The other day I was meeting with a client who said, “We want to be like Nike.”
Of course, I was taken aback since Nike makes shoes among other things and these guys are educators and academics and a non-profit to boot.
What they were saying, they explained, was they wanted to have a comfortable, organic and seemingly seamless way of doing business. They wanted to have a workplace where everyone wanted to come and never leave and where everyone was highly productive. They wanted to have an enjoyable workplace. They wanted their culture to change.
If you do business, you have a corporate culture which reflects the way you do business and is the true essence of who you are. It is not necessarily your brand personality which you show to the public via advertising, PR, social media and the like. But, it is at the core of who and what your business is.
I know someone who works at a sports website and when business associates come to visit, they don’t go out for martinis and a meal at the hippest restaurant. They go play basketball at the health club. Their corporate culture dictates that. It also allows them to dress casually and work in one giant room outfitted with dozens of TV screens so they can watch sports non-stop.
These days companies spend lots of time, money and thought getting their culture right. You have probably heard about the “campuses” at Nike and Google where people can bring their dry cleaning, get massages, workout, have daycare and eat some of the finest food around. Those places want their employees to be extra happy and stay at work longer so they can be more productive.
Smaller companies can do the same thing although in a fashion that reflects their budget and ability. Making a place comfortable and thus conducive to work in is essential to draw the best talent but also conveys a message to the public. It is as easily a form of marketing as any Facebook ad you may put out.
Marketing is not just about the package or the ad but about your employees and environment. Keep them in line when you consider who you are and what message you want to deliver.
