Your Employees are Your Best Marketing Asset

“Put people first” is more than a platitude; it’s now a marketing necessity. Today’s consumers want to connect to their favorite brands on a personal level, and relatable and interesting employees can help establish that bond. Branding that puts an emphasis on the people behind a company is called “culture marketing" and some of the biggest brands are embracing it in a big way.

Online travel shopping company Expedia Group is one business that kicked off 2022 with some noteworthy culture celebrating. After rolling out onto the internet in 1996 as a digital replacement for the traditional travel agency, Expedia Group’s present-day mission is “to power global travel for everyone, everywhere,” according to its website. With this mammoth aspiration in mind, it might be easy to lose sight of the people who make that dream possible. But earlier this year, the company found a clever way to reveal the human side of their operations. It posted pictures of its interns, or “Graduates,” on Instagram along with quotes about each of their New Year’s Resolutions. Software Development Graduate Abhishek says that his New Year’s Resolution is to “gain more financial knowledge so he can better handle his own resources.” And Seattle-based Software Development Graduate Angie’s New Year’s Resolution is “to learn French for her trip to France later this year.” Gone are the polished corporate headshots and CVs.

Deloitte is another successful business that showcases key professionals to humanize its brand. A financial services giant with a staff of more than 345,000 people, it features individual employees and their stories in a regular podcast. In one episode, senior manager Ian Stewart discusses his trek up Mt. Everest. In another, Deloitte associate Sal Carrera talks about his difficult childhood and later success. Deloitte’s website says that he “grew up with his mom, sister, and brother in Chicago and Indianapolis, occasionally living on the streets, always looking for a way out of poverty.” This is a departure from traditional marketing which usually recoils from tales of hardship. Kudos to Deloitte for taking a chance.

Another driver, of course, is recruiting people in a tight labor market. As Column Five contributor Katy French writes, “Think of culture marketing as an opportunity to introduce yourself to people through content. It’s an organic way to give a human face to your brand and cultivate a more genuine relationship with not only the people who need your product/service but potential employees and collaborators.”