Description
When a brand operates in both a B2B and B2C market, companies often create marketing departments under different leadership to address each market separately. These marketing silos often miss out on opportunities for synergies that would drive value for the organization.
Journal of integrated marketing communications
Integrating Integrity into IMC
lynn upshaw
Generations of Consumers and the Consumer Generated
pradeep kumar, michelle hsiao & barry chiu
Unauthorized Verses
chris barrows
Using Events to Drive an Integrated Marketing Model
mary fehrnstrom & david m. rich
Adapting IMC to Emerging Markets:
Importance of Cultural Values in the Indian Context
s. ramesh kumar
Beyond the Last Click:
Measuring ROI and Consumer Engagement with Clickstream Analysis
megan halscheid, micheline sabatté & sejal sura
The Next Generation of the IMC Database:
Confessions of a Believer
chuck sharp
B2B and B2C Marketing:
Organizing to Maximize Brand Value
wendy c. wong
Heavy Buyers:
Are They Even More Important Than Generally Thought?
deb rapacz & martin reilly
2009
Inventing the Future, Honoring the Past
56 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 57 56 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
B2B AND B2C MARKETING:
ORGANIZING TO MAXIMIZE BRAND VALUE
by Wendy C. Wong
ABSTRACT
When a brand operates in both a B2B and B2C market, companies often create mar-
keting departments under di?erent leadership to address each market separately. Tese
marketing silos often miss out on opportunities for synergies that would drive value for
the organization. IMC could be the solution by providing a new organizational model for
synergistic brand management, media relations and campaign messaging – thus optimiz-
ing all market opportunities across business models.
When a brand operates in both a B2B and
B2C market, should di?erent marketing com-
munication chiefs manage each? Do B2B and
B2C brand management really require di?erent
skill sets? Or can they operate more harmoni-
ously within an IMC organization?
Under the current framework:
Traditional companies structure brand •
managers around product or market silos.
Most corporations consider B2B and •
B2C marketers to be two di?erent breeds. In
doing so, corporate leaders organize struc-
tures and incentives in a way that impedes
collaboration.
Silos of brand management
Within companies that operate in both a
B2B and a B2C space, brand executives operate
under separate divisions with surprisingly little
interaction or information sharing.
In companies that sta? a “corporate commu-
nications” o?cer, this role, which tends to focus
on public relations, is the only opportunity for
B2B and B2C brand management to work
together. Very rarely do corporate communi-
cations o?cers have the authority or brand
management experience, to e?ectively integrate
the marketing communications process.
Problems arise when companies need to
increase the strategic value of their brand(s).
To whom does responsibility for driving
the IMC process that supports shared brand
perception and brand value belong?
Tose seeking to bridge the gap between
B2B and B2C brand managers frequently
encounter the assumption that expertise in one
arena does not transfer across the two business
models. Does this logic optimize a company’s
long-term brand strategy? When brand equity
is shared by B2B and B2C constituencies,
shared decision making and message strategy
become critical to campaign success.
When separation of B2B and B2C
makes sense
Separation is logical for businesses where
product lines operate as separate pro?t centers
with no market overlap. Holding companies,
such as Proctor & Gamble, have separately
branded businesses operating independently
B2B and B2C Marketing
58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
with no common naming or shared symbol-
ism. While products may compete in the same
market category, each product manager drives a
separate product identity. Teir shared con-
nection is administrative. Each brand manager
reports to the same corporate decision makers
and may also share resources such as account-
ing, ?nance, distribution and ful?llment.
Holding companies with B2B and B2C
business lines often choose to organize brand-
ing responsibility by market segment. As a
result, the product identity and representation
manifests itself di?erently for each segment.
Te pharmaceutical industry, for example,
assigns separate teams and budgets for each
constituency in the same product line: direct-
to-consumer (DTC) marketing, physicians and
hospitals, and managed markets (insurance
companies).
When separation hurts the brand
Organizational structure is an important
component of brand management because it
creates an accepted reality in which people
operate. Te needs of decision making o?cers
de?ne brand managers’ reporting roles. Of-
ten, organizational structure dictates the level
of information sharing within and across an
organization.
