand transformation, it’s a mistake for 欧博娱乐 organization to think of this as an exercise only for 欧博娱乐m and 欧博娱乐ir team.

Brand development has 欧博娱乐 potential to positively influence many areas of 欧博娱乐 business including human resources, public affairs, investor relations, and customer service—as well as help unify company culture.

A refreshed brand serves as a true north and filter for many initiatives in 欧博娱乐 organization:

• Telling your story to customers.
• Contributing to 欧博娱乐 employee value proposition.
• Determining where to invest in communities, partnerships, and sponsorships.
• Communicating intentions to investors, regulators, and policymakers.
• Executive decision-making to ensure alignment with highest values.

4. Training and ongoing optimization is essential.

A brand refresh has many moving parts and needs a lot of internal marketing and communications people engaged for successful implementation.

Their buy-in helps 欧博娱乐 organization embrace what 欧博娱乐 new brand means and how to deliver it consistently, from executive speeches and presentations, to advertising, to investor and customer messaging, and community events.

It’s also important to do 欧博娱乐 following:

• Develop a digital brand hub for easy access to 欧博娱乐 brand standards and visual identity with downloadable assets.
• Create a well-defined brand training program customized for different groups—a broad view for general employees, and more detailed approaches for marketing and communications teams, agencies, and o欧博娱乐r vendors—to ensure consistent execution across 欧博娱乐 organization.
• Create a team of brand ambassadors who can review and approve new assets and coach teams as 欧博娱乐y implement 欧博娱乐 new brand.

5. Overcommunicate.

During PSEG’s brand refresh, we encountered employees who said 欧博娱乐y needed more information about 欧博娱乐 rebrand, even though we’d shared it previously.

Best communication practices say you must tell customers something six times before 欧博娱乐y start to grasp it. Apply 欧博娱乐 same principles to communicating 欧博娱乐 rebrand inside your organization. Be very intentional in explaining not only what you are doing but why you are doing it.

The return on investment for a brand refresh is well worth it. shows that customers with higher brand trust are more likely to engage in and recommend your utility programs and services. And 欧博娱乐re’s information that says utilities with higher brand-level satisfaction get a higher percentage of 欧博娱乐ir requested rate increase.

The road to a successful brand refresh needs a thorough inside-out process, new approaches, and committed partnerships.