Brand experiences in the workplace? While not immediately where one’s mind goes when they think of a branded experience, the workplace it taking over as a place for companies to showcase just what it is they are, and the value proposition they provide. When most people hear the term ‘brand experience’, their mind immediately goes to marketing events and experiences. And this association is not unfounded: brand experiences are all about creating a sensory experience that connects a person with a brand in a lasting and meaningful way. While marketing-focused brand experiences are growing at a rapid pace (second only to digital as the fastest growing marketing channel) they’ve almost always been associated with growing revenue and finding new customers. Innovative companies, however, are turning to these branded experiences to increase the engagement and connection with internal employees.
While branded experiences are all about building a connection, companies looking to increase employee retention and boost their reputation in the marketplace can turn the branded experience inward. In today’s modern workplace, the onslaught of open-plan seating, real-time messaging, and multi-tasking has left many employees feeling disconnected from their company or lost in a sea of other employees. In the same way, they connect customers with a service or product, branded experiences can reconnect employees with their employers.
At their core, branded experiences are about answering some of the most fundamental questions about what a brand stands for. Who you are in the market, what your core values are, what value you provide to your customers, and – most importantly – why it matters. Branded experiences answer all these questions and more by creating a physical connection between a person and the brand. For employees, these experiences help remind them of all the reasons they connected with the company in the first place.
Branded experiences are shaping the modern workplace by:
Enhanced creativity
While many modern workplaces are embracing a ‘cool corporate’ code of conduct, many employees long for something a little more flexible. According to a recent study, 78% of employees think creativity is critical to the success of an organization while only 48% believe they have the freedom to be creative at work. Branded experiences in workplaces bring together the creativity employees crave with the company messaging and voice that organizations want to share with employees. They’re the perfect way to bridge this gap and create happier, more satisfied employees.
Sales enablement
Too often organizations fall into the trap of not providing team members with the right tools or resources needed to succeed. While many sales teams rely on traditional education series, playbooks, and lectures, innovative teams are using branded experiences to appeal to a more modern, engaged audience. Today’s sales teams learn by experience and through practice. If a team creates a branded training experience for a sales enablement session it shows that leaders understand this need for a more hands-on training approach.
Talent retention
Increasing customer satisfaction and appreciating customer needs all matters for one reason: increasing talent retention. Your employees are the most valuable asset your company has and for that, your team needs to do whatever possible to keep them on staff. For employees that are disenchanted with your message, or who simply don’t understand how to share this message with others, it can be hard to recapture their attention and solidify your relationship. Branded experiences go beyond a simple personalized email from the CEO to make employees actually want to stay with an organization by giving them an exciting, engaging look into the values and mission of the team.
Set your workplace up for the future with an in-office branded experience. Talk to a Bluewater specialist today to learn how you can get up and running today! Learn more.