Brand extension strategies tend to stimulate
the most friction between segment managers.
Tere are limits to how far a?eld brands can
be extended, depending on the familiarity and
recognition of the brand and the symbolism it
possesses in each market segment.
If there is common symbolism in the nam-
ing strategy, but di?erent messaging platforms
and di?erent brand personas being projected,
how believable is the brand? How authentic
is the brand? What does it really stand for?
Consider the case of John McCain running for
president on the Republican ticket, having to
leverage his party identity yet distance himself
from George W. Bush. If there is common
symbolism in the brand identity, but di?erent
messaging platforms, the brand manager will
Te following are some key questions for CEOs and executive management to
consider, especially if the business entity operates in both B2B and B2C:
Is there shared brand equity among the product brands that are separately •
managed?
When a brand name is shared by two or more products serving di?erent buyer •
segments, is the brand persona consistent?
Does the brand remain authentic across target audiences? You cannot be all •
things to all people, even when it seems appealing and lucrative. Staying authentic
to the brand’s core values is an essential component of brand management.
Are incentives aligned among brand managers? A structure in which seg- •
ment managers pursue individual objectives is one that gains category share at the
expense of the shared brands’ equity.
Does the organization have an accepted process for arbitrating con?icting val- •
ues among segment managers? Power struggles with segment managers of equal
authority are likely to arise unless someone with greater authority is ready and
willing to arbitrate without slowing decision making. Tis situation is especially
harmful when the brand operates with di?erent pricing models with di?erent
customer experience expectations, as one would see when a brand operates in both
a B2B and B2C context.
Wendy C. Wong
58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 59 58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
need to take great care in leveraging what is
respected and valued about the brand, yet allow
the brand to di?erentiate itself without its be-
ing undermined or called into question.
In summary, brands su?er under separate
brand management structures under the fol-
lowing circumstances:
Tere is shared brand equity among •
the product brands, such as in the case of
a highly visible corporate brand that gives
credibility to every product under its um-
brella.
A brand name is shared among two or •
more products serving di?erent buyer seg-
ments.
Tere is misalignment of incentives •
among segment managers.
Tere are common or overlapping mes- •
saging targets. Products that target the same
buyers may as well collaborate rather than
compete for the same market share.
Te messaging platforms of di?er- •
ent segment managers may undermine the
authenticity of the brand.
Organizing for collaboration
In addition to product management depart-
ments, complex organizations also sta? product
marketing to interface between product man-
agement and corporate marketing.
Te de?nition of roles and authority struc-
tures between these groups takes place infor-
mally. Often these roles are peer roles, as in a
matrix organization. In a matrix organization,
peers must collaborate to execute well.
Product managers that know their product,
its technical speci?cations and customer base,
have the expertise to drive product di?erentia-
tion and quality. What they lack is the time or
the expertise to conduct market research and
solicit customer feedback for pricing and po-
sitioning decisions. Nor are they best suited to
write e?ective copy, convey messaging succinct-
ly, or place the message into the marketplace.
In fact, all three of these functions comprise the
inherent responsibilities of marketing, but are
inappropriately apportioned to disparate parts
of the organization.
Alignment among these functions is crucial,
especially when each individual owns some
facet of the brand’s behavior. Oversight at the
brand level becomes especially important as
products proliferate, sometimes across B2B and
B2C.
Separate brand management structures are harmful when:
• Brand equity is shared among product brands.
• A brand name is shared among products serving diferent segments.
• Incentives are not aligned among segment managers.
• Tere is no process to arbitrate conficting values among managers.
• Tere is overlap among target buyers.
• Te brand’s authenticity is undermined by messaging platforms of
di?erent segment managers.
