People at the centre
Under the theme “People at the Centre – Brand and Personality in Corporate Communications”, experts from the marketing and communications industry discussed the relationship between people and brands and their mutual influence at the Stämpfli Conference. What should brands be like for people? How do employees make brands shine? What is the relationship between people and brands? These were the questions posed to some 110 participants at the eleventh Stämpfli Conference at the Swissôtel in Zurich on Tuesday. Ralph Hermann, owner and managing director of Heads Corporate Branding, was invited as the first speaker to describe how brand and personality can successfully interact from the perspective of behavioural branding. “The brand finds expression and credibility through the employees.
People should be at the centre, but not in the way. If employees are to leave a positive mark on a company’s brand, they need clear information, targeted training, a great deal of appreciation and motivation”, says Ralph Hermann. Lorenz Wyss, Head of Ideation at Swiss Post and second speaker at the conference, explained in his presentation that employees need to be given space: “They need supportive tools and a network to develop their ideas. It was also impressive to see how Swiss Post deals with good ideas: they are put to the test for a week and then it is immediately decided what is to be pursued and what is not. This is an interesting approach with a high level of appreciation for idea providers and a consistent decision-making process in which nothing is “put on hold”.branding. “The brand finds expression and credibility through the employees.
During the panel discussion, Daniela Bär, Head of International Media Relations and Corporate Communications at Switzerland Tourism, confirmed the importance of employees in her organisation: “Every employee is an ambassador for Switzerland Tourism, both in personal contact and via social media. This makes the identification of the individual with the company all the more important”. Peter Stämpfli, member of the board of directors of Stämpfli, rounded off the discussion: “The importance of communication – from person to person – is growing in today’s digital world.” The “Stämpfli Conference” is therefore also a valuable platform for the industry to exchange information and stimulate discussion on a topic that inspires marketing and communications professionals every year. For Ralph Hermann, this is also a major plus point of the event: “The discussions were lively. This may have something to do with the fact that the company has its roots in Berne, not Zurich. Somehow it is easier for the people from Bern to approach each other than for us people from Zurich.”