企业长于定义产品品牌。客户、雇员及其他利益相关方都知道，什么是苹果手机及其意义。但在打造企业品牌方面，公司则不这么笃定。母公司的名字有何含义？市场及公司内部如何看待并利用它？

Companies are extremely good at defining their product brands. Customers, employees, and other stakeholders know exactly what an iPhone is and means. But organizations are often less sure-footed when it comes to the corporate brand. What does the parent company’s name really stand for, and how is it perceived and leveraged in the marketplace and within the company itself?

清晰、一致的企业形象对企业竞争战略至关重要，苹果、飞利浦、联合利华深谙此道。企业形象就像北极星，代表方向和目标，可以提升产品形象，有利于企业招聘并保留人才，在艰难时期保护企业声誉免于受损。但是很多企业都不知道该如何清晰表述，并向大众传达品牌信息。

A clear, unified corporate identity can be critical to competitive strategy, as firms like Apple, Philips, and Unilever understand. It serves as a north star, providing direction and purpose. It can also enhance the image of individual products, help firms recruit and retain employees, and provide protection against reputational damage in times of trouble. Many firms, however, struggle to articulate and communicate their brand.

以估值350亿欧元的沃尔沃集团为例。该公司销售范围包括卡车、客车、建筑设备、船舶和工业应用驱动系统等。公司新任CEO将各品牌分散管理，在2016年将企业的卡车品牌（沃尔沃卡车、麦克货车、雷诺卡车和UD卡车）变为独立部门，之后有关母公司的身份问题变得迫切起来。因为公司身份定义不明，集团不确定该如何战略性地支持子品牌，新品牌的员工也难以理解延伸出的集团使命、价值和能力，甚至不知道在营销以及和投资者的沟通中，该如何描述自身品牌与沃尔沃集团的关系。

Consider the €35 billion Volvo Group, which sells a broad portfolio of trucks, buses, construction equipment, and marine and industrial engines. After its new CEO decentralized the organization, turning its truck brands (Volvo Trucks, Mack Trucks, Renault Trucks, and UD Trucks) into separate units in 2016, questions about the parent company’s identity became pressing. Because that identity wasn’t well defined, people in the group were uncertain about how they should strategically support the “daughter” brands, and people in the new brand units had trouble understanding how the group’s mission, values, and capabilities extended to them—and even how to describe their brands’ relationships with the Volvo Group in marketing and investor communications.

沃尔沃集团通过下文介绍的流程，清晰定义了企业身份和角色，以及子品牌的功能。统一了这些问题后，该公司对旗下品牌的投入度更高，市场定位更加清晰，集团归属感更强，在营销和大众沟通上也更加一致。

But using a process we’ll detail in this article, Volvo was able to clarify its corporate identity and the roles and functions of its daughter brands. That alignment resulted in greater corporate commitment to the brands, sharper positioning in the marketplace, a stronger sense of belonging to the group, and more-coherent marketing and communications.

帮助沃尔沃集团实现转变的方法，是我们研究了十年的成果，研究涉及全球数百位高管，来自制造业、金融服务和非营利机构等各个领域。方法的核心叫做企业品牌身份矩阵。我们将在下文展示，不同企业如何在各自领域调试这种方法，成功定义企业身份，统一各要素，并利用自身优势。

The Approach we used to help Volvo achieve this turnaround is the product of 10 years of research and engagement with hundreds of senior executives in organizations around the world and across several sectors, including manufacturing, financial services, and nonprofits. At its core is a tool called the corporate brand identity matrix. As we’ll show, many companies have adapted this tool to their particular circumstances and used it to successfully define a corporate identity, align its elements, and harness its strengths.

什么是矩阵

我们的框架精心设计了一系列和公司相关的问题，为高管团队提供指导。每个问题关注企业身份的一个要素，共9个要素，在矩阵中分为三层：底层为内部指向性要素，最高层为外部指向性要素，中间是既包含外部又包含内部的要素。接下来让我们逐层分析。

Introducing the Matrix

The framework we’ve developed guides an executive team through a structured set of questions about the company. Each question focuses on one element of the organization’s identity. There are nine elements in total, and in our matrix we array them in three layers: internally oriented elements on the bottom; externally focused elements on top; and those that are both internal and external in the middle. Let’s look at each layer in turn.

