While Nestle India the big food maker is battling its biggest crisis in India, it has asked its employees and all their families and friends to become “valued brand ambassadors” for the company in midst of the company’s battle regarding discussions in the public domain on monosodium glutamate (MSG) in Maggi. In an email to employees, chairman and managing director Etienne Benet, a Swiss-French national who is hardly seen in public, said their role “at times like this is more important than ever……”

The point is why only in crisis, even in peaceful times a company can rely strongly on their loyal and engaged employees instead of hiring expensive brand ambassadors for image building. If a company wants to get extraordinary loyalty from its employees, it needs to take initiative in creating a mutual sense of that relationship. After all, engaged employees build stronger brands. No two thoughts on it.

Though, most companies focus all their branding efforts on marketing activities such as advertising campaigns, corporate communication, attractive packaging etc, yet one of the most powerful assets a company has is – its people. This is regardless of which industry the company is in, for building a strong brand requires that all employees feel connected to the corporate brand and understand their role in turning brand aspirations into reality. The earlier this is understood, it is better for the company. It should aspire to motivate its talent pool into turning brand ambassadors for its business health because employees rank higher in public trust than a firm’s PR department, CEO, board of directors or Founder. Employees are the most credible source of information regarding the organization. The frontline staffs give a glimpse of the organization’s culture and integrity. When a customer interacts with one of the frontline employees, or with the work produced by behind-the-scenes employees, everything the company’s PR and marketing departments have done will be put to the test immediately.

To build a strong corporate brand, the company must invest in its employees who are thoroughly engaged, connected and committed. Scarlett Surveys is the global provider of the best-practice AER Employee Engagement Survey System used by hundreds of organizations to intelligently manage employee engagement.

Scarlett Surveys International defines Employee Engagement as “a measurable degree of an employee’s positive or negative emotional attachment to their job, colleagues and organization that profoundly influences their willingness to learn and perform at work.”

This is where leadership comes into picture. The leaders must lead by stetting examples and embody promises made. When customers deal with an organization, they deal with a mix of employees from various ranks and cadre. A customer anticipates doing business with a company only when the employees look confident, happy and positive.

Attrition is not good for any company’s health. If a high number of employees are leaving then something is wrong; the question is what, and what can be done to improve it. Organizations must foster good work atmosphere because employees who genuinely love, enjoy, and feel connected to their jobs are the ones who best represent the company they work for.  I hope this makes sense, doesn’t it? You will see those employees are the most engaged, the ones who like coming into work every day and are the most likely to say positive things about your company on social media. This is why it’s important to leverage these engaged employees as ambassadors for a company’s brand.

However, in the age of social media, nothing is hidden; hence, it’s not uncommon to see employees badmouthing their organizations – sometimes subtly and sometimes openly. So why do loyal and engaged employees make the very best brand ambassadors? Quite simply, the visibility that engaged employees offer when talking publicly about the brand they represent is something that can’t be imitated emotionally and genuinely by best of the hired models or any outside source. Consumers can tell when employees are being sincere about their passion for what they do and for their company.

Engaged employees sincerely love the company they work for so they are more likely to spread that love on social media. They can organically increase brand awareness on social by sharing news and updates with their friends, fans, and family. They love their company brands so much that they can easily answer customer questions and comments on social, acting as your first line of communication. They provide a relevant, human face for the company they work for, and hence, they can create authentic, compelling content that drives traffic and increases social engagement.

At Starbucks at a point in time, some of their executives visited their coffee shops and noticed that good employees were losing their poise when faced with agitated customers. Instead of coming down on the individual employees, they developed new training material that eliminated the stress of these situations. The executives at Starbucks found that when they empowered their employees with tools they needed to serve customers happily, their employees gained their smiles back.

Do you know friends that Eastman Kodak is one such company in world which has the longest average tenure for employees at 20 years?  This Centurion old company gives the excitement of a strong core business and brand that is recognized and respected in virtually every country around the world. It enables its employees an effective organization, with strong leaders, engaged employees and winning culture.

The key to employee engagement lies in providing growth opportunities, varied roles and empowerment. In India, ITC is one such organization, in which, its senior executives hardly ever quit. Attrition at senior levels is less than five per cent and for frontline staff around 10 per cent. Naturally, ITC and its Agro Tech rarely hire from outside, preferring to promote insiders. ITC also backs employee initiatives. The company allows people to incubate businesses. The team in charge of the paper business suggested getting into greeting cards. A few years later they realised they were not getting anywhere and came back with a proposal to enter office stationery. The company placed a second bet on them. This time it hit the jackpot. In four years, office stationery has grown into Rs 500-crore business for ITC.

A great company culture breeds happy people. Those happy people who connect with their roles and the company become engaged employees. Let us not underestimate role of each employee in an organization from the sweeper to the CEO each one has a big role to play.

