Connective Branding : Building Brand Equity in a Demanding World

Connective Branding is built on Brand Engagement and Brand Alignment as the two key drivers of brand equity and entails a number of shifts from traditional branding, including Broadening of audiences moving beyond a sole focus on the customer and building brand consistent relationships with employees, investors, partners, suppliers, distributors, special interest groups and any other key stakeholders. Networked collaboration moving beyond the notion that the marketing department is the sole owner of the brand by empowering deputizing brand champions within the organisation and encouraging systematic collaboration with all functions touching the brand. Living Brand Values from within moving beyond the emphasis on external image creation and harnessing the power of employees to enact the brand, thereby creating a brand that permeates the entire organisation and cultivating authenticity. Building Interactive Relationships moving beyond one way, disruptive and manipulative communication to interactive brand co creation. Addressing Corporate Social Responsibility strategically moving beyond a paradigm that sees profitability and doing good as conflicting goals, and embracing CSR as a strategic opportunity that benefits both the company and society at large.