The Brand Connection - The Link between Corporations and their Leaders

by William Arruda

In this day of celebrity brands and branded cities, it is not only becoming common, it is becoming essential, for entrepreneurs and senior executives to build and communicate their personal brands to expand both individual and corporate success.  Just as with corporate brands, an executive or entrepreneur’s brand is his/her promise of value. It separates them from their peers and allows them to expand their personal success while building greater success for their organizations. Executive Branding is not about building a special image for the outside world; it is about understanding an executive’s unique combination of rational and emotional attributes – his/her strengths, skills, values and passions - and using these attributes to stand out.  

Corporate communications strategies that include senior executives as corporate brand assets provide greater value and depth. It goes way beyond mentioning executives in press releases, announcing their promotions and having them appear at press briefings. It means having a thorough understanding of executives’ brands; knowing what makes them successful, interesting and differentiated; and understanding how to use that to build a richer landscape for communicating about the corporation.  

Christophe Ginisty, Founder and Managing Director of the IT Communications Firm Rumeur Publique, says “Buyers are putting their trust not only in a company, but in the leaders of that company. It is important to ensure that the leaders are an integral part of the corporate communications strategy and that their personal Brands are clear, consistent and accurate.” He added “Communications companies who look at their clients’ brands holistically will be more successful in creating a rich, relevant and compelling story that will over time build brand value and the associated customer confidence and loyalty.”

IT Companies are Leading the Revolution
And although this executive Branding trend is visible in all industries, it is most apparent in the IT industry. According to the AdWEEK CEO Image report, “CEOs are more critical in tech markets than in most other industries. They're a vital part of communications to opinion leaders and key decision makers.”  And IT CEOs and other executives have taken on almost celebrity status. Look at Carly Fiorina, Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, and Bill Gates. These executive Brands are so closely associated with their corporate Brands that they almost become one in the same.  Nancy Merz, an IT market researcher and President of Knight Market Research in Boston said “In every IT focus group I have conducted, when asked to describe the Microsoft Brand, the first two words out of the respondents’ mouths are Bill and Gates. She added, “This is even after Steve Balmer took on a more active role in the company.”  

Yield Maximum Brand Value
So to develop a communications strategy that builds and nurtures the corporate brand, it is essential to have an in-depth understanding of the personal brands of the company’s leaders.  Implementing a seamless communications strategy that takes the greatest advantage of all the corporate assets will deliver greater Brand value.  This opens up new avenues of communications and ways of building relationships between a company and its customers.