I live and work in New York City. The sheer volume of advertising and branding out there amazes me. It is some powerful stuff, I must admit… The mere sight of a company name or logo evokes emotion and directs my thoughts, which is precisely what branding is meant to do. You can easily apply this strategy to your corporate wellness program – and it’s especially important for any company that’s having a hard time establishing the corporate wellness culture they’re looking for (or if they’re introducing wellness to employees for the first time) to give their wellness program an identity.
According to our national benchmarking survey, wellness branding is something many companies do not yet have in place but is high on their list of considerations. In a previous blog post, we mention that clients should create a wellness logo, tagline, and a statement that aligns with the company’s mission and values. When employees receive a branded wellness email or see a branded wellness poster in the office, their reaction should be to automatically think wellness and hopefully be reminded to check in with their health and wellbeing.
Think about your current wellness program and communications – are they inconsistent? Establishing a brand will provide easy recognition to all wellness communications, make the program more official, and add tremendous value to your company culture.
My tips for maintaining a strong wellness brand within your company:
- Use your wellness brand to establish the sense (and reinforce the fact) that your company cares about your employees’ wellbeing.
- Use the brand to reflect who you are as a company.
- Choose a voice. Create a logo, a tagline, and a statement that supports the overall culture of your company.
- Be consistent. Use the logo each time you communicate with your employees about wellness. Consistent wellness communication may be just what some employees need to take the first step in participating.
If your company is still sitting on the fence, know that wellness branding can be implemented at any time and a great wellness consultant can guide you through the process.