B2B and B2C Marketing
60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
Fostering camaraderie and shared
interests
Especially in complex organizations where
marketing responsibility is shared across many
departments, a brand culture is helpful in guid-
ing the behavior and decisions of these man-
agers. A brand culture means that the brand
promise, brand values and brand di?erentiation
are understood by all who represent the brand
to customers. Te best way to foster camara-
derie and shared interests is by connecting all
stakeholders through a palpable relationship to
their shared brand. When done well, the brand
personi?es the product’s spirit and the soul of
the organization.
Role of the IMC o?cer
Few companies have appointed a single of-
?cer to make decisions at an integrated mar-
keting communications level. By default, this
function falls to the Chief Marketing O?cer or
the Chief Communications O?cer. But some
organizations have a VP of Marketing, a VP of
Product Marketing, a VP of Product Manage-
ment and
even a VP of
Corporate
PR. Who,
in that case,
is the IMC
O?cer? Te
IMC o?cer
is the one
who rallies
the others to recognize that IMC is important.
Te responsibility of IMC does not need an
o?cial induction. Te role of the IMC o?cer
is to act as the marketing leader who takes
ownership of the brand’s stewardship. But in
a leadership vacuum or when peers are locked
in a power struggle, the formal appointment of
an IMC O?cer can provide the needed power
to break a headlock and to de-politicize brand
decisions.
Building the brand into the corporate
culture
Many strong brands grew from the success
of a single product or personality and over time
extend into new categories and market seg-
ments. Examples include Disney and celebrity
brands like Oprah. New products developed
within the business leverage core brand as-
sets in order to succeed. In the case of Oprah’s
brand, this extension manifested itself in O,
Te Oprah Magazine and television shows like
“Oprah’s Big Give.” Oprah’s celebrity is at the
core of these new business ventures. Each ven-
ture must express Oprah’s personality, voice and
authenticity whenever it is leveraged.
In these businesses, even when products
follow completely di?erent naming schema and
chase di?erent buyer segments, as did Oprah’s
Angel Network, they still represent Oprah’s
core brand identity. It is the experience of the
extended brand that must live on beyond the
life of the person in order for the brand to
survive.
Frequently brand owners rely on advertis-
ing campaigns in which brand messaging and
personality are artfully captured in the mix of
words, images, music and voice to de?ne their
product positioning. Many corporations are
too outwardly focused when it comes to brand
stewardship.
Internal brand communications is just as
important as external brand communications.
Brand managers are pressured to meet external
messaging and marketing program needs in a
short amount of time. Tis leaves little energy
and few resources to address the internal brand
communications challenge.
Building a brand into the corporate culture
takes time, creativity and steady reinforcement.
A brand culture means that the
brand promise, brand values
and brand differentiation are
understood by all who represent
the brand to customers.
Wendy C. Wong
60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 61 60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
Is this the job of the VP of marketing, the
VP of human resources or the VP of internal
communications? Te truth is that the internal
stewardship belongs to each of them.
IMC is the connection point that can bring
all three leaders together. When these three
functional leaders work together to integrate
the brand into corporate culture, the executive
suite becomes the best spokespersons of IMC.
Employee empowerment through
brand connection
Companies that have integrated their brand
into the corporate culture also tend to have
proud, loyal employees. People enjoy work-
ing for a cause or mission that is relatable and
provides meaning to their role.
Branding is part of expressing an organiza-
tion’s mission and values, which also de?ne the
parameters for behavior within an organization.
Disney, for example, tells its employees that
it is in “the happiness business.” At Disney,
safety comes before friendliness. Te Dis-
ney brand can be seen in the movie theatre,
on television and in the merchandising lines
of Mickey Mouse, the Little Mermaid and
Hannah Montana. Tis brand transcends its
product lines to inspire its workforce. Tis
brand connection is not just the pride of seeing
the brand in the marketplace; it encompasses
the organization’s culture. Disney empowers
each employee to bring creativity and judgment
to the workplace. Tis brand connection makes
the organization what it is.
Customer loyalty through brand
connection
Employees who understand their brand,
who can represent and live out the brand, at-
tract customers who ?nd the brand appealing.