内部要素。构成企业品牌形象基础的，是企业的使命和愿景（激励员工并提高参与度）、文化（体现员工职业道德及工作态度），以及具备的专长（独特能力）。这些根植于企业的价值观和日常运营中。以强生公司为例，该公司遵循的信条铭刻在企业总部入口的石雕上，时刻提醒员工，公司最重要的价值是（应该是）什么，它描述了强生将患者（以及他们的看护者）需求置于首位的精神，以合理收费提供高质量服务，满足其需求，并为员工提供基于尊严、安全和公平的工作环境。

Internal elements.

Forming the foundation of a corporate brand identity are the firm’s mission and vision (which engage and inspire its people), culture (which reveals their work ethic and attitudes), and competences (its distinctive capabilities). These things are rooted in the organization’s values and operational realities. Consider Johnson & Johnson’s credo，which is carved in stone at the entrance of the company’s headquarters and is a constant reminder of what J&J’s top priorities are (or should be). It describes J&J’s ethos of putting the needs of patients (and their caregivers) first; how it will serve them, by providing high quality at reasonable cost; and a work environment that will be based on dignity, safety, and fairness.

外部要素。位于矩阵顶层的要素，是企业希望客户和其他外部利益相关方对自己的认知：价值主张、外部关系和定位。例如耐克公司，希望大家把它看做帮助客户实现最优秀的自己的公司，这一目标塑造了公司的产品和服务，企业营销的品牌口号也体现了这点——“只管去做”（Just Do it）。

External elements.

At the top of the matrix you’ll find elements related to how the company wants to be perceived by customers and other external stakeholders: its value proposition, outside relationships, and positioning. Nike, for instance, wants to be known for helping customers achieve their personal best, a goal that shapes its product offerings and is captured in its marketing tagline, “Just Do It.”

联系内外部的要素。这些要素包括了企业的个性、独特的沟通方式及“品牌核心”——品牌代表什么，以及对顾客承诺背后的长期价值观。矩阵中心是品牌核心，即企业身份的本质。巴塔哥尼亚公司对顾客承诺，为其提供最高质量的产品，并支持和提倡环境保护。奥迪用“突破科技 启迪未来（Vorsprung durch technik）概括自己的品牌核心。3M公司将其核心简洁地描述为“科学改善生活”（Science. Applied to life.）。

Elements that bridge internal and external aspects.

These include the organization’s personality, its distinctive ways of communicating, and its “brand core”—what it stands for and the enduring values that underlie its promise to customers. The brand core, at the center of the matrix, is the essence of the company’s identity. Patagonia’s is summed up in its promise to provide the highest-quality products and to support and inspire environmental stewardship. Audi captures its brand core with the phrase “Vorsprung durch technik” (“Progress through technology”). 3M describes its core simply: “Science. Applied to life.”

如果企业身份协调统一，其他要素都会反映并阐释企业核心，呼应企业价值观和品牌含义。而品牌核心将塑造其他八个要素。

When a corporate identity is coherent, each of the other elements will inform and echo the brand core, resonating with the company’s values and what the brand stands for. The brand core, in turn, will shape the other eight elements.

绘制各要素

以下练习能帮助企业判断其品牌标识是否经过了良好整合，如果没有，则会凸显出问题和改善的机会，并协助企业解决问题。尽管个人也能利用好这一流程，但在高管团队使用时最有效。

MApping the Elements

The exercise that follows can reveal whether your corporate brand identity is well integrated and, if it isn’t, show where problems and opportunities lie and help you address them. While this process can be tackled by an individual, it’s most useful when undertaken by an executive team.

