Boost your brand through corporate image management

Public relations constitute of a strategic communication management system that allows for understanding an organization and adding value.

Public relations implements specific interpersonal relations techniques that allow projecting a corporate image based on its identity. At the same time, its correct implementation guarantees us an explanatory theory that guides our understanding of processes, audiences and their contexts.

A first step to manage the communication from a public relations perspective is to define the corporate identity, which is the being of the organization, what characterizes it and differentiates it from the rest. The corporate identity has some attributes such as sector activity, the history of the organization, the market or its relations with the community.

Public relations work on this identity, basically managing two other intangibles: organizational culture and philosophy.

- Culture: It is given by the procedure or way of acting of the organization as a whole. It has to do with the values ​​that are promoted and the way to guide the actions of the organization.

- Philosophy: Raises the overall objective of the organization and the way to achieve it. It establishes the mission (the benefit that the organization brings to its public), the values ​​(by which the organization is governed) and the vision (where it wants to go, a difficult goal to achieve but not utopian).

The dynamic perception of corporate identity

Corporate identity is the existence, the being of the company. It is its essence. It is composed of a series of attributes that individualize it, differentiating it from other companies.

It is necessary to identify and differentiate to define the essence. Identity is associated with attributes, some of which are always the same and do not change, others do change, they are dynamic, thus making an identity also dynamic.

This dynamism refers to the history of the company, the culture of the company and the business project.

- History has to do with identity because history is shaping and influencing organizations.

- The business plan is the strategy that the company follows to carry out its objectives.

- The corporate culture are the values ​​that the members of an organization orient towards.

Never confuse corporate identity (the being of the company) with corporate visual identity (symbolic translation of an attribute in shapes, colors, etc.).

Corporate identity is explained through the convergence of history, project and culture. This is the dynamic conception of identity.

Components of corporate identity

We can talk about 3 types of components that correspond to the 3 axes (history, culture, project)

1. Permanent attributes of identity (history)

- Productive activity (sectoral identity): This is the basic action developed by the company to generate value from obtaining a product or service that will be marketed.

- Commercial competition (marketing identity): It is the ability of the company to compete in the market by marketing its products or services. It depends on: the price of the product, its quality, the market share it has, a positive image, etc.

- The history of the organization: It is a relationship of people, milestones, events ... that occurred in the organization. It draws on the founding statement, the context of its constitution, the founder, historical leaders, and corporate iconography.

- The corporate nature (commercial identity): It is the legal form that the organization adopts to fulfill its purposes. They can be civil (without commercial purposes) or commercial (commercial purposes) in their different variables.

- The social corpus (social identity): It is the set of characteristics that define the organization as a social organism. It is defined by: the geographical environment, the organization if its human resources, its commitment to the community ...

2. Principles for governing business strategies (project)

• Strategic vision

• Mission

• Business project

Difference between vision and mission

VISION: It is the aspirational goal of a company, the objective where you want to reach. The strategic vision is the responsibility of the senior management of the company, when it is fixed you have to be a little ambitious without losing realism.

MISSION: It is the way in which the entire organization (not just senior management) intends to reach the goal contained in the strategic vision.

The business project would be the realization of the mission in management policies and corporate policies.

3. Corporate culture: Components

- Explicit behaviors: a more visible and changing level of corporate culture. It includes factors such as the physical environment, language, non-verbal behavior, personal image, written norms ...

- Shared values: Set of conscious beliefs (although not always identified) that have become behavior principles within the organization; they are passed on to new members. They form a kind of corporate ideology with very different expressions (for example: what counts are the results; advertising always increases sales ...)

The values associated with corporate culture

- Ethical values: Moral values, values that a company self-erects (ethical, deontological, code of conduct, etc.).

- Professional values: They have to do with how the business develops (customer service, HR orientation, cost orientation, etc.).

- Basic assumptions: uncontested and indisputable beliefs that guide behavior, and teach members how to think and perceive reality. They are invisible and preconscious. Example: the symbolic value of space in an organization: largest office = most important person.

