News Articles
Survive the slowdown by building brand loyalty
Harvard Business School Professor, John Quelch says “Instead of cutting the market research budget, you need to know more than ever how consumers are redefining value and responding to the recession.” He also states further that “successful companies do not abandon their marketing strategies in a recession; they adapt them.”
Many organisations simply examine the sales forecasts and cut spending across the board during a period of economic slowdown without considering how these cuts will impact on communication. Companies that do not ‘speak’ to their customers during recession times disengage them and find themselves vulnerable once the economy has regained momentum.
Abandoning your Employer Brand could be costly
Employer branding is not just about attracting new talent, it is also about engaging, motivating and retaining existing talent. Organisations need engaged employees more than ever to execute the tough directives that are now required to create stability for companies suffering demand declines and increased operating costs.
Tips to consider:
- Communication to your people is a must – Employee communication is often the first to get the axe in budget cuts. In current times, employees are anxious, fearful of losing their jobs and rumours are often rife within the company about potential plans. Use frequent communication and two-way leader meetings to ‘out’ rumours and re focus employees on the job at hand. Provide frequent updates on the company intranet and employee newsletters to help restore stability, productivity and engagement.
- Engage CEO’s to cement loyalty – knowing senior leaders are there to lead through uncertain economic times is crucial to employees. Leaders should be visible, credible, passionate and should focus on reinforcing core brand values. Loyalty of employees can be cemented by assuring employees that the company has survived difficult times in the past, it will be maintaining quality rather than cutting corners and focusing on serving existing customers.
- Use your employer brand to recruit top tier talent – the image of security and sustainability during recession times can be major drawcard in getting the best people to work for you. View this market slowdown as an opportunity to secure top talent who may now be enticed to move. Be clear about your Employment Value Propositions (EVP’s) and compelling reasons to work for your organisation.
ActionLEARNING™ Seminar – The Link between Talent and Brand
The Right Group has developed a series of ActionLEARNING™ Seminars that are interactive, practical and applicable in today’s commercial arena.
Our first seminar in Singapore will be facilitated by The Right Group’s Managing Director, Mr David Kent. David is widely regarded as one of Australasia’s leading brand strategists, with distinct competencies in brand strategy, change management and people and culture.
David will focus on the unquestionable link between talent and brand and the power that a strong company brand can wield when it comes to attracting and retaining the best talent.
SE Asia Offers Significant Opportunity for The Right Group
In response to the unprecedented inquiry from SE Asian companies Vivian Sia has been recruited as the Regional Business Director, based in Singapore. Vivian has a Bachelor of Business Administration from the University of New Brunswick in Canada and has held several senior roles in account management, marketing and business consulting for companies both in Singapore and Australia.
David Kent, Managing Director, of The Right Group says “the interest in both our consulting and training services is testimony to our firm’s expertise and the quality of our people. The Right Group’s methodologies and proprietary processes in linking business strategy with brand strategy are international best practice, and allow us to compete in any market. SE Asian companies are keen to adopt best practice across brand strategy, internal communications, people and culture as critical building blocks to realising their business vision and commercial objectives. We are actively pursuing significant opportunities that have been presented to us, including change management and communication programs for companies in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore”.
The Talent War Hots Up
In a highly competitive labour market place, over the next five years or so, there will be 200,000 more jobs in Australia than there are people to fill them (ABS, Australian Social Trends, 2006), companies will need to retain and attract the right people on the strength of the company’s brand and reputation. Aligning brand with culture creates the behaviours, energy and commitment required for companies to build an Employer of Choice market position and sustainable competitive advantage.
The Hewitt Best Employers of 2006/07, www.bestemployersanz.com sponsored by Boss magazine and AGSM, announced FedEx Express (NZ) and Salesforce as joint winners. Highly commended were Bain & Company, Cisco Systems, Medtronics Australasia, SEEK Limited, Vedior Asia Pacific and Westaff. These companies all display consistent characteristics; they are more focused on their customers and doing what it takes to satisfy their needs; and they take a considered and thoughtful approach to developing and managing leaders. Leaders who are trusted are seen as more effective and better able to rally their people around business strategies and goals. They spend time and resources building and developing the capability of their employees, and they are clear about what they stand for as employers, delivering on those promises, and so they differentiate themselves as Hewitt Best Employers.
Thought Leadership in SE Asia
The Right Group is sponsoring the 2007 Leaders in Corporate Communications Conference to be held in Singapore on March 27th to March 30th, 2007. As well as being the major sponsor, David Kent the Managing Director of The Right Group will present a key note speech on the opening day on the topic of Using Brand to Drive Successful Corporate Communications.
The conference will be attended by senior level delegates from some of Asia’s leading companies sharing their expertise and best practice in corporate communications. Our sponsorship and attendance is evidence of our commitment to thought leadership and to being the best brand consultancy in the region, recognised for building powerful brands and communications for our clients.
The Right Group Announces Opening of Singapore Office
The Right Group has been very active in the SE Asian region for sometime, working on a number of very exciting opportunities. In November 2006 we conducted a 2 day workshop in Kuala Lumpur, with some of the region’s leading companies, including Petronas, Prudential, Bank of Indonesia, Celcom and Bank of Malaysia. We are also in advanced discussions with several companies to undertake projects in the region across the range our expertise; Brand Strategy, Research and People & Culture, and in March 2007 we will be the major sponsor for the Leaders in Corporate Communications Conference.
Building a Competitive Employment Brand Proposition
Like any consumer brand, an employment brand communicates to potential employees what it is like to work for your company and why employees are retained. An employment brand communicates a company’s culture, values and beliefs. In short, it defines what makes your company unique and what it stands for. A strong employment brand is also an important element in a company’s decision to become an Employer of Choice. This citation can help differentiate your company in the marketplace and is an advantage in your ability to attract (and retain) the best candidates. When used successfully, a strong employment brand should lower employee turnover and reduce hiring costs. It should also, by association, increase productivity. Developing an employment brand involves making an all year round commitment throughout all facets of your company. It needs to be viewed as an integral component of how business is carried out.
The Right Group appointed by Blackwoods to Review their Brand Strategy
Australia’s leading industrial and safety products supplier, Blackwoods has appointed The Right Group to review their brand strategy. The project involves undertaking an external brand audit involving market research and working with Blackwoods to develop a brand blue print and supporting implementation plan. The Right Group’s strategic branding services are based on the principles of leveraging brand as a source of sustainable competitive advantage and ensuring brand is internally aligned with operating activities, including culture.
A new identity for The Right Group
You will have noticed that we have a new website and a new identity. Our new look recognises the direction and growth of the business and we think reflects our vision to be the leading edge brand consultancy in Australia. We have introduced an amended colour scheme and replaced the “tick” logo with a bold, contemporary logotype that is strong and solid and underlines our position as a dynamic, client focused and commercially relevant consultancy.