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When that famous Swoosh logo flashes across a television screen with an assertive “just do it” command, no one is going to mistake what they’re seeing for a laxative ad. Or when that jingle professes “I’m lovin’ it” to multiple images of golden arches, no one is going to mistake that for the Gateway Arch in a tourism commercial for St. Louis. No, when you see these images and hear these slogans, you instantly connect them with their owners.

Every enterprise, small- and medium-sized business, and not-for-profit organization has a brand identity. Even individuals can create hugely successful professional brands. Just say “Martha” or “Oprah” and most people will know whom you’re referring to before you even specify a surname.

But branding doesn’t only apply to those people, places, and things that project an image to the world at large. A brand identity is equally important for internal resources that only affect members of an organization. Although you’re marketing your intranet to an internal user community, an effective intranet brand can affect and direct users' perception of the system.

Reasons for branding

An intranet brand identity is more than just an eye-catching image or zippy slogan. It also harnesses and projects the collective (hopefully positive) experiences of its users. When done properly, an effective intranet brand identity will:

contribute to system recognition by giving it a “face”;

build trust and loyalty (as it relates to the system, its content, and those who manage the intranet) within the user community;

help define the intranet’s primary purpose without being overly wordy (such as with the system’s formal mission statement);

distinguish the intranet from other, possibly similar, IT systems or the organization’s external Web site;

allow users to more easily identify the source of content;

eliminate the fear factor -- especially among those who are not technically inclined -- since familiarity conduces comfort;

help reduce overall marketing effort and expenses -- allowing you to take advantage of peer-based word of mouth -- once the system’s brand is established;

create a halo effect for future systems (look at how the success of the iPod has translated to Apple’s overall brand satisfaction).

A brand is more than an image

Coming up with an effective intranet brand identity isn’t like coming up with a name for your dog. It needs to be carefully developed and communicated. This can’t, and should never, be done overnight. If you haphazardly conjure up with some tacky or cheesy system brand and then decide change it shortly afterwards, you might never recover from your blunder. This little branding misadventure will follow the system regardless of what brand is finally decided on -- even if it’s a fantastic idea. Why would users place their faith on a system that’s clearly having some sort of identity crisis?

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