The good news: with the aim of being the #1 outdoor brand, Timberland is growing fast. The bad news: sometimes expansion comes with growing pains. In this case, each market building their own geographic cultures and talking about the brand differently. 

 

There was a need for the employees to have the same vision of what the Timberland brand is, who it is for, and what they want it to be in the future.  

 

Just as in a consumer advertising campaign, an internal branding campaign is a task of persuasion, and not one that involves information doled out to employees in the form of memos, newsletters, and so forth. The goal of an internal branding campaign is very similar to that of an external campaign: to create an emotional connection. In the case of employees, it is about connecting employees with the brand; showing them what that brand means to them and ensuring they understand and really live the brand’s vision.

 

We think internal communications deserve the same level of thought and creativity as external communications and the plan was to execute a professional branding campaign to introduce and explain the messages and then reinforce them by weaving the brand into the fabric of the company. The messages would be directed at employee “touch-points”, the day-to-day interactions that influence the way employees experience the brand’s vision. By incorporating the brand vision into these employee touchpoints, the brand, over time inculcate the vision into the employee experience to the extent that on-brand behavior becomes instinctive.

 

A strategy was devised to drive Timberland to be even more of a brand-driven culture with products, marketing programs and retail experiences that all supported the goal of being the industry leader. We built the movement around a captivating and precise brand immersion program – the “10 Defining Truths”. Through words, images and stories, the interactive, hands-on exhibits allowed employees to understand Timberland’s brand strategy and the implications for their daily activities - while enhancing the brand’s reputation among employees, building the brand from the inside-out.

 

We launched the “10 Defining Truths” internal branding initiative during the Timberland’s Sales & Marketing Conference. Most people have limited tolerance for change initiatives, and branding and visioning exercises are no exception. But at meetings like such are ideal opportunities for an internal branding campaign, employees are seeking direction and are relatively receptive to these initiatives. The conference provided attendees with an action-packed agenda consisting of seminars, breakout sessions, product showcases and demonstrations in mock-up retail environments. On the last evening, an exclusive dinner for the attendees was hosted at a restaurant in a park. The extraordinary evening included a trail walk along The Southern Ridges.  

 

The 5-day conference saw over 100 employees across Asia came together in Singapore to explore a common base of understanding and a common brand language. Not only did the event received positive reviews from employees, it drove internal brand engagement and organizational unification.