Can’t live with them, can’t live without them. Today, we take a look at just how essential talent and culture are to a brand’s success, and how businesses should focus on nurturing people and their abilities. 

Greg Creed, CEO of YUM! Foods, recently stated, in an article in the Australian Financial Review, that ‘a company’s true value is in people and brands, not in the buildings or processes’.  At XPotential, we share a similar ethos and believe that ‘brands are the most important asset of your business and your people are the most important resource in building brands’. We work with clients to equip and empower people with the right tools and skills so that they can go on to become effective brand-builders and change-makers.  

Mr. Creed also stresses the importance of building ‘relevant, easy and distinctive brands or ‘RED’ brands and uses KFC (One of YUM! Foods most successful brands) as a real-life example of his successful growth model.  

The fast-food chain, in the UK, managed to wriggle out of a messy situation- when they ran out of chicken due to a supplier mix-up, simply by apologising to the public albeit in a cheeky way. Their ‘FCK, We’re Sorry’ campaign not only addressed the brand’s obvious shortcoming but also helped to create recall in consumers’ minds, by playing around with the brand letters. The campaign is perhaps a reflection of the work culture at KFC, where being honest and upfront, especially after an own goal, makes a positive difference to its audience.   

Brands like these are known to have ‘unmatched franchise operating capability, bold asset development and unrivalled culture and talent’, and as a result are able to make an effective impact on consumer perception and behaviour.  

The response to the  KFC campaign is an indication of how strategy, in the midst of change, needs to be dynamic, relevant and above all, people and culture centric. Consumers tend to take to a brand that adopts a more human-centred approach towards their operations.  

Having said that, brands are not instant successes from the get-go. There is a fair amount of behind-the-scenes preparation that goes into building ‘RED’ brands, and this always begins with people. 

People are not an asset to a business, they are not owned or exist on a balance sheet, but an important resource that has discretionary time and effort. How much of that time and effort goes into building your brand and driving growth vs. focusing outside the business? 

Through our change management framework, or the KUBA (Know, Understand, Believe, Act) model, we embed brands, people and culture in all our consulting and training activities. 

Know: People should know what they need to do. By explaining what we are ultimately trying to achieve, we are developing an aware workforce. 

Understand: Once they understand the brand’s expectations, they will also be able to determine how their actions will impact not only the organisation, but themselves too. 

Believe: By providing information and guidance on tasks to be achieved, we are empowering them to believe in their abilities and deliver results.  

Act: They are now equipped to act on their skills, and implement effective change strategies, that will eventually lead to organisational success. 

This model shapes the way we think about the impact of our programme, process or workshop on a business, department or team and ensures we accelerate the delivery of results.  

With people at the core of what we do, we support businesses to achieve sustainable long-term growth, creating value for the brand, along the way. 

To know more about Greg Creed’s approach to branding, you can read the full article here.

To learn more about our brand building programmes and workshops, please visit us here or contact us here.