首先，可以从以下九个要素中任选一个，回答矩阵中相关问题。例如，如果从使命和愿景开始，就回答：“什么让我们有参与感？”以及“我们的方向和灵感是什么？”用简短的词组，不要长篇大论。仿照星巴克描述使命的方式：

“启发并滋养人类灵魂——从一位顾客、一杯饮品、一个社区开始。”回答每个方框里的问题，顺序不重要，先不要考虑这些问题之间的关联。

Starting with any one of the nine elements, formulate answers to the related questions in the matrix. For example, if you begin with mission and vision, you’ll answer the questions “What engages us?” and “What is our direction and inspiration?” Answer in short phrases, not paragraphs, as Starbucks does when describing its mission: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit—one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.” Answer the questions in every box, in any order, without thinking (yet) about how they relate.

我们进行矩阵工作坊时，建议参与者遵循以下五条指导原则：

When we conduct matrix workshops, we advise participants to follow these five guidelines:

1.力求简洁。将你答案中的短语当成标题，稍后再用更具体充实的语言讲述品牌标识和故事。

1. Be concise.

Think of the short phrases you use in your answers as headings, under which you will later write more-detailed descriptions fleshing out the brand’s identity and story.

2.直截了当。尽量不要使用术语，答案避免复杂化。少即是多。宜家在描述关系时，使用“你好！”用一个简单的词反映了符合品牌核心价值观的务实态度。

2. Be straightforward.

Avoid jargon and keep your responses uncomplicated. Less is more. IKEA describes its relationships as “Hello!”—reflecting in a single word a down-to-earth attitude in line with its core values.

3.找到独特之处。寻求那些能在你的组织中引起共鸣的词汇和概念，让大家一致认同“这说的就是我们”。一家房产公司在回答个性问题时这样说：“我们拒绝傲慢。”一家在奥斯陆新开的酒店这样描述客户关系：“摇滚巨星在我们眼中是客人；客人在我们眼中是摇滚巨星。”

3. Seek what is characteristic.

Capture words or concepts that resonate within your organization—that you’d agree signal “This is us.” A real estate company answered the personality question this way: “We are not sitting on a high horse.” A newly opened hotel in Oslo described its customer relationships like this: “We treat rock stars as guests; we treat guests as rock stars.”

4.保持真实。一些关于企业身份标识的要素也许已经深深根植在组织中。注意表述的真实性。某些要素如果能够被员工接受，可能会有激励作用，为公司带来改变。

4. Stay authentic.

Some elements of your identity may already be firmly rooted in your organization. Be careful to be honest in your expression of them. Some elements may be aspirational, calling for adaptation within the company if they are to ring true.

5.寻求经典。企业品牌标识应当经得住时间考验，就像一家制表商的经典标语，“你从未真正拥有一块百达翡丽手表，你只是替后代暂时保管而已。”这句话根植于历史，又有前瞻性，经受住了时间的考验。

5. Seek what is timeless.

A corporate brand’s identity should be lasting—like this signature expression of one watchmaker: “You never actually own a Patek Philippe. You merely look after it for the next generation.” Forward looking but rooted in the past, it has stood the test of time.

每家公司的矩阵都不同，为了让大家有大体的概念，我们以上图矩阵为例，这是我们与诺贝尔机构的实地研究。诺贝尔奖得主由四个独立机构选出：瑞典皇家科学院、挪威诺贝尔委员会、瑞典卡罗琳医学院以及瑞典学院。每个机构负责不同奖项，各机构都有自己的身份标识和战略，但诺贝尔基金会管理奖金，并对维护诺贝尔奖长期声誉负有主要责任。我们的研究和分析找出了这些机构的共同基础：奖励为“人类带来最伟大利益”（“the greatest benefit to mankind”）的人，这句话来自阿尔弗雷德·诺贝尔（Alfred Nobel）的遗嘱，最终成为品牌核心，成为诺贝尔奖的机构身份标识。

Every company’s matrix will be different, but to get a sense of what a final one looks like, consider the matrix from field research we did with the Nobel organization. The prizewinners are chosen by four independent institutions: the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the Norwegian Nobel Committee, the Karolinska Institutet, and the Swedish Academy. Each is responsible for a different award, and each has its own identity and strategy. But the Nobel Foundation manages the prize funds and has a principal responsibility for safeguarding the standing and reputation of the Nobel Prizes. Our research and analysis helped define the common ground among these entities: the goal of rewarding people who have conferred “the greatest benefit to mankind” (recently retranslated to “humankind”), a phrase from Alfred Nobel’s will. That eventually became the brand core and helped clarify the Nobel Prizes’ organizational identity.

