The Brand Ecosystem
As brand leaders, it’s not unusual to be asked what exactly it is that we do. And it’s a fair question.
Most roles within an organization have clear ownership of their respective responsibilities. Brand isn’t like that. It’s bigger than a single function, metric, or process.
I think of it as an ecosystem.
Brand as an Ecosystem
The word brand is one that people often over-simplify.
It’s a living, breathing thing that is much bigger than marketing. You could argue that there is nothing that isn’t part of building a brand.
When a system gets this big, the number of interdependencies grows to the point where it’s hard to isolate any one part without considering the whole.
At that point, the system becomes an ecosystem.
To maintain a healthy ecosystem, you need to understand how it works. There’s a lot to keep track of, but I prioritize 4 elements that do the majority of the heavy lifting.
The first one is insight.
Insight feeds the entire ecosystem, providing the raw energy required to grow. Without it the ecosystem operates in complete darkness and is unlikely to thrive.
The second is customer experience.
This creates the entire backbone and structure of the brand ecosystem. Ultimately when we are talking about the health of a brand, we’re really talking about the experience and perception of its customers.
The third is employee experience.
The entirety of the ecosystem is fed by employee experience, and there is an ongoing exchange between the employee and customer experience. If you ignore the needs of employees, the customer experience will start to die; if you ignore the needs of customers, the composition of employees will begin to change.
The fourth is re-investment.
Without investment into the brand, the ecosystem will starve. No amount of data or employee satisfaction will keep it healthy if all the resources are removed from the system.
Reinvestment involves not just financial resources but also time, effort, and innovation. It ensures that the brand continues to grow, adapt, and remain relevant in a constantly changing environment. By continually reinvesting in the brand, not only are you maintaining the health of the ecosystem but also making it more resilient in the face of challenges to come.
Defining a Healthy Balance
While every brand ecosystem has similar component parts, striking the right balance may look different across industries.
As you move from industry to industry, it’s important to understand that not all ecosystems are alike. A healthy approach to one may not fit the needs of another.
Managing an ecosystem is hard work.
But it is a heck of a lot easier to keep an ecosystem healthy than it is to terraform a dead one. Keep track of the health of your brand, and indicators across all 4 components, and act early once you see signs of trouble
If one piece of the ecosystem starts to fail, it’s only a matter of time before the others do too.
A Brand Ecosystem is a Shared Responsibility
While typically there is a team responsible for the brand, the health of the brand ecosystem depends on everyone. Every decision, from frontline employees to executives, impacts the ecosystem.
A thriving brand ecosystem requires a unified effort. Each interaction and decision contributes to its vitality. Employees must recognize their interconnected roles and the importance of their contributions in maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
By embracing collective responsibility and fostering alignment with the brand, organizations can maintain a vibrant, resilient brand ecosystem capable of adapting to challenges and opportunities, ensuring long-term success.
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