Organization must deliver the promise to employees. “When employees feel that the company takes their interest to heart, and then the employees will take company interests to heart,” says Dr. Nelson, a clinical psychologist, bestselling author and business trial consultant. She mentions in her book an example: in 2011 after wrapping up a record-setting year, new Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook rewarded employees by giving them paid vacation through the week of Thanksgiving. In a memo to employees Cook wrote, “In recognition of the hard work you’ve put in this year, we’re going to take some extra time off for Thanksgiving. We will shut down with pay on November 21, 22 and 23 so our teams can spend the entire week with their families and friends.” This act of Cook motivated the employees to no limit.

Similarly, Proctor & Gamble also pays back company success to employees through extra paid days off. “It ate a little bit of their bottom line, a little bit from the stockholders, but oh my God what it bought them in employee loyalty and productivity,” says Dr. Nelson. She writes “If you’re doing well, share. And for God sake, don’t let your executives walk out with a bonus if the company is not doing well. People don’t mind that execs make money, they mind if it’s exorbitant if the company is not doing well.” She says in her book that even when the company is not doing well the information should be shared with its employees. Employees accept realities than being kept in dark.

Make your employees your brand ambassadors.

The consumer behavior analysts have noted through many studies that ‘Country of Origin’ has become a significant phenomenon in today’s marketing practices. The words ‘Made’ and ‘In’ conveys the strength of the product.  The label ‘made’ on the packing label of the product refers to the manufacturing aspect of the origin of a product. It is often related to legal certifications, the technologies involved ingredients and techniques as well as work ethics and safety standards. And, ‘In’ refers to the origin and the geographical dimension of origin such as the location of the manufacturing process and the source of ingredients. ‘Made In’ therefore suggests information and associations that are both tangible and intangible. The ‘Made in’ tag helps consumers to make rational and emotional decision both.

In its 2005 “Year of Ideas” issue, The New York Times Magazine listed nation branding among the year’s most notable ideas. The way a country is perceived can make a significant difference to the success of its trade, business, tourism efforts, as well as its diplomatic and cultural relations with other nations. Simon Anholt coined the term ‘nation branding’ in 1996 and since then he has been working with governments to help them plan the policies, strategies, investments and advance which lead their country towards an improved profile and reputation. America has become the largest and most powerful brand in the globe; it virtually shapes the world in almost all dimensions such as national governance, policies, exports, people, tourism, economic and social status etc. In the fast growing global village nation’s branding is considered as big as federal mega-projects. Steve Silver and Sam Hill, both marketing experts define nation branding as most complex (brand) positioning problem; how can we brand a nation? A nation is as big as a Meta brand inclusive of numerous mega brands. There are so many mega activities of in a nation such as political governance, commerce, education, human resource development, environment, foreign affairs, infrastructure, environment, tourism, culture and heritage and most importantly the national character. The study of national character refers to anthropological studies after World War II.

The Japanese are known as law abiding people; the Americans are known for their grit for freedom – freedom of speech, freedom to pursue their own interests, freedom from bullying, freedom of religion, freedom of movement within the country, freedom to associate with whomever they please. The Chinese are known for their orientalism; the French are known as arty.

The country of origin (COO) specifically matter to the customers because every country has its reputation and the association between the product and the country’s expertise matters while buying products. For example Italy is known for designs, North Caroline for furniture, France for fashion and wine, the USA for entertainment, India for spices, Germany is famous for cars. Today’s consumer understands legal and safety issues sharply. Consumers today look at the ‘made in’ label with many perspectives. The ‘made in’ dependent on a combination of many factors – from heritage, to design and physical manufacturing, skilled labour, infrastructure, market intermediaries etc. Hence manufacturers can leverage a lot on the country of origin as one of their competitive advantage. A company needs to be physically present in the country; the design and patents need to have emerged from talent in the country, or the brand needs to have factories or parts of the production process in the origin nation. In the past, when it was  enough to ‘borrow’ associations from a country for pure marketing purposes, today consumers not ready to accept country of origin as a choice driver unless it is bona fide.

Successful brands contribute to nation branding. Of the world’s 500 largest stock-market-listed companies measured by revenue in 2014, among the Fortune 500 companies 28 are headquartered in Germany. Well-known global brands include Mercedes Benz, BMW, SAP, Volkswagen, Audi, Siemens, Allianz, Adidas, Porsche and DHL. Thus, famous brands strengthen branding of a country. Similarly, brands across every category, like Apple, Cadillac, Clinique, Coca-Cola, Ford, Kellogg’s, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Ralph Lauren, Starbucks and M&M’s have made the USA a strong nation brand. These corporate have made Germany and America leading nation brands.

