Adding a New Element to ‘Brand Architecture’

Brand Architecture is an essential process in all marketing, as it provides the framework for establishing an organization’s personality and unique selling proposition. In the old days, companies rarely concerned themselves with the cost of dissatisfied customers, as long as business was growing.

Adding a New Element to ‘Brand Architecture’

Brand Architecture is an essential process in all marketing, as it provides the framework for establishing an organization’s personality and unique selling proposition. In the old days, companies rarely concerned themselves with the cost of dissatisfied customers, as long as business was growing.

Block the Exits or Start Building Employee Loyalty

Research shows employee and employer confidence in the health of the U.S. economy is growing, but it’s a bumpy ride. Employees have been beaten up over the past several years. They’ve survived budget cuts and layoffs, been asked to do more with less and have shouldered the burden of many of those decisions. As a result, two out of every three of your employees are likely to be heading for the exits and new jobs when the U.S. economy turns around. An engagement strategy focused on transparency, communication and recognition for their loyalty could stem that rush to the door. Three ways to quickly turn the situation around are 1) Build transparency within your organization, 2) Provide opportunities for growth, and 3) Reward employees for meeting or exceeding those expectations. Here’s how… Read the full report

Block the Exits or Start Building Employee Loyalty

Research shows employee and employer confidence in the health of the U.S. economy is growing, but it’s a bumpy ride. Employees have been beaten up over the past several years. They’ve survived budget cuts and layoffs, been asked to do more with less and have shouldered the burden of many of those decisions. As a result, two out of every three of your employees are likely to be heading for the exits and new jobs when the U.S. economy turns around. An engagement strategy focused on transparency, communication and recognition for their loyalty could stem that rush to the door. Three ways to quickly turn the situation around are 1) Build transparency within your organization, 2) Provide opportunities for growth, and 3) Reward employees for meeting or exceeding those expectations. Here’s how… Read the full report

Build Brand Values Into Recognition Programs

A new white paper, 10 Tips to Build Brand Values Into Recognition Programs, notes that a large part of designing an employee incentive, rewards and recognition program is focused on productivity, compensation and profitability. An equal part of the strategy, however, is centered in how these initiatives tie back to the core messages that are integral to business values and brand promise. This article highlights 10 popular brand values, how they’re supported through incentive, rewards and recognition programs, and some of the communications ideas that can help build more creative, effective, and memorable programs.

Build Brand Values Into Recognition Programs

A new white paper, 10 Tips to Build Brand Values Into Recognition Programs, notes that a large part of designing an employee incentive, rewards and recognition program is focused on productivity, compensation and profitability. An equal part of the strategy, however, is centered in how these initiatives tie back to the core messages that are integral to business values and brand promise. This article highlights 10 popular brand values, how they’re supported through incentive, rewards and recognition programs, and some of the communications ideas that can help build more creative, effective, and memorable programs.

Keeping Engagement Alive During Tough Times

This paper explores how to keep employee engagement alive, even during economic downturns. The ideal engaged employee has a proven track record of making meaningful contributions, speaks positively about the organization to friends, coworkers, clients and potential employees, and puts forth the extra effort to be successful over the long term. Since employee engagement is proven to have a measurable impact on profitability (due to enhanced productivity, innovation and the quality of goods and services delivered) the imperative for managers becomes development of engagement strategies and practical implementation. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time for you and your team members to take the initiative – define what your engagement objectives are, how they will be accomplished and get the necessary buy-in. Understand that engagement efforts don’t fall only to managers; the process needs to be a two-way street. Employees have high expectations of management, and management should have the same high expectations of their employees. Read the full white paper here

Keeping Engagement Alive During Tough Times

This paper explores how to keep employee engagement alive, even during economic downturns. The ideal engaged employee has a proven track record of making meaningful contributions, speaks positively about the organization to friends, coworkers, clients and potential employees, and puts forth the extra effort to be successful over the long term. Since employee engagement is proven to have a measurable impact on profitability (due to enhanced productivity, innovation and the quality of goods and services delivered) the imperative for managers becomes development of engagement strategies and practical implementation. If you haven’t done so already, now is the time for you and your team members to take the initiative – define what your engagement objectives are, how they will be accomplished and get the necessary buy-in. Understand that engagement efforts don’t fall only to managers; the process needs to be a two-way street. Employees have high expectations of management, and management should have the same high expectations of their employees. Read the full white paper here

Survey Looks at Use of Communications Tools to Build Engagement

A recent survey by the<strong> International Association of Business Communicators</strong> (IABC) Research Foundation and <strong>Buck Consultants</strong> finds that the most common communication tools used to engage employees and foster productivity in organizations ...