7 basic principles of corporate image management

1. The image is a synthesis of the corporate identity and must be based on the reality of the organization. It is the global representation that the organization wishes to project to the public and how the organization relate or build communication relationships.

2. The image that is projected intentionally through the brand attributes must convey a positive image that guarantees social acceptance. It is necessary to understand that the perception of the brand is stronger than the real advantages of a brand compared to a similar one. For this reason, so much emphasis is placed on the concepts of brand identity and brand image, since the image is more powerful than the objectivity of the identity, and it is the identity that can contribute to the construction of a better brand image, perceptible by the public.

3. The corporate image must be at the service of the organizational project, being a

fundamental element of leadership.

4. Corporate behavior is the first determinant of image and reputation.

5. It is necessary to align the culture in the same direction as the business project.

6. It is essential to configure the corporate personality and especially the brand, consistent with the identity of the organization.

7. Professionally managing the corporate image requires permanent planning and evaluation.

Manage the Corporate Image through these stages

Stage 1: Define the image strategy by analyzing the current image of the company. This step is done through image audits.

Stage 2: Configure the corporate personality in order to adapt the personality to the intentional image. Some instruments to carry out this configuration are brand management, normative manuals and cultural intervention.

Stage 3: Plan communication by controlling the image. For this, it is necessary to implement internal and external communication programs.

The key to building powerful brands

The value of the brand is based, to a large extent, on the associations that the client creates with the brand.

These associations can include the following attributes:

1. Product related: price, packaging, appearance, imagination for use, etc.

2. Non-product related: a celebrity, a sport, etc.

3. Functional, experiential or symbolic benefits (as is the case with luxury pens, which symbolize and grant a virtual halo of prestige and distinction to those who possess it) and attitudes.

Associations are conductors of the brand identity, that is, the organization can guide how the client will perceive their brand

A common mistake is to focus on the attributes of the product and the tangible functional benefits of the brand, neglecting or belittling the emotional benefits and self-expression of the brand.

A key factor when building powerful brands is developing and implementing a brand identity.

From this conception (brand = experience) the brand must fulfill the promise it contains. If the experience is positive, the economic revaluation of the brand is derived since it translates into loyalty.

The brand must be seen as a promise that a company makes to its audiences. If it is met, the result is improved corporate reputation. It can be defined as the mental representation that audiences make about an organization through the experiences (direct or indirect) they have had with it.

The value of the brand is built by taking into account four main aspects:

- Differentiation: It is the distinctive singularity that the client perceives of the brand. Provides the customer with the basis for their selection.

- Relevance: It refers to the personal appropriation of the brand. The relative importance that the customer assigns to the brand within the set of brands for the same product category.

- Estimate: Describes the affection and consideration that the client has towards the brand. It is closely related to perceptions of quality and popularity, which promote use.

- Knowledge: It is the complete understanding of the product and / or service behind the brand. It is directly related to the customer experience of a particular brand, which promotes and facilitates the recognition, memory and image of the brand.

The public

Within the environment, both internal and external, in which any organization operates, the existence of different audiences must be considered.

There is no "public" as a whole, but we all belong to different groups at the same time. We identify with them for various reasons such as race, religion, social class, interests, customs, beliefs.

Organizations' audiences are traditionally classified into two groups: external audiences and internal audiences.

- External public is considered to be social groups linked to each other and that are not part of the institution's organizational chart. They are instead very numerous and some are of more interest to the organization than others. For example: customers, suppliers, government, community.

- The related social groups that make up the institution's organization chart are considered internal public. For example: employees, shareholders.

Public relations manage communication with each group through the use of a specific language adapted to each audience. Therefore, it is necessary to identify, before taking any action, the group to reach and then send the appropriate message.

The events and the institutional image

Each scheduled event is an excellent opportunity for an organization to enhance its image, since relationship management allows working from the different parts that make up the corporate identity.

At the same time, this approach will provide you with an excellent opportunity to expand communication channels with audiences, enhance reputation, spread social responsibility programs, build brand engagement, and expand relationships with the community.

"Public relations is extremely important and being able to use it in the right way means everything. You have to promote your success."

John Sculley

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DanielaSánchezSilva©