It is nothing short of astonishing that the majority of businesses, both large and small, have absolutely no consensus within their organization as to who they are and what they stand for. Most authors on the subject would call it not understanding the essence of the brand, and they would be right. So, how do the wheels of commerce turn so briskly if most companies cannot even communicate the very nature of their existence? The answer is that it is not a business life or death proposition. It is, however, a tremendous advantage for companies that make the investment in THEMSELVES. We'll cite a fine example shortly.

To know oneself, as it were, is to uncover the keys of branding success! But wait you say, we have a mission statement - is that not who we are? Well no, actually. Most mission statements share two commonalities. One - they all sound the same. Two - they all say what an organization hopes to accomplish and nothing about who you, the shining star in your category, really are. Now, there is often a question with regard to what "positioning" is. Positioning is the answer to the fundamental question: What do we stand for? If you cannot articulate that, your competition will answer the question for you.

So, does one need to call in Socrates, Freud, or the FBI to learn who they are and what they stand for? No, but it would be helpful for you and your management team to ask yourselves the following questions:

• Who is your target market?
• What is your specific category?
• What is your statement of need fulfillment (key benefit)?

Then, write one paragraph of relevant support for these statements. Be specific!

In too many companies, most of the people have different ideas of whom the organization is, which specific need they best fulfill, and the support statements by which they should all live. This exercise can be most revealing. After all, how could a team of people work together all this time without a consensus answer to these, the most fundamental of questions? The answer usually is: no one ever asked! Rare is an organization that sits down and asks, OK, just who do we think we are, and even a more important question, will our customers care?

Here are some of the advantages you can expect to gain by an internal brand audit and some consensus building exercises:

• Attain a better understanding of the branding process and how it will develop more business for your organization.
• Define your target audience.
• Complete a key words association exercise that chooses defining words for your organization.
• Develop a positioning statement.
• Build consensus among senior management about strategic marketing objectives.
• Build a unique culture from the inside out, one where employees feel empowered.
• Begin to define the essence of your brand.
• Build a "brand ladder" that defines your brand from the generic level to the top value proposition that you offer your customers.
• Determine what business you are really in.
• Elevate your strategic brand identity throughout the entire organization.
• Learn the importance of promise-centered communications.
• Understand the importance of target audience priorities and their relationship to your brand promises.

A TEO proprietary methodology for accomplishing these objectives is the Power Branding Roundtable(tm)*.

Internal Branding: It is critical for organizations to deliver on their brand promises in order to achieve any lasting success. A promise kept builds long-term customer relationships and loyalty while a broken promise is a barrier to ongoing customer relations - or worse, a deal breaker. Internal branding is not a one-time event. It is an ongoing process that ensures that customers will trust an organization to consistently deliver the brand experiences it promises - which customers expect and deserve.

Ideally, internal branding exercises should involve not only senior management teams but also employee/stakeholder groups from every level of an organization and from every department. The more that employees are involved in helping to define the essence of what a company stands for, the more ownership each employee will take in his or her job. They will have more of a stake in the company's ultimate success.

CASE STUDY Green Mountain Coffee Roasters: What started out in 1981 as a small cafe in a sleepy Vermont town is now a company with over $225 million in annual revenues and one of the nation's leading specialty coffee companies. A visit to Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' headquarters gives one a feeling about the brand that is, in a word, authentic. The cultural and emotional environment that surrounds you as you walk through the corporate offices, factory floor, and visitor's center cannot be faked. The people there genuinely enjoy what they do and know why they do it. All of the visual aspects of the brand are designed with artistic consistency, including packaging, point-of-sale, catalogs, corporate literature, Website, signage, digital displays, and collateral materials.

Green Mountain Coffee Roasters takes internal branding so seriously that; so far, over 20 percent of all company employees have been sent to coffee growing communities all over the world to help pick the beans alongside local farmers. These employees travel to such distant countries as Mexico, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Rwanda, and Ethiopia. This practice gives employees the total coffee producing experience "from tree to cup." Sandy Yusen, GMCR's Director of Public Relations says it well: "The more you understand about the whole coffee producing process, the more ownership you take in your job and the company's success---it is a positive, life changing experience for them (employees) and they bring that understanding back to their jobs." One GMCR senior department manager noted that with such an appreciation for what really goes into producing this product, factory and warehouse employees would never handle raw product poorly or carelessly spill coffee beans on the floor.

It is clear that GMCR enjoys a culture that works from the inside out, where people feel empowered. "Green Mountain Coffee has been ranked No. 1 on the list of '100 Best Corporate Citizens' for the past two years and has been recognized repeatedly by Forbes, Fortune Small Business, and the Society of Human Resource Management as an innovative, high-growth, socially responsible company." Readers may learn more about GMCR's "Employees' Creation of Our Purpose and Principles" at the Web link below.

*To learn about the Power Branding Roundtable(tm), please call or email Tracey Edwards Company.