各个路径

团队回答完全部九个要素的问题后，检查一下答案是否能统合为一个整体，彼此补充强化。将所有答案沿着矩阵的对角线、垂直和水平轴排列起来，看一下是否清晰一致，三个轴线都穿过中心的品牌核心。每个轴线都阐述了组织一种不同的能力：始于左下角的斜线轴强调和战略相关的能力，始于左上角的轴线和竞争相关；水平轴是沟通，垂直轴是互动。如果你的企业身份标识清晰，各轴线的要素将会协调一致。各轴线上的联系越强，矩阵越“稳定”。团队目标之一应该是寻求稳定性的最大化。

Walk the Paths

After the team has tackled the questions for all nine elements, examine whether the answers fit logically together, reinforcing one another. You’ll want to gauge how clearly they align along the matrix’s diagonal, vertical, and horizontal axes, which all pass through the brand core at the center. Each axis illuminates a different kind of organizational capability: The diagonal one that begins in the bottom left corner highlights capabilities related to strategy; the diagonal one that begins in the top left corner, competition; the horizontal one, communications; and the vertical one, interaction. If your corporate brand identity is clear, the elements on each axis will harmonize. The stronger the connections along each axis are, the more “stable” the matrix is. One of your team’s goals should be to maximize stability.

有一个方法可以判断联系的紧密度，你可以在关于企业品牌标识的简介中，使用这些答案，笔记摘要就是手稿大纲,问问自己，这个大纲整体说得通吗？

One way to gauge the strength of connections is to use the answers to the questions in a short presentation describing your corporate brand identity. The notes you’ve jotted down are, in effect, a rough outline of a script. Ask yourself, Does that outline hang together?

经过分析，很少有团队能在四个轴线上整齐划一地整合，形成稳定的矩阵，大多数都会在标识的要素上出现漏洞或不一致。接下来的任务就是检查薄弱环节，设法进行强化。

In rare cases a team emerges from the analysis with a perfectly aligned and stable matrix, integrated along and across all four axes. But more often it finds gaps and inconsistencies among the elements of identity. The next job, then, is to examine the weak links and explore how to strengthen them.

例如，如果企业能力无法支持竞争轴线上的承诺和价值主张，你需要发展哪些能力？如果互动轴上的组织文化和企业价值不相容，无法强化外部关系，公司能否在人力资源部门的帮助下，找出问题源头？打造稳定的矩阵需要不断调整和迭代。最终，领导团队需要对企业品牌身份做出一个统一解读，于是组织内外对于本组织品牌会有统一连贯的呈现。

For example, if your competences don’t support your promise and value proposition on the competition axis, what capabilities do you need to develop? If on the interaction axis your organizational culture doesn’t mesh with your corporate values in ways that reinforce external relationships, can HR be helpful in understanding the source of the problem? Creating a fully stable matrix is an ongoing and iterative process. Ultimately, the leadership team needs to converge on a shared narrative about the corporate brand identity, so the stories the company tells will be unified and consistent throughout the organization and beyond.

应用矩阵

企业利用这一矩阵解决了一系列身份问题，例如厘清“子母”品牌关系，为支持新业务重组企业品牌，提升公司整体形象。

Applying the Matrix

Companies have used the matrix to address a range of identity issues, such as clarifying “mother and daughter” brand relationships, retooling the corporate brand to support new businesses, and improving the company’s overall image.

强化母品牌身份。芬兰工业集团卡哥特公司（Cargotec）经营货物装卸业务，有三个全球知名的子品牌：希尔博（Hiab，行车解决方案的市场领导者），卡马尔（Kalmar，港口和终端产品及服务领导者）以及麦基嘉（MacGregor，航海领域的领导者）。十年前，公司的母品牌被这些知名度很高的子品牌掩盖了光芒。为解决这一问题，管理层决定采用“同一个公司”的方法，围绕一个企业品牌，整合服务网络，捆绑所有子品牌针对个人用户的物流解决方案。

Strengthening the parent brand’s identity.