Customers choose their favorite brands for the
attributes of the product; the value it delivers;
and the emotional payo? for the buyer, on a
personal level. Whether it is a status symbol to
be associated with a given brand (e.g., Rolex,
Lexus), the brand’s quality, or the customer
experience that bonds someone to the brand, a
loyal, repeat customer feels the kind of brand
connection that results from an organization’s
having deployed a successful brand culture.
Best practices for optimizing your
brand culture
Branding should not be seen solely as a
marketing function, even though brand stew-
ardship usually begins with marketing. To
optimize a brand culture, the entire value chain
of the organization needs to support the brand.
Speci?cally, brand cultures:
Educate the entire workforce about the •
brand
Regard internal stakeholders as a key •
communications target
Create an emotional reason for stake- •
holders to participate
Focus on the quality of the entire cus- •
tomer experience, not just the delivery of the
product or service
De?ne a focused mission for the group •
that feels bigger than the individual alone.
Connect the product and service to the •
organization’s mission
Reinforce the brand values inside its •
organizational culture and keep these values
alive over time
For businesses that have a successful B2B
brand culture, embracing the culture of B2C
marketers may pose a challenge. IMC can play
a key role in de?ning not only the brand that
the marketplace encounters and experiences,
but also in de?ning the brand that is under-
stood by every employee and the organization’s
mission and values as a whole.
B2B and B2C Marketing
62 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 62 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
Wendy C. Wong is Vice President of Mar-
keting for Te Ken Blanchard Companies, a
distinguished leadership development ?rm
that advises senior leaders on creating winning
workplace cultures that result in organizational
and performance improvement.
Her experience in publishing, ?nancial
services, leadership training, and information
services gives her an understanding of how in-
tegrated marketing communications is a critical
competency of brand management. She has
led marketing communications and branding at
HNC Software/Fair Isaac; and strategic mar-
keting and e-commerce initiatives at the D&B
Corporation, where she held a dual leadership
role in strategic planning and marketing com-
munications.
Wendy holds an undergraduate degree from
Cornell University and an MBA from UC-
Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Wendy C. Wong
doc_166896184.pdf
When a brand operates in both a B2B and B2C market, companies often create marketing departments under different leadership to address each market separately. These marketing silos often miss out on opportunities for synergies that would drive value for the organization.
Journal of integrated marketing communications
Integrating Integrity into IMC
lynn upshaw
Generations of Consumers and the Consumer Generated
pradeep kumar, michelle hsiao & barry chiu
Unauthorized Verses
chris barrows
Using Events to Drive an Integrated Marketing Model
mary fehrnstrom & david m. rich
Adapting IMC to Emerging Markets:
Importance of Cultural Values in the Indian Context
s. ramesh kumar
Beyond the Last Click:
Measuring ROI and Consumer Engagement with Clickstream Analysis
megan halscheid, micheline sabatté & sejal sura
The Next Generation of the IMC Database:
Confessions of a Believer
chuck sharp
B2B and B2C Marketing:
Organizing to Maximize Brand Value
wendy c. wong
Heavy Buyers:
Are They Even More Important Than Generally Thought?
deb rapacz & martin reilly
2009
Inventing the Future, Honoring the Past
56 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 57 56 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
B2B AND B2C MARKETING:
ORGANIZING TO MAXIMIZE BRAND VALUE
by Wendy C. Wong
ABSTRACT
When a brand operates in both a B2B and B2C market, companies often create mar-
keting departments under di?erent leadership to address each market separately. Tese
marketing silos often miss out on opportunities for synergies that would drive value for
the organization. IMC could be the solution by providing a new organizational model for
synergistic brand management, media relations and campaign messaging – thus optimiz-
ing all market opportunities across business models.
When a brand operates in both a B2B and
B2C market, should di?erent marketing com-
munication chiefs manage each? Do B2B and
B2C brand management really require di?erent
skill sets? Or can they operate more harmoni-
ously within an IMC organization?
Under the current framework:
Traditional companies structure brand •
managers around product or market silos.
Most corporations consider B2B and •
B2C marketers to be two di?erent breeds. In
doing so, corporate leaders organize struc-
tures and incentives in a way that impedes
collaboration.
