Inside-out branding: The Ogilvy way
April 14th, 2009
If you have even a passing familiarity with advertising, you know David Ogilvy. His ads for Hathaway shirts, Schweppes, Rolls Royce and other clients are legendary. But, as a recent biography illustrates, Ogilvy’s biggest legacy is not clever headlines and ad campaigns (much of which are dated today), but how he built a brand inside his own organization, then spread it to the world.
As head of his own agency, Ogilvy spent most of his time building and refining the internal story. This wasn’t the yawn-inducing stuff of values, mission statements and goals, but an ever-evolving manifesto that united and excited Ogilvy and Mather employees across the globe.
After inculcating his agency’s story internally, Ogilvy shared much of his content with the world in the best-selling book, Confessions of an Advertising Man. The book made him a household name and had clients beating a path to his door.
Few companies, of course, have a story (or a writer to document it) that will become a best seller. But, every company has a story waiting to be told and spread – a story that uniquely identifies who they are and why they matter.
How the story is told doesn’t matter much: It can be a printed document, an online illustrated narration, a comic-book serial, a series of presentations or videos. Whatever the media, it should resonate with employees.
Your internal story should be perpetually alive, continually evolving with the company. Get employees involved in contributing their insights and anecdotes. Make the story an essential tool for orienting new employees and making sure established employees keep up-to-date.
Once you’ve established the story internally, push select portions out to the world at large.
Many companies work on their outside branding without having established a story within their organizations. That seems backward. Think like Ogilvy and do it the inside-out way.
It’s easier to get the story honed and conveyed when fewer people are involved, which is one reason why small to mid sized companies are usually better then this than large and larger ones. Not so many oars to synchrinize, as it were.
Chuck Brooks
FutureWare SCG
Bob.. couldn’t agree more. The companies that have that “infectious” culture or story, as you put it, are the true gems out there. It is often forced or attempted in some organizations and it is a total flop. Why? ..because it doesn’t come across naturally. In fact, if you don’t believe in what you are doing, truly believe, it is hard to get others to follow suit.
May seem cliche, but I think it comes from the top. If the leaders and exec team don’t simply draw you in and make you feel apart of a bigger “thing”, than it is going to be difficult to grow the story across the globe.
What draws me to it is the idea that we are all apart of a bigger thing, not simply a cool product, cool industry. But, rather, like-minded people coming together to go out and succeed and challenge the status quo.
my 3 cents.