The Finnish industrial group Cargotec, which is in the cargo-handling business, has three well-known international daughter brands: Hiab (the market leader in on-road solutions), Kalmar (the leader in port and terminal products and services), and MacGregor (the leader in the marine segment). A decade ago the mother brand was eclipsed by these high-profile daughters. To address this, management decided to pursue a “one company” Approach, centered on the corporate brand, integrating its service networks and bundling the daughters’ logistics solutions for individual customers.

卡哥特公司的CEO主导了支持和提升企业品牌的项目，并与子品牌的文化、价值观和承诺统一起来。首先，公司举办了11个工作坊，让110名管理者组成的团队使用矩阵，解释三个子品牌身份标识的各要素。之后大家聚在一起，整理企业品牌身份的聚合框架。

Cargotec’s CEO led the initiative to bolster and elevate the corporate brand and align it with its daughters’ cultures, values, and promises. First, the firm held 11 workshops in which a team of 110 managers used the matrix to articulate the individual elements of the three daughter brands’ identities. Then everyone gathered in a plenary session to develop an aggregated framework for the corporate brand identity.

卡哥特公司为确保新身份能获得认同，进行了内部调研（3000多名员工参与），以测试重新定义的企业品牌拟定要素是否合理、是否符合统一后的企业和子品牌身份愿景。公司通过内网将工作坊得出的新框架分享给全体员工，期待大家的意见。还有一项针对客户和其他外部利益相关方的调研也搜集了一些意见，公司根据意见进一步调整了拟定的卡哥特公司身份。

To confirm the legitimacy of the new identity and get buy-in, Cargotec involved employees, sending out an internal survey (completed by more than 3,000 workers) that tested the validity of the proposed elements of the redefined corporate brand. Did they fit with the vision of aligned corporate and daughter brand identities? The new frameworks from the workshops were shared with everyone on the corporate intranet, soliciting input. An external survey of customers and other stakeholders provided additional input and led to further adjustments to the proposed Cargotec identity.

最后，卡哥特和子品牌就共同的品牌核心达成一致：公开承诺“更智能的货流，更好的每一天”和价值观“全球业务——本地化服务”“齐心协力”以及“可持续的出色表现”。战略和品牌重塑项目产生的一个结果是，马士基航运等公司全球大客户，现在拥有了包括子品牌产品在内的卡哥特品牌解决方案。公司也在营销和沟通方面强化了对企业品牌的关注，例如设计了新商标和视觉语言。

At the end of the process, Cargotec and its daughter brands had agreed on a shared brand core: the stated promise “Smarter cargo flow for a better everyday” and the values “global presence—local service,” “working together,” and “sustainable performance.” One result of the strategic and rebranding initiatives is that major international customers, such as Maersk Line, are now offered Cargotec-branded solutions integrated with products from the daughters. The company has also strengthened its focus on the corporate brand in its marketing and communications—for instance, by developing a new logo and visual language.

支持业务发展。博纳公司（Bona）总部位于瑞典，是家百年老店，一直专注于为顾客提供安装及维护木地板的产品及服务，在全球90多个国家都有分公司。

Supporting business development.

Bona is a century-old company that has long specialized in products and services for installing and maintaining wood floors. Based in Sweden, it operates in more than 90 countries.

近年来，博纳拓展了业务，开始销售大理石及瓷砖清洁产品，并开发出翻新乙烯基类地板的体系。这些举动为公司打开了巨大的新增市场，也给它的定位带来一些问题：一家以木地板专业闻名全球的企业品牌如何容纳新业务？答案看似简单：对外沟通中，博纳可以将过去重点关注木地板转向含有新类型的地板。但是高管团队发现可以借由这个机会，让企业品牌身份标识正式清晰化，在接受新定位的同时，给传统注入新活力，对内对外都是如此。

In recent years Bona expanded its offerings to include stone- and tile-cleaning products and developed a new system for renovating vinyl-type floors. These moves opened significant growth markets for the company but also raised a question about its positioning: How should a corporate brand that was known worldwide for wood-floor expertise change to accommodate the new businesses? On the surface the answer seemed simple: In its messaging Bona could just shift from its historical emphasis on wood floors to include other kinds of floors. But the executive team saw an opportunity to formally clarify the corporate brand identity, recommitting to its heritage while embracing a new positioning—inside and out.