Survey Looks at Use of Communications Tools to Build Engagement

A recent survey by the<strong> International Association of Business Communicators</strong> (IABC) Research Foundation and <strong>Buck Consultants</strong> finds that the most common communication tools used to engage employees and foster productivity in organizations ...

Two New Maritz White Papers Examine Critical Engagement Issues

Motivation management & research firm Maritz recently released two white papers touching on key areas of engagement. The first, A New Paradigm for Loyalty Marketing: Building Loyalty Along the ‘Earn, Burn, Yearn’ Continuum, notes that just as advertising has evolved to address multiple consumer segments, loyalty marketing’s approach must also adapt to multiple customer personas. Program messages and communication should be tailored and segmented to reach these specific personas, and the value proposition of the rewards needs to appeal to enrolled participants. With this approach, a one-size-fits-all loyalty program instead becomes an authentic customer engagement program that’s based on relevance and relationships.

Two New Maritz White Papers Examine Critical Engagement Issues

Motivation management & research firm Maritz recently released two white papers touching on key areas of engagement. The first, A New Paradigm for Loyalty Marketing: Building Loyalty Along the ‘Earn, Burn, Yearn’ Continuum, notes that just as advertising has evolved to address multiple consumer segments, loyalty marketing’s approach must also adapt to multiple customer personas. Program messages and communication should be tailored and segmented to reach these specific personas, and the value proposition of the rewards needs to appeal to enrolled participants. With this approach, a one-size-fits-all loyalty program instead becomes an authentic customer engagement program that’s based on relevance and relationships.

"It's Always About the Boss"

Engagement doesn’t just happen, and in most organizations frontline management has a lot to do with the success – or failure – of an organization’s engagement efforts. Recent research from the Gallup organization on employee disengagement in Germany, for instance, suggests that highly motivated people can become disengaged when their supervisors don’t ask for their opinions, don’t offer feedback, show little interest in them as human beings, and ask them to do jobs that are not suited to them. “Quitting is almost always a statement against the immediate supervisor,” says Gallup strategic consultant Marco Nink, who speaks at length in this interview on the supervisor's impact on engagement.

Published by: Gallup

An Exploratory Study of Sales Incentive Programs

This study delves into the mechanics of sales incentive programs, providing managers with useful information to design successful sales initiatives at their own companies and providing their corporate decision makers with hard evidence. It found that properly structured programs can increase sales by at least 10 percent.

Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement

Anatomy of a Successful Incentive Travel Program

<p>This recently conducted analysis by The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF)of one company's long-standing use of travel awards as a motivational tool shows that such incentives have a clear, measurable and positive impact on corporate culture and employee performance, as well as a broader "ripple effect" on the economy of the region where an incentive travel program (ITP) is held.</p> <p>Overall, the study concluded that the importance of these programs should not be undervalued; their impact and their value reach well beyond the typical event timeline. Earners of the incentive travel program are far from the only beneficiaries of the program. The sponsoring company, the destination and the suppliers all receive significant benefits as well.</p>

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

Build Customer Goodwill With Promotional Products

Promotional products foster customer goodwill (positive attitudes and feelings) toward a company and its salespeople. This study, completed by Baylor University in 1992, involved a textbook publisher sending 4,000 educators either: (1) a pocket calculator plus a letter, (2) a lower-priced highlighter pen plus a letter, or (3) a letter only.

