Risks

Companies that fail to effectively develop and sell their brands internally face the following risks:

• The developed or desired brand positioning is inconsistent with employee perceptions.
  
• Organizational problems are bigger than brand positioning and these must be addressed in a systematic and authentic way.
• The company definition of the meaning of its brand exists mainly in the minds of executives, not in the majority of company employees.
• In today's rapidly accelerating marketplace, it's difficult for a company to keep pace from a branding perspective, both in the marketplace and with employees.
• There is pressure for the company to design a system that can efficiently internalize external input, assess what must be absorbed as relevant to the brand, and adjust the communication strategy to tweak the brand's message to incorporate the new information,. Then, the company must communicate those changes in a meaningful way to employees, so that they fully comprehend the revised brand language.

Opportunities

Companies that effectively develop and sell their brands internally have the following opportunities:

• Employees are imbued with brand pride, increasing their motivation, performance and on-the-job satisfaction.
• A group of knowledgeable ambassadors is created for the brand, and these ambassadors will promote the brand internally and in the marketplace.
• Internal brand ambassadors serve as role models for other employees, not just with their knowledge about the company, but through their superior on-the-job performance and their commitment to excellence. 
• All employees are equipped with the ability to talk knowledgeably and accurately about the brand.
• Safeguards are instituted against miscommunication of information about the brand.
• Employees who live the brand are rewarded by company recognition of their efforts and achievements.
• A system is established by which the brand can assess and evaluate the flow of information and determine relevancy, make adjustments and effect changes so that it is protected from stagnancy and can remain "ever-relevant" to the market in which it competes.