Often companies “roll out the new re-branding” to employees. and the marketing team then quickly puts a check mark in the done box and they’re on to the next. Often brand managers focus only on the communications deliverables and not the holistic reality of creating passionate brand ambassadors from within the company.
B2B, midsized companies, and especially tech companies are notorious for this painful disconnect. Not many companies are deeper tech than Xilinx. They design and supply programmable electronic systems. For simplicity just think semiconductors. Yet, they are a well branded company, which is unusual for their industry.
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How Do They That Make That Happen?
They have warehouses full of uber smart engineers who are also passionate about the brand. One of the reasons is a concept that communications and branding pro Rachel Watkins‘ calls “Drawing a Line of Sight.” Engineers love creating their hard tech, but they are human, too. (Who knew?) They have the same need to understand how what they do impacts the real world. Xilinx has research to prove employees’ need for understanding their connection to the customer and the bigger picture.
Rachel is Xilinx’s Director of Internal Communications. She and her team look to make that connection for the employees. They seek out opportunities that let them see what they are a part of and the important things their work make happen.
Click to Tweet: ★ Connecting Employees And Their Passion To The Brand ★
Touching Mars
One of her team’s goals is to show employees that the technology or system they created enabled an advanced surgical robot to save lives, allowed the Mars Rover to travel across another planet, or even let millions of people back here on Earth talk to they people they love. This simple act ignites their passion for what they do. Now when a Xilinx’s employee is asked what they do at a party or backyard BBQ, they can talk about how they change peoples lives or ventured to other worlds.
Now, not every company has gadgets that have been shot into space or save lives, but all companies have a product or service that makes their customers’ lives better. If you don’t already know what that is for your company, you need to go talk to them right now! There is branding gold in those stories.
Interviewed: Rachel Watkins
Director of Internal Communications
Xilinx
This post was written as part of the IBM for Midsize Business program, which provides midsize businesses with the tools, expertise and solutions they need to become engines of a smarter planet.
About Steve Farnsworth @Steveology
Steve was named by Forbes one of the Top 50 Social Media Influencer in the world. He’s a communications and content marketing strategist with 20 years of hands on experience. He works with high-growth tech companies to generate targeted leads, grow brand engagement, and increase customer retention by effectively using owned and earned media.
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Daniel DiPiazza (@Rich20Something)
February 3, 2013
Insightful post, Steve. One thing I’ve noticed is that in order to motivate people and move large groups in the direction you want them to go…you have to provide them with a “why”. Nietzsche said something to the effect of “a man with a why can endure any how.” That’s true to the core — especially in business. Even though engineers love creating the hard tech, I’m sure all those “hows” can become a drag at some point, however, if they know that they’re creating something that will have a huge impact on society, things get a lot easier. It’s all about perspective.
Have you ever changed your perspective like that and become re-energized in your purpose?
dowco1
March 10, 2013
Reblogged this on dowco1 and commented:
Most interesting!