On the relationship between company branding and employer branding. 

Since time immemorial, marketing has been involved, first and foremost, with company branding.

The purpose of a company brand is to create a defined entity with positive values that the organization wants to convey so that consumers can connect with it easily.

Immediately after distilling the company’s values and vision, marketing creates the logo, colors, slogan, design language, content and more, which are used in every marketing activity.

The target audience is, of course, potential customers, partners and everyone outside the company.

Employer branding, on the other hand, is a relatively new philosophy that deals with the company’s branding and messaging to candidates and existing employees.

It attempts to build a company’s reputation as an employer. If a company’s brand is the sole responsibility of marketing, employer branding is a need that comes primarily from HR, which is satisfied by both HR and marketing.

What should be the relationship between company branding and employer branding? Are the two distinct brands or the same brand with two different meanings?

Studies show that not only should there be a link between the two brands, but in fact, employer branding should derive from the values of the company’s branding so that it is credible and authentic.

While the target audience, communication methods, product, involvement of the target audience and the promise of the brand are different, the values the company wants to convey as an employer cannot be disconnected from the company’s core values.

The target audience of employer branding are existing employees, potential and passive candidates.
They are all exposed to both the employer and the company’s branding, and that’s why it’s important to convey the same messages about values and beliefs so that employees and candidates can easily identify with them.

This is the only way employees can turn from passive entities into authentic ambassadors of an organization.

How is it done? How to create an employer brand that is based on the corporate brand?

1. Values – educating employees about the brand’s values will make them more involved and enable them to work from the heart, not only from the head.
The more the values the company conveys are realized within the company, the more authentic and stronger they become.

2. Design Identify – the employer brand must derive directly from the language of the company’s brand.
This enables people to identify it easily and to attribute to it the values of the existing brand, which are usually already very rooted.

At the same time, it is practical, as it is not necessary to reinvent the wheel. The materials are already available, all that is needed is to make some content changes based on the needs of each campaign.

3. Sales promotions – a company that is involved in sales promotions, use celebrities for advertising and launches new products must also invite employees to the party.

Take Nike, for example, which treats its employees like special customers. They enjoy discounts, participate in closed events with the company’s presenters, and more.

4. It’s all in the mind –  most importantly, the company’s management must believe in the need for employer branding. It should understand its relationship with company branding and lead the effort internally.

In short…

The company brand, values, and messages are the essence of a company, which gives the company power and advantages in a competitive market. Employer branding is the reputation we seek to create among potential candidates and existing employees.

To make both brands credible, authentic and powerful, they have to overlap and be implemented internally and externally. The brands should be very well connected, and the employer brand should derive from the company’s brand.

This will enable current and future employees to feel an integral part of the effort and true partners, which in turn makes them a company’s best ambassadors.