In one of the most famous movie plot twists, the great Wizard of Oz is revealed to be nothing more than a man with a microphone and smoke machine behind a curtain. When your external and internal branding are out of sync, the results can be equally disappointing. 

Most people are familiar with external branding: It’s how people see your company – the logos, taglines, slogans, and campaign design. But it goes beyond the visuals. It’s also how people perceive your company – and that matters. When done correctly, a well-thought-out strategic positioning attracts new and repeat customers and investors to your business.  

Internal branding focuses on a different key audience: your employees. It refers to how you communicate with employees and engage them in your organization’s vision, and it needs to be part of the overall corporate strategy. Not only does it increase employee satisfaction and productivity, but it also impacts your bottom line: According to a Gallup poll, highly engaged teams show 21% greater profitability.  

External Branding Plus Internal Branding Equals One Brand, One Message  

Both your external and internal brands communicate your company’s mission and reflect your corporate strategy. When your external and internal branding are consistent, trust in your company grows. While each type of branding has different objectives, they support each other. A strong external brand can instill pride in current employees and attract new talent, while a strong internal brand strengthens your company’s reputation and credibility.  

Internal and external branding should be regular parts of your marketing and HR strategy. To kick-start this shift within your organization, consider launching a new marketing strategy. When AT&T Broadband merged with Comcast in 2002, it set the stage for the company to expand its services and then rebrand itself in 2010 with the launch of the Xfinity technology platform. This new platform burgeoned the company from a phone/cable provider into a technology company/employer, using the campaign “Xfinity and Beyond” to solidify the next-generation technology for the present and the future. It launched both internal and external campaigns to support these changes, which resulted in increased customer loyalty as well as establishing it as a premier global employer, ranking #9 in Fortune’s 100 Best Companies to Work For list (2023).  

Domus has helped companies like Merck, P&G, and more build their internal brand using a multipronged approach that includes understanding how your employees feel, developing an Employee Value Proposition, and creating communications processes to consistently engage with employees. Because when it’s working on the inside – it shows on the outside. Email us when you’re ready to revamp your internal branding!