Mesmerizing TVC (Television Commercials) of Vodafone, erstwhile Hutch positions it as a brand which believes in breaking stereotypes. This external positioning is in sync with the young Indian population, oozing with confidence and ready to take off. This refreshing positioning of Vodafone is reflected in its every aspect like brochures, Vodafone shops, customer care executives.
Now consider a scenario where internally employees (including prospective) perceives Vodafone as a company which uses obsolete systems and processes, with poorly trained staff, confused objectives and what not. Then do you think it will be able to hold to its external positioning of a young and cool company?
Employees and prospective employees are company’s internal customers, hence positioning for the internal employees should be on the dot, as well.
We all know the kind of image Google has in the eyes of the employees. Do you think it’s by fate Google achieved this? Certainly not! It was a vision of Google’s founders to brand their company to the employees in a way which also communicates what they are best at, Breaking stereotypes. They introduced the measures like work for one day for your own ideas, offices like play grounds and many more. As a result it’s a dream company of every software evangelist. The speed at which its new innovative products are coming justifies Google’s positioning, both internal and external. Even more, Apple has positioned its company in a way that has attracted the best talent of the industry, which has clearly translated into its artistic products.
I want to emphasize that two seeming different positioning, external and internal are infact not different. And if they are, then brand is bound to suffer. Take State Banks, they are trying their level best to change their external positioning but are taking too long to bring about the change. The reason is that internally they are still the same. Their employees are still the same and take their banks in the same old way. Hence despite flashy posters, big advertisement, core banking softwares people still take them as old shabby organizations.
Hence convergence of internal and external positioning is must to leverage the synergy between the two and to take the organisation from Good to Great.