The concept of branding is viewed as ‘cultural diplomacy’ of nations. It is a somewhat new way of looking at a nation, but every nation is already a brand. Every nation is perceived in the minds of people living differently in nooks and corners of the world. Some countries are known for good things, some for bad, and others have mixed insights. Based on the different perceptions, nations in the world interact and do business with each other, either contributing to its development or encumbering it. For example Africa is associated with civil war, Iraq with suicide bombings, Pakistan for terror bombing, India for scam and Cuba with Fidel Castro’s dictatorship (though he is dead). On the other hand, countries such as the US, Canada, Germany or France, are perceived positively for decades for their sound political and economic development. Nation branding is based on the underlying hypothesis that every nation can make a good or bad brand depending on its efforts. The important thing to realize about branding a nation is that one of its ingredients is the escalating value of something that is found already within that nation.

Consumers in developing countries like India, China, and Brazil still tend to prefer brands that come from other countries. Global supply, manufacture and export of goods began to accelerate in response for lower prices and greater choice of goods. Companies became international or multinational and the rise of an affluent middle class in the USA, Europe, India, China and UAE demand more sophisticated marketing. Due to rise of consumerism, categories of goods and services became more sharply defined. And, most brands started crossing the borders of their origin. With all the great business strategies, advertising, marketing and intelligent supply chain strategies even today in the 21^st century for most of the brands, their place of origin and heritage continues to be a key part of their appeal and differentiation. Their name, identity, design and symbolism of logos or trademarks become synonymous with their country or place of origin.

We should realize the fact that Brand building in emerging markets is a difficult task. As the rapid growth in an emerging market gives millions of consumers new spending power, they eye for and are encouraged by their counterpart in developed countries to buy established brands. Marketing efforts in developing countries is very multifarious.

In 2003, when Mahindra & Mahindra launched a smartly designed sport-utility vehicle called the Scorpio, CNBC India, BBC World’s ‘Wheels’ program, and others chose the vehicle for the

‘Car of the Year’ awards in the SUV category. That was not a small achievement: The made-in-India automobile won top honors ahead of global best sellers such as the Mercedes-Benz-E-Class and Toyota Camry sedans. To M&M, which manufactures tractors in several countries as well as vehicles targeted at India’s semi-urban and rural markets, the awards signaled that it could finally take the world’s automakers head-on. Even as the Scorpio successfully battles multipurpose vehicles like Toyota’s Innova and GM’s Chevy Tavera at home, M&M has started marketing the SUV in South Africa, Spain and many other countries.

As a nation, Singapore’s stunning rise from third world to first world in a matter of 30 years was spearheaded by an intensive and rigorous closely-coordinated programme of nation branding. Today, brand Singapore attracts the investments, business, trade, tourism and talented human resources from all over the world which is helping it further to become more flourishing nation. This state is internationally known as a vibrant, safe, corruption-free place to do business. Name any of the great businesses of the world; everybody wants to be in Singapore! The vibrancy and liveliness of the nation in its culture and the fine art attracts more and more tourists. In global surveys of quality of life, Singapore regularly tops the charts.

Nation Branding is catching up rapidly: the brand must be accepted internally first, i.e domestically, meaning throughout the nation, by all stakeholders. Only then can it be effectively promoted internationally.

Corporate communication plays a key role in how investors, suppliers, employees, competitors, government and the general public perceive a company. The corporate communication department often reports directly to a company’s chief executive officer, while serving as advisers in managing a company’s reputation. They help firm’s leaders prepare for media interviews, develop messages to deliver to investors and employees and suggest new initiatives to keep a company ahead, to make its existence prominent and keeping its communication up-to-date and progressive with its stakeholders. Corporate communication is a management function or department, like finance, operations, logistics or marketing dedicated to the distribution of information to key constituencies, and the implementation of corporate strategy as well as the development of information for a variety of purposes for the organization.

It consists of both Internal and external communication. Internal communication is the process of exchanging information among the people of different level or internal participants within the organization. It is directly linked to the process of human resources. It connects the employees with the company’s larger picture; reminding them on regular intervals regarding the company’s goals & objectives; letting the employees know about the company’s achievements, advising on corporate strategy, talent management, employee engagement, business strategies, change management, business development, CSR, motivating & empowering employees through various developmental schemes. Further letting the employees learn about the new initiatives taken by the company, training and development of the employees, mentoring and business reviewing etc.

And, external communication is the process of keeping the external participants informed about organization’s well being and how the organization wants the external participants to get involved with their business.

Both internal and external communication mediates heavily on business and its positive influence for furthering the organization. It also holds an important spot in the organization structure. If effectively used, corporate communication can certainly help the organization in overcoming some choppy issues and curtailing the bad media effect. The leaders need to understand and appreciate this and should make use of this level-playing strategic tool for utmost benefit. It helps reducing and ignoring mundane and typecasted messages by reducing the uncomfortable gaps with its stakeholders. It’s no longer a mere ornamental corporate mouthpiece.

