Is your brand "sticky?"

It happens to all of us.  A "sticky" song gets locked in our head and it takes a mental circus act to remove it.  For me it's usually a Journey song.  I would not call myself a fan but for some reason their lyrics haunt my subconscious.  Every now and then, completely out of the blue, I'm suddenly humming or belting out, "DON'T STOP BELIEVING! HOLD ON TO TO THAT FEELING!!"  Now, that's a "sticky" song!

Is your brand "sticky?"  What brand recall strategies are you employing to ensure that your brand message is lingering in the minds of your target demographic like the lyrics of Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline?  My vote for "stickiest" song of all time!

Before you answer the above question and pat yourself on the back for creating a well-oiled ROI machine take a walk.  Walk the halls and visit your co-workers and conduct several one question interviews.  You will want to visit all departments and don't forget the interns.  You remember being an intern don't you?  Remember the morale boost you received when someone actually valued your opinion?  

This is an important walk so in order to get open and honest answers you must put everyone at ease.  Let them them know that you value their time, it's only one question, and you are merely collecting internal input for a marketing project.  Ask them this all important question, "What is our brand message?" Everyone should be singing from the same song sheet, right?  Well, if you receive a wide range of answers you have a serious problem.  It is time to roll-up the sleeves and initiate an ambitious B2E campaign.       

Why is it so important to have a "sticky" brand message amongst your co-workers?  Too many Brand Managers take B2E brand communication for granted.  You have to realize that important interactions happen within your walls every single day.  Human resources are training new hires, your warehouse talks to the carrier drivers, accounting is communicating with customers about their accounts, product managers are discussing specifications with vendors and the list goes on. 

It's real simple.  If your brand is not "sticky" on the inside you're missing valuable opportunities to enhance brand recall on the outside.  Execute your B2E campaign properly and your brand message might get locked in the heads of your targets like the Beach Boy's Kokomo ... Aruba, Jamaica, DANG IT! Now it's stuck!