A strong identity is a company’s most important asset along with its people who communicate and develop relationships as brand ambassadors and communicate the brand to stakeholders, suppliers and customers. A strong identity works externally and internally, as a shorthand of trust and confidence in a company and its products in a rapidly changing environment and context. It is the root, the soul, the DNA of the brand and is the reason why brands with strong identities increase their numbers of loyal, committed and engaged clients who act as advocates and promoters of the brand AT NO COST TO THE COMPANY!!!
Think Apple, Google, Nike, IKEA and BMW. These are brands with a strong belief, a compelling, believable and authentic offer as well as a set of consistent values which resonate with consumers and employees needs and aspirations.
However, it is remarkable that the need to have a strong identity and the development of it is ignored in almost every discussion on branding. Trust, as we all know, is the basis for every relationship. So why are these two inter-connected manifestations of a company’s potential for increased market share and profit not given the serious attention they deserve.
Trust and identity - the two cornerstones of reputation. One wonders therefore why some of the largest companies in Qatar - some of whom represent Qatar’s reputation abroad in key industries and services treat their suppliers so abysmally. Some don’t pay their bills for many months, sometimes years, sometimes not at all. Why? Why not build partnerships with suppliers and seek win/win relationships to cut costs and increase productivity instead of beating them around the head with a mallett. Surely this only results in shoddy workmanship as the poor supplier seeks to cut corners on cost, which only then backfires on the company as they get a reputation as a bad company to do business with. This impacts not only on the company and its employees and partners where morale and motivation ebbs away, resulting in resignations and absenteeism, but also has a knock-on effect on the country seeking to build its reputation as THE place to invest and do business in the Middle East. Why do companies issue tenders and then go with the cheapest offer regardless of quality?.
Why is price seen as the barometer of success, when surely superior quality should be the byword for companies. Why do companies not honour their employees contracts or seek to ban them from working for another company - surely this is a form of indentured slavery and will do no good for the country’s reputation in the long term.
There are many issues that seemingly are holding back the country’s progress, but attitude, right-thinking, trust and identity surely must form a cornerstone of any company’s self-worth and belief which can translate into doing good work which breeds more self confidence and expression of values which, in time, people can believe in and want to belong to. This is the direction for the long-term future of success, benchmarking the attributes and characteristics of successful companies, emulating them and finding your own voice and identity which is campaignable, believable and above all, authentic, real and honest.
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