Brand(ing):Inside & Outside

Is there a Business Model behind that Values Statement?

March 1, 2012

Tweet There are many fledgling businesses that have laudable intent and shaky commercial foundations.   This is a problem because, in an ideal world, the businesses that stand for values we share should also be able to sustain themselves as businesses. That’s the key premise underneath social entrepreneurship and conscious capitalism. Purpose-driven organizations need compelling values, but they also need [...]

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Social Business News: Too Many Wrong Messages On Social Media? Try Leadership, Not Control.

December 5, 2011

Tweet In my first contribution to Social Business News, I’m reminding organizations that want to align their social media messages to focus their efforts on leadership. I find it pretty frustrating that so many social media advocates recommend “governance” or “policy” or “control” when an organization finds there are too many voices, not enough voices, [...]

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Connecting to the Company Story: Coding is Crafting for Etsy’s Engineers

November 21, 2011

Tweet Every organization has a story. Any group that wants to be an important part of that organization needs to craft a place for itself in that story. The story an organization tells itself and shares with others helps everyone make sense of who the organization is. For members, the organization’s story helps them articulate [...]

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Authentic Competitive Distinctiveness — It’s all in the details

May 19, 2011

Tweet There’s a great photo in the New York Times (May 19, 2011) of a whitepaper chart created to manage the Delta-Northwest Merger’s Long and Complex Path. The chart is full of of post-its, probably more than 200 of them. Each post-it reflects a point where the systems and processes of the organizations need to [...]

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3 Ways That Employer Branding Can Benefit Current Employees

May 17, 2011

Tweet It’s easy to see how Employer Branding is useful to HR departments and potential job applicants. Employer Branding, the practice of marketing images of your organization as a desirable place to work towards potential job applicants, is a sensible strategy for attracting the right people onto your bus (-iness). Employer Branding works to draw [...]

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Action Branding: Using activity streams to authenticate identity claims

March 23, 2011

Tweet Action Branding is the concept that brands are the sum of their actions. – Extending this concept to personal brands and organizational brands, action branding helps individuals and organizations demonstrate, and thus authenticate, the character, values and purpose they claim to have. – Social media creates opportunities for individuals and organizations to track, organize [...]

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Beyond Positioning: Establishing Authentic Optimal Distinctiveness

February 23, 2011

Tweet Every organization needs to establish optimal distinctiveness – a competitive position within your field, where you are similar enough to other organizations to be seen as legitimate, but different enough that you’re seen as having something unique to offer.  But, optimal distinctiveness is more than being in a competitive place in your field. Optimal [...]

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How Social Media Create Organizational Meaning

January 18, 2011

Tweet Social media tools can transform an organization. One of the things I enjoy so much about social media is the chance to be (more often) the person I am, with my specific sets of talents, interests, and goals. Every time I extend myself out on social media, I get to choose what I’ll say, [...]

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