UK BLOG – GARY WEBB, UK COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING DIRECTOR
How ‘brand equity’ helps organisations weather the COVID-19 storm
The importance of brand protection and equity building, and the pressure on businesses to define their brand and purpose, has never been greater than during the COVID-19 pandemic.
PEOPLE MAKE PLACES AND PLACES MAKE PEOPLE
New rules post-pandemic
Analysis from Accenture (see note 1) suggests business leaders are concentrating their attention on four themes. One of the key themes is brand and applying new brand rules post-pandemic. The report suggested that relevant brands are rooted in human purpose and that a brand’s purpose will only be relevant if it sits within someone’s own purpose. So, the change in the ISS brand strapline – People Make Places, and Places Make People – has great relevance in the facilities management of the future. The pandemic has shown that if you are not sure what direction your company needs to take, look to your customers and employees for inspiration.
Will client and employee experience still dominate brand post-pandemic?
The short answer to that is yes. The pandemic has given companies a unique insight into employees. Who stepped up? Those employees that threw themselves into delivering so much more than was expected to clients during the pandemic created great gains for brand equity.
Businesses often make promises to clients and on the whole deliver on them. But empowered employees went more than the extra mile – in some cases probably five miles more – to ensure they delivered during sometimes impossible times.
Example: Clatterbridge Cancer Centre
POST-COVID BRANDS
How can brands differentiate in a mature FM marketplace post-COVID?
Brands that will emerge from COVID on top will undoubtedly be those that have a strong connection to their roots but can differentiate themselves from the competition through innovation, making their brand unique.
In FM, creating attractive places to work and collaborate post-COVID will be the key. Sure, ensuring a place is safe from COVID through effective cleaning and management is fundamental, but the workplace of the future – where there may be a mix of home and office working – will require a shift in thinking. Use of space that encourages employees to truly collaborate, think and give will ensure a greater return per square foot, and that is important to the bottom line.