Published by: Promotional Products Association International

CEOs Share the Same Engagement Strategy

At least two major U.S. companies offer proof that a focus on engagement can provide dramatic results. The CEOs of major companies in two very different industries – Schering-Plough and Campbell’s Soup – changed the culture of their organizations over the last several years by implementing a management strategy that engaged employees to concentrate on customer-focused innovations. And the results were demonstrated in improved profitability and shareholder returns.

Driving Engagement by Focusing on Strengths

A common error that frontline managers sometimes make is to focus their performance improvement efforts on employees’ weaknesses, rather than focus on their strengths. But Gallup research shows that the worst thing managers can do is to ignore their employees altogether. According to Gallup researchers Brian Brim and Jim Asplund, “If your manager focuses on your strengths, your chances of being actively disengaged at work are only 1 in 100. If your manager ignores you, however, you are twice as likely to be actively disengaged than if your manager focuses on your weaknesses. Being overlooked, it seems, is more harmful to employees’ engagement than having to discuss their weaknesses with their manager.” This paper offers a summary of their research.

Employee Engagement, Customer Satisfaction and Profitability

This study, by Prof. James Oakley of Ohio State University, found a clear link between employee engagement and customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction and profitability.

Published by: The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement

Employee Engagement, Customer Satisfaction and Profitability

This study, by Prof. James Oakley of Ohio State University, found a clear link between employee engagement and customer satisfaction, and customer satisfaction and profitability.

Published by: The Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement

Human Resources and Marketing: A Missing Link?

This study, conducted by Prof. Frank Mulhern and Patricia Whalen of Northwestern University, identified a significant gap between the view of human resources and employees on the role of employees on delivering customer satisfaction, but found that companies with a close link between human resources and marketing outperform companies that don't.

Published by: Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement

January 2010 Pulse Survey: Incentive Industry Trends 2010

Given that the Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) is charged with advancing the science of incentives, it surveyed industry professionals to obtain their opinions about the more salient trends affecting the industry during 2009 and leading into 2010. The IRF asked these professionals questions on trends with regard to incentive travel programs, merchandise non-cash programs, and budget changes forecast for 2010. Findings indicate that the trends are stabilizing for each of the core issues since March 2009. However, the trends remain significantly lower than in 2008. Survey participants expect more domestic than international destinations, "slightly smaller" budgets, and shorter stays for incentive travel in 2010. A majority of participants also expected decreased award values on the merchandise side.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation

Promotional Products—The Key Ingredient to Integrated Marketing: How Promotional Products, Print and Television Advertising Impact Consumer Perception

Many traditional forms of advertising and promotion are losing ground to newer media. This trend presents opportunities for the promotional products medium. However, very little research exists documenting the effectiveness of promotional products when compared to and combined with other traditional forms of advertising such as television and print.

Published by: Promotional Products Association International

Selecting a Toolset for Improving Collaboration

The argument for better Employee Engagement has never been more compelling. Articles, papers and blogs abound covering the philosophies and tips for improving work environments, social conditions and organizational sensitivity.

Spring 2010 Pulse Survey: Incentive Industry Trends 2010

The Incentive Research Foundation (IRF) surveyed industry professionals during the month of April 2010, asking them about incentive travel programs, merchandise/non-cash programs, and ROI/budget considerations. The most promising data show that respondents appear to be more optimistic about the current economic climate than they were in either the Summer or Fall of last year. When asked, "In your opinion, what impact will the economy have on your ability to plan and implement incentive travel programs?" 69% say it will have a positive impact vs. only 33% in the Fall of 2009 and just 24% in the Summer of 2009. Similarly, those who say the economy will have a positive impact on merchandise/non-cash incentive programs increased from 20% (Summer '09) and 26% (Fall '09) to 41% currently. Still, one-third of those surveyed predict that budgets for incentive travel will decrease this year, while 37% say they'll remain unchanged. Things were a little better on the merchandise/non-cash side, where only 22% expect a decline (down from 51%), while 40% predict an increase and 37% say they see no change in budgets. This indicates that although there's an uptick in optimism about the economy in general, it may not translate into more money for programs – at least not in the near term.

Published by: Incentive Research Foundation