“Your word is your bond.”
It’s a phrase we’ve all heard. But today, with the seemingly never-ending cases of corporate scandal, corruption, sensationalism and overpromising while under-delivering, it feels more often that words are just sales tactics and not the tacit agreement they once symbolized.
And people have taken notice. In fact, they’re fed up with it. With the recent and persistent cascade of issues around big companies, it seems customers no longer believe corporations will do the right thing for the customer, for the environment or for the common good. The trust once inherent in organizations’ supportive customers is diminishing. As a result, companies once focused solely on the bottom line are finding their bottom lines are taking a hit.
But at Barcelona Creative, we don’t see this as a problem for brands out there. Instead, we see it as an opportunity to do better and be better for customers and employees.
Dwindling trust means that current and potential customers are no longer choosing just any organization to stay loyal to. Nor are they taking organizations with shared values, strong products and services for granted. This gives companies a unique opportunity to communicate with current and potential patrons with a renewed transparency to cut through trust issues and secure loyalty.
How do we help our clients do this? We recommend they have a variety of strategies and tactics in place, from firm policies and communications prepared for an array of “what ifs,” to a clearly and concisely organized digital and social media presence. When your marketing materials accurately reflect your brand and company standards and procedures, you have a strong foundation. When you communicate your brand standards and marketing materials internally, you reinforce values from the top down. When these two come together in everyday execution, you have a recipe for success and an operation that your customers can rely on and, you guessed it, trust.
Consumers today are extremely in-tune to whether companies abide by their word and promises. If you’re thinking about how to make sure your brand values are being communicated honestly and accurately, get in touch.