公司在总部和美国的营销高管们主导下，召集全球各部门管理者，在美国和欧洲开展了一系列工作坊。首要任务是就公司现有的品牌身份达成共识。大家进行了广泛讨论，提出各种令人惊讶的观点，并回答了矩阵中的关键问题。通过进一步探讨，最终针对这些问题达成共识，总结了博纳公司当时的品牌身份。

Led by marketing executives from headquarters and America, the company conducted a series of workshops in both Europe and the United States that brought together managers from across functions and around the globe. The first task was to reach a common understanding of the company’s current identity. Extensive discussion revealed a surprisingly broad variety of perspectives and answers to key questions in the matrix. But through further talks, consensus on those questions was eventually achieved, capturing Bona’s corporate brand identity as it stood then.

接下来，考虑到公司的新产品、技术和市场机会，特别是新类型的顾客，这些管理者开始思考公司未来试图达到的品牌身份。团队将品牌承诺改为“展现地板最美的一面”，新的使命也与之统一：“创造美丽的地板，给人们的生活带来幸福”。

Next these managers set out to develop an aspirational corporate brand identity, considering the firm’s new products, technologies, and market opportunities—and in particular, new kinds of customers. The group modified the brand promise to “Bringing out the beauty in floors,” aligning it with the newly articulated mission: “Creating beautiful floors to bring hAppiness to people’s lives.”

为了在公司内部推广新身份，博纳和员工就这一问题进行对话，鼓励大家参与讨论，为新员工准备了欢迎计划，强调了修改版的矩阵价值。

对于外部利益相关方，博纳为消费者和博纳认证的工匠伙伴设立了新的沟通项目，介绍和地板装修及设计相关的生活方式趋势，重新设计网站，并制定了介绍乙烯基类地板翻修系统的营销计划。但是将修改版的品牌内涵融入内外部项目需要时间，博纳的流程21个月之前就开始了，现在仍在进行中，每次取得进展，公司都会以新矩阵为参照，调整和修改。

To bring the revamped identity to life inside the company, Bona held dialogues about it with employees, encouraging discussion, and created a welcome program for new staffers that emphasized the values in the revised matrix. For its outside stakeholders it created new communication programs about lifestyle trends relevant to floor decoration and design, directed at consumers and at Bona’s certified craftsmen partners; launched a website redesign; and set up a marketing program introducing its vinyl-floor renovation system. Translating a revised brand narrative into internal and external initiatives takes time, however; at Bona the process began 21 months ago and is still under way, with progress being benchmarked against the new aspirational matrix.

转变品牌形象。欧洲公司Intrum为企业提供债权追偿服务，在开发票、应收账款和债务管理、信用监控方面提供帮助。到2014年，公司通过并购快速扩张，管理层认为公司在价值主张方面应该有一个整体形象，这点很重要。公司管理层同时也担心，作为一家收债机构，公司形象负面，自我印象也消极，希望以金融服务提供商的形象为其注入一些积极因素。因此，Intrum花了三年时间，邀请来自24个国家的管理层团队，在斯德哥尔摩经济学院通过我们的矩阵，打造了一个改进版本的新身份，帮助集团提升表现。这项计划由高级人力资源主管让-吕克·菲拉顿（Jean-Luc Ferraton）负责。

Changing the brand’s image.

The European company Intrum provides debt collection services to businesses and helps them with invoicing, receivables and debt management, and credit monitoring. By 2014 the company had grown rapidly through acquisitions, and management considered it essential to have a common view across the organization about what Intrum stood for. Its leadership was also concerned that the company had a negative image—and self-image—as a collection agency and wanted to give it a more positive identity as a provider of financial services. So over three years Intrum invited management teams from 24 countries to take part in a program, held at the Stockholm School of Economics, that used our matrix to work out a new, improved identity that would enhance the group’s performance. That initiative was led by the senior HR executive Jean-Luc Ferraton.