Silos of brand management
Within companies that operate in both a
B2B and a B2C space, brand executives operate
under separate divisions with surprisingly little
interaction or information sharing.
In companies that sta? a “corporate commu-
nications” o?cer, this role, which tends to focus
on public relations, is the only opportunity for
B2B and B2C brand management to work
together. Very rarely do corporate communi-
cations o?cers have the authority or brand
management experience, to e?ectively integrate
the marketing communications process.
Problems arise when companies need to
increase the strategic value of their brand(s).
To whom does responsibility for driving
the IMC process that supports shared brand
perception and brand value belong?
Tose seeking to bridge the gap between
B2B and B2C brand managers frequently
encounter the assumption that expertise in one
arena does not transfer across the two business
models. Does this logic optimize a company’s
long-term brand strategy? When brand equity
is shared by B2B and B2C constituencies,
shared decision making and message strategy
become critical to campaign success.
When separation of B2B and B2C
makes sense
Separation is logical for businesses where
product lines operate as separate pro?t centers
with no market overlap. Holding companies,
such as Proctor & Gamble, have separately
branded businesses operating independently
B2B and B2C Marketing
58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
with no common naming or shared symbol-
ism. While products may compete in the same
market category, each product manager drives a
separate product identity. Teir shared con-
nection is administrative. Each brand manager
reports to the same corporate decision makers
and may also share resources such as account-
ing, ?nance, distribution and ful?llment.
Holding companies with B2B and B2C
business lines often choose to organize brand-
ing responsibility by market segment. As a
result, the product identity and representation
manifests itself di?erently for each segment.
Te pharmaceutical industry, for example,
assigns separate teams and budgets for each
constituency in the same product line: direct-
to-consumer (DTC) marketing, physicians and
hospitals, and managed markets (insurance
companies).
When separation hurts the brand
Organizational structure is an important
component of brand management because it
creates an accepted reality in which people
operate. Te needs of decision making o?cers
de?ne brand managers’ reporting roles. Of-
ten, organizational structure dictates the level
of information sharing within and across an
organization.
Brand extension strategies tend to stimulate
the most friction between segment managers.
Tere are limits to how far a?eld brands can
be extended, depending on the familiarity and
recognition of the brand and the symbolism it
possesses in each market segment.
If there is common symbolism in the nam-
ing strategy, but di?erent messaging platforms
and di?erent brand personas being projected,
how believable is the brand? How authentic
is the brand? What does it really stand for?
Consider the case of John McCain running for
president on the Republican ticket, having to
leverage his party identity yet distance himself
from George W. Bush. If there is common
symbolism in the brand identity, but di?erent
messaging platforms, the brand manager will
Te following are some key questions for CEOs and executive management to
consider, especially if the business entity operates in both B2B and B2C:
Is there shared brand equity among the product brands that are separately •
managed?
When a brand name is shared by two or more products serving di?erent buyer •
segments, is the brand persona consistent?
Does the brand remain authentic across target audiences? You cannot be all •
things to all people, even when it seems appealing and lucrative. Staying authentic
to the brand’s core values is an essential component of brand management.
Are incentives aligned among brand managers? A structure in which seg- •
ment managers pursue individual objectives is one that gains category share at the
expense of the shared brands’ equity.
Does the organization have an accepted process for arbitrating con?icting val- •
ues among segment managers? Power struggles with segment managers of equal
authority are likely to arise unless someone with greater authority is ready and
willing to arbitrate without slowing decision making. Tis situation is especially
harmful when the brand operates with di?erent pricing models with di?erent
customer experience expectations, as one would see when a brand operates in both
a B2B and B2C context.
Wendy C. Wong
58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 59 58 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
need to take great care in leveraging what is
respected and valued about the brand, yet allow
the brand to di?erentiate itself without its be-
ing undermined or called into question.
In summary, brands su?er under separate
brand management structures under the fol-
lowing circumstances:
Tere is shared brand equity among •
the product brands, such as in the case of
a highly visible corporate brand that gives
credibility to every product under its um-
brella.
