Brand books are increasingly produced as part of a brand strategy. So why do we need a brand book? This is because not only the functional value of companies, products and services. but also the emotional value has come to be emphasized as added value. Also, when choosing a place of employment or work place, is it fulfilling its history and social responsibility, and has a solid philosophy and vision?
This is because more and more people are focusing on the essence of things. Good quality of products and services is the minimum requirement, and the point of choosing a brand is the attractiveness of +α.
What is a brand book?
A brand book is an in-house book produced as part of branding activities to help employees understand the brand’s value and vision. By properly instilling the direction that the brand should aim for in all employees, not only will the value of the brand increase, but it will also have a positive impact on daily operations.
Originally, the main purpose of the brand book was to give employees a correct understanding of what the corporate brand should be. However, today, inner branding activities have evolved from activities aimed only at employee awareness and enlightenment to activities that contribute to improving brand value in daily work. purpose is changing.
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Purpose of brand book
What role does the brand book play?
It is not only for understanding the brand, but also for conveying the charm of the brand by using it as one of the means to practice the direction of the brand on a daily basis. It is difficult to differentiate products and services based on their functions and quality alone, and emotional value is now attracting attention as an added value.
s a result, brand concepts and visions have received more attention than ever before. Therefore, it has become necessary to use the brand book to permeate the direction of the brand. As for the composition of the brand book, it is easier to convey if the vision, mission, values, brand concept, brand message, and the meaning of the design such as symbols and logos are described. When creating a brand book, it is important to use simple and easy-to-understand expressions so that many people can understand it, and to avoid using unfamiliar technical terms.
[ Penetration of understanding of corporate philosophy and vision ]
Despite the fact that the company’s philosophy, vision, and other important content that should be permeated into daily operations is included, the content is somewhat difficult to grasp. In the first place, it was a big issue that there were few opportunities for employees to be explained.
The brand book is effective in revising the simple and blunt design and enhancing understanding and attachment to the company.
[ As a tool for recruitment ]
When recruiting new graduates, you can clearly communicate your corporate philosophy and vision to students. If the company’s philosophy, philosophy, business content, corporate culture and work environment are widely recognized and the brand image is established, the number of applications from people who sympathize with them and who are highly compatible with the company will increase. The higher the quality of the population, the higher the quality of the people who are actually hired.
Changes in the purpose of the brand book
Originally, the main purpose of the brand book was to give employees a correct understanding of what the corporate brand should be. However, today, inner branding activities have evolved from activities aimed only at raising employee awareness and enlightenment to activities that contribute to improving brand value in daily work. Positioning has changed significantly.
Composition of brand book
Items included in the brand book include:
- VISION
- MISSION
- VALUE
- CONCEPT
- MESSAGE
Issues related to people facing companies
Specific examples of issues
(1) The company’s corporate philosophy and vision have not penetrated the company. ( 2
) The future vision has not penetrated and employee motivation does not increase. Need to reestablish alignment among many employees
In order for employees to unite and embody a strong brand, we must clarify the “issues related to people” hidden within the company, systematically implement medium- to long-term and continuous initiatives, and improve services and behavior. I have to go. There are a wide variety of issues that companies face, but there are also many “issues related to people.”
What to do to solve problems
① Unify the awareness of people involved in the brand
Year by year, corporate activities that place importance on enlightenment activities that promote understanding of the corporate philosophy, the value of the corporate brand, and the ideal state, and change awareness toward the realization of the ideal state are increasing. (Inner branding) And not only our own staff such as regular employees, part-timers, part-timers, temporary employees, but also transportation and warehousing related to product transportation, wholesale stores to retail stores, involved in the provision of products and services Everyone is included. By sharing concepts such as corporate philosophy and vision, which cannot be shared only by outer branding and promotions for customers, we promote a change in the awareness of business stakeholders and improve their behavior and services to unify with the direction of the brand. I will continue.
② Reflect the brand in daily work
The most important thing is that all employees incorporate the contents of the brand book into their work. Unfortunately, in some cases, the purpose is to produce and distribute brand books. In such cases, after a while the brand book will be buried in a pile of paperwork.
In order for employees to recognize and understand the company’s brand and reflect it in their actions, it is necessary to develop measures to embody the brand. The role of the brand book is to make employees aware of your company’s brand and understand its content.
In order for employees with diverse work purposes and styles to reflect the company’s brand in their own work, it is essential to have a process of thinking, acting, and feeling for themselves. Knowing your company’s brand is the first step to incorporating (embodying) the brand into your work.
Starting from the brand book, it is necessary to promote awareness of the content in daily work and to create a system to implement it in an integrated manner. At least, you can’t elevate your brand with a brand book that your employees don’t read. The first step in building a brand is to have a point of view that is shared rather than imposed.
Summary
The purpose of the brand book is for employees to incorporate the contents of the brand book into their daily work. Unfortunately, however, there are many cases where the purpose of creating and distributing the brand book has become the purpose. neither. In order for employees to correctly recognize and understand the brand and reflect it in their actions, it is also necessary to hold lectures and workshops at the same time, rather than just distributing it. Understanding your brand means incorporating it into your actions and activities. At the very least, a company’s brand value cannot be enhanced with a brand book that is not read by employees. Having a shared perspective, rather than imposing it, is the first step to success.