Corporate communication consists of some complex responsibilities, such as:

Rapport with media: Corporate communication managers are friendly with the media at large. It involves write-ups on various happening in the organization such as appointment of new CEO, new products being introduced by the organization, CSR initiatives taken, diversification opted if any, association of the firms with various bodies etc, etc. This department responds to the media’s queries. Corporate communication department watches over planning for news conferences, including selecting the site for an event, arranging for banners and other graphics to be displayed at the event, preparing folders of information to distribute to the media and preparing executives to speak at news conferences.  It assists the spokes person with relevant data and organizes the spokes person’s interviews in various media vehicles such as radio, TV, newspapers, websites etc. In short, this department is well associated with the media by devising strategies to do away with any sort of wrong propaganda.

Public Relation: The department is responsible to maintain healthy and sociable relationships with customers by responding to inquiries from them. This task involves producing newsletters, brochures and other printed materials designed for the general public. It also manages the company’s website and social media presence, which includes monitoring what customers and clients are saying about the company on social networking websites and responding to imprecise posts if any. The department is extremely alert to wade off any defaming posts on social media. They respond directly to calls and emails from citizens and customers with questions about a company’s plans or activities. They arrange for speakers from the company to make presentations to local community groups and may facilitate group tours to the company’s works.

We can no longer take social media lightly. It isn’t just an online space for posting holiday snaps, pseudo-philosophical opinions or pictures of pets, friends and family functions.  Since the use of online social networks like LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and YouTube have become widespread, businesses have to incorporate these communication channels into their marketing mix else,  they might get left behind. It has become an important tool to increase brand awareness, to promote products or services, to educate, entertain, recruit and collect data about current and prospective clients.

These days corporate blogging has evolved its presence much more than ever imagined. It isfar beyond the idea of personal journaling.  Corporate are using blogging as a flexible tool to connect with stakeholders at large. The websites of organizations are supported by multiple blogs subtly discussing the organization’s mottos, goals, and philosophies. Blogs display the products and services of the organization in more than pink health.  You may be surprised at the diversity of blogs in these examples; Caterpillar, Starbucks, Marriot, General Electric, Sony, Lever, P&G all of these and many more companies are making best use of blogs.

Look at the blog of Fiskars and you will be amazed to see how in the world you create passion for scissors!!  Fiskars has done it in one of the most creative blogs in the corporate world. The company took help from four scrapbook fanatics who demonstrate their love of crafting with scissors. It’s beyond imagination, that some such idea would work wonders. I tell you friends, marketing is all about imagination. This blog is one of the greatest marketing wonders I have ever seen.

Similarly, Southwest Airlines has used blogging very well. It is one of the world’s best-known corporate blogs. It’s also one of the most honest blogs. It carries good, bad, ugly experiences of people with airlines. The blog talks about travel and the people who make it happen. This is the anti-corporate-press-release blog. Southwest has wisely used its blog to connect with its employees regarding what passengers want from the airline, what their expectations are.

I have to mention here how Mastercard and Paypal have leveraged social media in innovative, creative way that has shored up their businesses. So coming back to corporate communication departments – they are responsible for using social media in their favor.

Communication in adversity: In anyevent which threaten public safety or a company’s reputation, corporate communicators need to swoon in as guards. They need to immediately advise CEOs and senior leaders how to manage the crisis. Candidates specially trained in the issues unique to crisis communication helps corporate communicators prepare for events such as chemical spills, blasts, violence in the workplace, an accidental death on the job, murder, layoff announcements and allegations against company’s wrongdoing. They closely guard the company’s reputation by keeping a friendly rapport with the employees to understand their pulse and develop crisis communication plans before disaster such as strikes or layoffs. The corporate communication department needs to work with attorneys, government, regulators, politicians, police, and magistrates. In case any accidents take place they need to respond immediately by rushing the injured employee to the hospitals, getting the aid of insurance etc.

Thus the department works friendly with the in-house people, external stakeholders, government, police, hospitals, insurance companies, entertainment agencies and media, NGOs so on and so forth. With the increase in importance of communication in business, the status of Public Relations (PR) has changed fundamentally. PR has transformed itself and has rechristened as Corporate Communication. It has become one of the pivotal functions in the management. It is required for a cohesive and joint purpose and direction. In the big, bad world putting the right foot forward is a must for any organization. Communication today binds the company with the outside as well as inside stakeholders. The world economy has opened its doors to the global market. This demands an organization strong in foundation, leadership, clear business focus with strategies, motivated skill-sets and adaptable management.

If you are good in written, oral communication; if you like connecting with people, if you are a go-getter and are alert, quick thinker please take corporate communication/PR as your career. It has very bright future.