A brand name is shared among two or •
more products serving di?erent buyer seg-
ments.
Tere is misalignment of incentives •
among segment managers.
Tere are common or overlapping mes- •
saging targets. Products that target the same
buyers may as well collaborate rather than
compete for the same market share.
Te messaging platforms of di?er- •
ent segment managers may undermine the
authenticity of the brand.
Organizing for collaboration
In addition to product management depart-
ments, complex organizations also sta? product
marketing to interface between product man-
agement and corporate marketing.
Te de?nition of roles and authority struc-
tures between these groups takes place infor-
mally. Often these roles are peer roles, as in a
matrix organization. In a matrix organization,
peers must collaborate to execute well.
Product managers that know their product,
its technical speci?cations and customer base,
have the expertise to drive product di?erentia-
tion and quality. What they lack is the time or
the expertise to conduct market research and
solicit customer feedback for pricing and po-
sitioning decisions. Nor are they best suited to
write e?ective copy, convey messaging succinct-
ly, or place the message into the marketplace.
In fact, all three of these functions comprise the
inherent responsibilities of marketing, but are
inappropriately apportioned to disparate parts
of the organization.
Alignment among these functions is crucial,
especially when each individual owns some
facet of the brand’s behavior. Oversight at the
brand level becomes especially important as
products proliferate, sometimes across B2B and
B2C.
Separate brand management structures are harmful when:
• Brand equity is shared among product brands.
• A brand name is shared among products serving diferent segments.
• Incentives are not aligned among segment managers.
• Tere is no process to arbitrate conficting values among managers.
• Tere is overlap among target buyers.
• Te brand’s authenticity is undermined by messaging platforms of
di?erent segment managers.
B2B and B2C Marketing
60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
Fostering camaraderie and shared
interests
Especially in complex organizations where
marketing responsibility is shared across many
departments, a brand culture is helpful in guid-
ing the behavior and decisions of these man-
agers. A brand culture means that the brand
promise, brand values and brand di?erentiation
are understood by all who represent the brand
to customers. Te best way to foster camara-
derie and shared interests is by connecting all
stakeholders through a palpable relationship to
their shared brand. When done well, the brand
personi?es the product’s spirit and the soul of
the organization.
Role of the IMC o?cer
Few companies have appointed a single of-
?cer to make decisions at an integrated mar-
keting communications level. By default, this
function falls to the Chief Marketing O?cer or
the Chief Communications O?cer. But some
organizations have a VP of Marketing, a VP of
Product Marketing, a VP of Product Manage-
ment and
even a VP of
Corporate
PR. Who,
in that case,
is the IMC
O?cer? Te
IMC o?cer
is the one
who rallies
the others to recognize that IMC is important.
Te responsibility of IMC does not need an
o?cial induction. Te role of the IMC o?cer
is to act as the marketing leader who takes
ownership of the brand’s stewardship. But in
a leadership vacuum or when peers are locked
in a power struggle, the formal appointment of
an IMC O?cer can provide the needed power
to break a headlock and to de-politicize brand
decisions.
Building the brand into the corporate
culture
Many strong brands grew from the success
of a single product or personality and over time
extend into new categories and market seg-
ments. Examples include Disney and celebrity
brands like Oprah. New products developed
within the business leverage core brand as-
sets in order to succeed. In the case of Oprah’s
brand, this extension manifested itself in O,
Te Oprah Magazine and television shows like
“Oprah’s Big Give.” Oprah’s celebrity is at the
core of these new business ventures. Each ven-
ture must express Oprah’s personality, voice and
authenticity whenever it is leveraged.
In these businesses, even when products
follow completely di?erent naming schema and
chase di?erent buyer segments, as did Oprah’s
Angel Network, they still represent Oprah’s
core brand identity. It is the experience of the
extended brand that must live on beyond the
life of the person in order for the brand to
survive.
Frequently brand owners rely on advertis-
ing campaigns in which brand messaging and
personality are artfully captured in the mix of
words, images, music and voice to de?ne their
product positioning. Many corporations are
too outwardly focused when it comes to brand
stewardship.
