Brand Bits Thursday. Hope you’re a master of the Hokey Pokey. – SCN Encourager

All that moving “in” and “out” and “shaking it all about” works wonders.

Particularly when it comes to branding.

I’m sure of it.

Even though my daughter banned me from requesting it at her wedding reception back in April.

The spoil sport.

You see, doing the Hokey Pokey is anything but random.

It’s directed.
Structured.
A whole group undertaking.

Nothing at all like the scattered, albeit well-intended branding activities carried out by the majority of organizations.

They make the Hokey Pokey look like a precision drill team in comparison.

So this today’s Brand Bit for you –

A reminder to keep the focus on your own internal fancy footwork (and that of your partners) –

when it comes to your branding.

Now today’s Brand Bit really isn’t as out-of-the-blue as it might seem.

It fits.

Monday’s Brand Bit cast new light on the value of “dumb” and “unpopular.”

Tuesday’s Brand Bit pointed out that “our brand” is ultimately whatever our outside community perceives it to be. (They’re the ones in control.)

And Wednesday’s Brand Bit placed the HR department at the core of ensuring an organization’s employees suitably reflected the organization’s preferred cultural DNA.

Unfortunately, simply hiring good people isn’t enough.

Teamwork is needed.

And that requires a branding strategy… something akin to the coordinated energy seen in an exuberant Hokey Pokey.

Experts say a branding strategy must begin with all of the “good people” in an organization setting aside their operational silos temporarily to coordinate how everyone can support a unified and directed Hokey Pokey, uh I mean, a unified and directed branding strategy.

No single department – whether it’s the HR staffers or the highly acclaimed school communications office – can do it alone.

Effective branding, in keeping with an organization’s expectations for service and care, must be infused into the daily activities of EVERY department.

Otherwise people out in the community won’t buy it.

They’re always able to see when an organization’s walk doesn’t align with its talk.

And then… when they all start sharing their actual experiences with the organization with their family and friends, a real-world “brand” is born. (And it’ll always be what they say it is, yay or nay.)

Just like the Hokey Pokey is a “group thing” – so is the activation of a branding strategy.

I know this to be true.

I just wish I could expand on this some more for you.

But my Hokey Pokey dreams were squashed six months ago and I’m still working through a fair amount of disappointment.

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