22 February 2012
Internal brand engagement starts at the top
The CEO, senior executives and line managers are cited by 40.4 percent of internal communicators as key in encouraging employee brand advocacy.
Nearly half of internal communicators believe internal brand engagement in organizations starts at the top. These were the findings from a recent Melcrum poll surveying communicators around the world and across various industries. 
The CEO, senior executives and line managers are cited by 40.4 percent of survey participants as key in encouraging brand advocacy among employees. Adding that leaders engage their workforce in company values through various channels, including companywide emails, interviews in the internal employee magazine, as well as taking part in presentations and discussions.
Other ways organizations are using to encouraging brand advocacy is through social networks (10.6%), and corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives (12.8).
However, brand engagement is not on the agenda for everyone. More than a third (34.1%) of respondents said that employee brand advocacy is not a current focus in their organization.
Somewhat surprising, when employee engagement was put as the top priority for internal communicators in 2012. The importance of nurturing the company brand among external stakeholders is a well understood concept in most organizations yet, as communication strategies are planned and implemented, one critical audience often overlooked is employees.
Your employees are your most powerful brand advocates. If they don’t believe in your brand promise, why should consumers? Companies need to make sure their employees are not only educated about the brand image, message and promise but also that those employees have a reason to believe in it and want to talk about it.
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