Internal brand communications is just as
important as external brand communications.
Brand managers are pressured to meet external
messaging and marketing program needs in a
short amount of time. Tis leaves little energy
and few resources to address the internal brand
communications challenge.
Building a brand into the corporate culture
takes time, creativity and steady reinforcement.
A brand culture means that the
brand promise, brand values
and brand differentiation are
understood by all who represent
the brand to customers.
Wendy C. Wong
60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 61 60 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
Is this the job of the VP of marketing, the
VP of human resources or the VP of internal
communications? Te truth is that the internal
stewardship belongs to each of them.
IMC is the connection point that can bring
all three leaders together. When these three
functional leaders work together to integrate
the brand into corporate culture, the executive
suite becomes the best spokespersons of IMC.
Employee empowerment through
brand connection
Companies that have integrated their brand
into the corporate culture also tend to have
proud, loyal employees. People enjoy work-
ing for a cause or mission that is relatable and
provides meaning to their role.
Branding is part of expressing an organiza-
tion’s mission and values, which also de?ne the
parameters for behavior within an organization.
Disney, for example, tells its employees that
it is in “the happiness business.” At Disney,
safety comes before friendliness. Te Dis-
ney brand can be seen in the movie theatre,
on television and in the merchandising lines
of Mickey Mouse, the Little Mermaid and
Hannah Montana. Tis brand transcends its
product lines to inspire its workforce. Tis
brand connection is not just the pride of seeing
the brand in the marketplace; it encompasses
the organization’s culture. Disney empowers
each employee to bring creativity and judgment
to the workplace. Tis brand connection makes
the organization what it is.
Customer loyalty through brand
connection
Employees who understand their brand,
who can represent and live out the brand, at-
tract customers who ?nd the brand appealing.
Customers choose their favorite brands for the
attributes of the product; the value it delivers;
and the emotional payo? for the buyer, on a
personal level. Whether it is a status symbol to
be associated with a given brand (e.g., Rolex,
Lexus), the brand’s quality, or the customer
experience that bonds someone to the brand, a
loyal, repeat customer feels the kind of brand
connection that results from an organization’s
having deployed a successful brand culture.
Best practices for optimizing your
brand culture
Branding should not be seen solely as a
marketing function, even though brand stew-
ardship usually begins with marketing. To
optimize a brand culture, the entire value chain
of the organization needs to support the brand.
Speci?cally, brand cultures:
Educate the entire workforce about the •
brand
Regard internal stakeholders as a key •
communications target
Create an emotional reason for stake- •
holders to participate
Focus on the quality of the entire cus- •
tomer experience, not just the delivery of the
product or service
De?ne a focused mission for the group •
that feels bigger than the individual alone.
Connect the product and service to the •
organization’s mission
Reinforce the brand values inside its •
organizational culture and keep these values
alive over time
For businesses that have a successful B2B
brand culture, embracing the culture of B2C
marketers may pose a challenge. IMC can play
a key role in de?ning not only the brand that
the marketplace encounters and experiences,
but also in de?ning the brand that is under-
stood by every employee and the organization’s
mission and values as a whole.
B2B and B2C Marketing
62 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009 62 Journal of Integrated Marketing Communications 2009
Wendy C. Wong is Vice President of Mar-
keting for Te Ken Blanchard Companies, a
distinguished leadership development ?rm
that advises senior leaders on creating winning
workplace cultures that result in organizational
and performance improvement.
Her experience in publishing, ?nancial
services, leadership training, and information
services gives her an understanding of how in-
tegrated marketing communications is a critical
competency of brand management. She has
led marketing communications and branding at
HNC Software/Fair Isaac; and strategic mar-
keting and e-commerce initiatives at the D&B
Corporation, where she held a dual leadership
role in strategic planning and marketing com-
munications.
Wendy holds an undergraduate degree from
Cornell University and an MBA from UC-
Berkeley’s Haas School of Business.
Wendy C. Wong
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