Executing the brand: Emerging digital brand execution tools and the role of employees in developing on-brand materials

Abstract

Typical approaches to brand management tend to focus on internal control systems, such as rulebooks (formal brand guideline practices) and approval systems (brand police). From the employee perspective, traditional brand management controls may be perceived as being less about employee brand empowerment in external customer interactions and more about defining brand execution behaviours through rigid systems. This paper focuses on the critical role of employees in executing a brand as facilitated by digital brand execution software. It argues that these digital tools may provide alternative approaches to building brand value for an organisation by facilitating internal support for branding initiatives and helping employees deliver on the brand's image, experience and promise to its customers and stakeholders. By conducting a review of the academic brand management literature and analysing the state of leading brand execution software tools, the author offers practical insights for readers to incorporate into medium and large-sized organisations to rethink how employees vocalise a brand each day.