200多名管理者都参与了这一项目。公司模糊的标语（“促进欧洲发展”）被修改为“走向健康经济”，后者更能体现公司的承诺。被管理者们认为“无用”的核心价值观被抛弃。Intrum的使命也得到更积极的解读。公司现在追求什么？“提供或接收贷款者都信任和尊敬的公司。我们的解决方案能带来增长，同时帮助大家摆脱债务，从而为个人、公司和社会提供价值。”管理者对于新使命的讨论让菲拉顿忍不住评论，“我相信在座各位小时候，并未梦想过从事现在这个行业。但是我听大家讲述自己的工作、公司以及我们实际在做的事情，我为自己在此工作感到骄傲。”

With input from 200 managers, Intrum’s vague tagline (“Boosting Europe”) was revised to “Leading the way to a sound economy,” which underscored the company’s brand promise. A core value challenged by managers as “fluff” was dropped. Intrum’s mission was reformulated to be more positive. What does the company aspire to now? “To be trusted and respected by everyone who provides or receives credit. With solutions that generate growth while helping people become debt-free, we build value for individuals, companies and society.” The managers’ discussion of the new mission inspired Ferraton to comment, “I’m sure that none of us dreamt as kids of working in our line of business. But when I hear how you describe your job, our company, and what we actually do, I am proud to work here.”

Intrum通过计算员工和顾客满意度、员工敬业度、对领导层的态度以及企业品牌核心价值观的接纳度，追踪了新品牌身份的推行情况。内部和外部调研显示，过去三年间，公司这些指标整体提升了15%。

Intrum tracks the implementation of the new brand identity by measuring employee and customer satisfaction, employee engagement, attitudes about leadership, and the adoption of the corporate brand’s core values. Its internal and external surveys reveal an overall improvement of 15% on these measures over the past three years.

卡哥特、博纳和Intrum的案例展示了企业使用品牌身份矩阵的三种方式。但是实际的应用方式绝不止这三种。一家私募企业主席使用这一矩阵，量化并购和投资候选机构的战略价值。矩阵帮助成立于1764年的传统涂料公司FaluRödfärg的CEO，通过强调公司独特的传统和难以模仿的技艺，明晰了公司的品牌身份和竞争定位。聚合物工艺制造商Trelleborg使用矩阵提升了公司身份，收购公司最初拒绝接受母公司品牌名，后来也主动接受了。

The Cargotec, Bona, and Intrum cases illustrate three ways the corporate brand identity matrix can be used. But these are by no means its only Applications. The chairman of a private equity firm has used it to gauge the strategic value of candidates for acquisition and investment. The matrix helped the CEO of Falu Rödfärg, a traditional paint company founded in 1764, clarify his firm’s brand identity and competitive position by highlighting its distinctive heritage and hard-to-copy craftsmanship. And Trelleborg, a polymer-technology maker, used the matrix to enhance its corporate identity so that acquired firms, which had initially rejected the parent brand name, actively embraced it.

总结

有时，我们可以很快绘制出一家母公司身份标识的大体情况并加以使用。但如果要对品牌身份进行全面深入的理解，则需要更长时间，需要全球领导层和团队的参与，分很多阶段完成。但是，如果公司已经有很强的核心价值观和其他重要的身份要素，这一过程可以提速。检验和优化企业品牌的工作需要真正的领导力，需要长期投入的努力、热情和决心。最终企业会获得更清晰的企业品牌、更强的关系以及更加统一的机构，这些都必将成为竞争优势。

CONCLUSION

Sometimes a sketch of a parent firm’s identity can be done quickly—and even be helpful. But developing a comprehensive understanding of a corporate brand identity usually takes much longer, involving many sessions and leadership and teams throughout a global organization. The process can hAppen faster, though, if the company already has strong core values and other essential elements of identity.

斯蒂芬·格雷瑟是哈佛商学院Richard P. Chapman（营销/沟通）教席名誉教授，曾任《哈佛商业评论》编辑及编委会主席。马茨·欧德是瑞典隆德大学经济管理系副教授。