Changing a company’s corporate image or bringing it to the next level is absolute hard work. It’s one thing to change the outward appearance of a company but quite another to change its people’s behaviour and mindset. But without that deep and penetrative cultural transformation, a corporate image change will only be cosmetic. A lip gloss.
In retrospect, I would say it took about five years to change the customers’ perception of the company from that of a German wholesaler trading in automotive parts to that of an innovative forward-thinking corporate headquarters. It’s easy and quick fast to change the outward appearance of a company but what’s more important and difficult is to change the corporate behaviour of the people. However, the marketing department worked closely with our leadership and influenced the people via various corporate branding activities to communicating corporate key messages. Here are some examples.
Corporate Identity
I sought clarifications with our German headquarters on the corporate identity of the company and created a strong awareness within our local management teams and staff across the region with briefings and trainings. I hired designing agencies on monthly retainers to protect and safeguard the corporate identity of the company and its brands. I channeled all corporate designing and printing tasks to the key designing agency. I also initiated a new newsletter for the customers and started the designing and distribution of corporate posters, calendars, Christmas and Chinese New Year greeting cards etc.
Corporate Image and Branding
My marketing team also started developing corporate stationery and corporate attires, organised staff photo shoots, installed consistent corporate signages in all our offices in the region, in warehouses and workshops. In addition offices were fitted with new product displays in the reception areas. I also ensured that the company’s corporate image is also communicated in our website and I assigned our destining agency to revamp with more corporate news and made it more customer friendly.
Corporate Key Messaging
Another area that I paid particular attention was on the consistent set of messages from our management teams in the region that was being communicated to customers, governments, suppliers, industry partners and the community. I worked closely with the local leadership to develop clear key messages and supported them further with writing complete speeches to preparing speech points. These key messages were distributed regularly via various communications channels such as websites, letters, trade shows, press conferences, corporate advertisements and corporate events. The company’s key leadership changed three times during the nine years I was with the ZF Group and therefore it was a constant responsibility that I managed throughout.
Corporate Gifts
Customers and other stakeholders in the automotive aftermarket industry are extremely fond of gift aways, no matter how small. As such my marketing team worked closely with our German headquarters and local vendors in Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand to design and produce an array of attractive corporate gifts to support our ambitious marketing and corporate communication activities. In some instances, my marketing team even supported our German headquarters as a sourcing partner for its global gift needs.
Trade Shows
In order to avoid the high costs of single use trade fair stands, I lobbied and succeeded in convincing our leadership to invest in a reusable and customisable trade fair stand from the German headquarters. I negotiated with various automotive trade fair organisers especially in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and Australia to secure prime spots on the trade fair floor to set-up our new stands. I ensured that there was a multi-layered trade fair program for major shows, comprising of technical trainings, press conferences, trips to customers’ sites, opening night dinners, fun contests and hospitality services. For smaller trade fairs, I encouraged our local colleagues to partner with our key local customers to ensure a brand presence. In these way, I ensured that the company corporate presence was highly visible in all major trade fairs in the region.
How success looked like
The above examples were areas in which I was able to influence with regards to changing the corporate image of the company. However, there was a lot of work that needed to be done as well as by the leadership of the company, HR and the heads of departments in the company. These efforts took time because people take time to change. But I can confidently say that the company I joined in 2000 and the company I left in 2009 were vastly different. That outward and inward corporate image transformation was complete.
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