Do You Have a Chief Brand Officer?

Does your business or nonprofit have a chief brand officer? This title is not synonymous with a chief sales officer, chief customer service officer, or even a chief marketing officer.

The latest position to join the C-Suite is an individual who is solely responsible for owning a brand or family of brands, thus, the title of Chief Brand Officer.

According to Wikipedia, a Chief Brand Officer or CBO “is a relatively new executive-level position at a corporation, company, organization, or agency, which typically reports to the CEO or Board of Directors and is responsible for a brand’s image, experience, and promise. The brand officer oversees marketing, advertising, design, public relations, and customer service. Organizations that have established a CBO position include the American Automobile Association, Baskin-Robbins, Boston Market, Citigroup, McDonald’s, Mattel, Lululemon Athletica – to name just a few.”

No matter who owns the brand or brands in your organization, there are three key responsibilities for the individual in this role.

First, make sure that all brand tools are consistent.

This means that all your digital assets including your main website, your blog, and all your social media accounts reflect the same look and feel; and make sure all your printed collateral also reflects the same look and feel (brochures, newsletters, flyers, annual reports, etc.). Make sure they all provide the same description about your company and brand, feature the same logo and/or tagline, and include the same color palette. For example, you would not trust a site with a purple Coca-Cola logo – those iconic red and white colors are as famous as the product they represent.

Second, make sure your brand has a clear and defined voice.

If you provide professional services, for example, legal or financial services, you may use formal language that matches your industry. But if you sell consumer products, your ads and emails may be full of informal lingo to connect with your audience. Depending on your industry, there may be appropriate words that would be considered essential to include in your brand messaging. For example, professional sports have terminology that is important in their branding – football ads can easily integrate “touchdowns” and “hail Mary’s,” and baseball ads can easily integrate “home runs” and “shut outs.” And if your product is more appropriate for a specific age group, keep appropriate words and phrases in mind.

Third, create brand advocates.

As the owner of your brand, you want to welcome employees into the branding process so that they understand their importance in sharing your brand story with the world. Since all employees are brand advocates, take the time to educate employees about your brand’s strengths during the onboarding phase and also re-train on a regular basis. Make the training fun and always have a smile on all leaders’ faces.

According to Ideon Agency, “Brands are more decentralized than ever. The brand ecosystem is more complex. A Chief Brand Officer can elevate consumer insights from leading the living brand presence to driving the business forward. The true role of the CBO is not to dictate a brand to consumers, rather it is to create the values that earn brands real, lasting reputations. A great CBO, above all else, creates a unified culture that ensures that all of an organization’s wide-ranging efforts are inspired by consumers’ real feedback, and aligned with the core brand story, design, and beliefs. Your CMO can broadcast your message, but building a tribe around your brand requires a CBO. Take a page from most Fortune 100 companies: Hire a CBO now.”

So, have you updated your thinking? Will you now consider adding a CBO to your C-Suite? And if you serve as the Chief Brand Officer for your organization, what do you do on a daily basis to protect your brand, promote it, and create brand awareness? Please chime in.

Image Credit: Beverly Harvey