Brands are managed and defined by people much more than by organizations themselves: employees shape how brands are seen and clients support or attack brands according to their personal experience and have an impact on companies’ reputation. ‘Brand Together’ by Nicholas Ind, Professor at the Business School in Oslo (Norway), written together with Clare Fuller and Charles Trevail defends that companies won’t reach their stakeholders and be successful by relying on mass advertising but through an authentic engagement and co-creation processes that build stronger bonds between brands and stakeholders by talking and collaborating with them. Nowadays, communication is a two-side path, employees have much more to say and brand managers have to fuel that relationship and get stakeholders to engage and feel that they also “own” the brands. Brands want to innovate, surprise and be admired. However, it is not only a matter of launching new products and services, but new processes, models and ideas. Trust is key factor when trying to create a constant and permanent creativity and innovation atmosphere, since it helps to dialogue and exchanging, main basis of a collaboration process. The character and DNA of a company should be expressed through their actions and ideas, and those will shape the view that customers, stakeholders and society have about the brand. The sum of these considerations will be translated into the reputation of the brand. Hence, the important role of co-creation and innovation when promoting a brand. Brand managers tend to overvalue reward influence but, as Ind says, what motivates professionals the most is to participate, socialize and do something that is worth it. It is an essential requirement to get employees engaged turning them into the most important brand ambassadors. Because of this, the organization will achieve three main goals: product and services innovation, brand value reinforcement and improvement of financial results. Co-creation process can be divided into two stages (the thinking stage and the implementing stage) and help brands to be owned by users, by speaking and collaborating with them in order to create and develop those things that really affect them and are important for them

1. There is a new way of connecting brands and
stakeholders; the relationships is changing: what
is searched today is the “engagement”. Brands
cannot longer bombard with advertising on
newspapers, radio or television. Now, brands
need to talk, dialogue and collaborate with their
clients and other stakeholders if they really
want to success. This is the premise on which
is based the book ‘Brand Together’ by Nicholas
Ind, Professor at the Business School in Oslo
(Norway), written together with Clare Fuller
and Charles Trevail.
Communication is no longer an only way path, it
is a two-side path on which everything that is said
by one part and demanded by the other counts.
Now, employees have much more to say; and value
creation for shareholders turns into a valued co-
creation for society and stakeholders.
What is then brand managers task? Nourishing
and fueling that relationship of mutual growth and
constant innovation aimed at revitalising brands,
giving sense and value to both parties. Engagement
is fundamental, since it makes stakeholders to
“own” brands, maybe one of the most wanted goals
when it comes to brand management.
Co-creation and innovation
Today, every big brand wants to be disruptive and
radically innovative. Brands want to surprise and
be admired, ultimately appreciated. It is not only
a matter of launching new products and services,
but new processes, models and ideas –a great and
powerful brand idea.
An idea that is (at the best cases) an identity
expression, the sense of being of the organization,
since corporate brand and company are the same
thing, the same idea, promise, experience and,
consequently the same reputation. It is expression
of the corporate culture, values, mission and vision,
the character of the organization and its leader (past
founder or current manager).
Products and services, communication and
Nowadays, brands are managed and defined by people much more than by
organizations themselves: employees shape how brands are seen and clients
support or attack brands according to their personal experience. Therefore,
reputation depends on the interaction between the two of them.
Strategy Documents
I39/2013
Co-creation builds stronger
bonds between brands
and stakeholders by talking
and collaborating with them
Brand
Insights
This document was prepared by Corporate Excellence – Centre for Repuation Leadership and contains references, among other sources, to
the book ‘Brand Together’ by Nicholas Ind, professor at the Business School of Oslo (Norwey) and published by Kogan Page in 2012.

2. Insights 2
Co-creation creates
stronger bonds
between brands
and stakeholders
by talking and
collaborating
with them
‘Communi-
cation is no
longer an only
way path, it
is a two-side
path on which
everything
that is said
by one part
and demanded
by the other
counts’
marketing, besides employees’ considerations, and
how they translate these considerations to clients
will shape the view and ideas that customers,
stakeholders and society will have about the brand.
The sum of these considerations (as far as they are
consistent, not counterproductive and sustainable)
will be translated into the reputation of the brand.
Hence, the role of co-creation and innovation
when promoting a brand. We cannot forget the
role of an innovative and transforming corporate
culture, or the role of talent when shaping a specific
experience. Furthermore, it cannot be left apart the
leader when trying to personify the brand ideal,
since it has to be he/she who leads the way to
follow as pioneers and enterprising of a constantly
renewing process.
Innovation is not only the money invested in
D&R, it is more about the existing innovative
culture. Conversation and collaboration have a
very important role; a beneficial culture is created,
one that is respectful to people and where trust is at
the core of the model.
The central role of trust
Leaders are the ones who have to facilitate self-
expression of individual and collective identities
of professionals in a company, as well as customers’
trust –something that has an increasing essential role
when co-creating and proving new solutions either
in an physical space or through the organization and
online communities management.
Trust is key factor when trying to create a constant
and permanent creativity and innovation
atmosphere, since it helps to dialogue and
exchanging, main basis of a collaboration process.
Trust has an important role for the needed opening
and flexibility to start, develop and carry out a
productive co-creating process where big, small and
valued ideas can arise.
According to Ind, when talking about the internal
talent, its traditional management tends to overvalue
reward influence –economical, personal, recognition.
However, what motivates professionals the most is to
participate, socialize and do something that is worth
it, especially in the case of younger generations, when
they find a purpose that goes beyond themselves and
their money.
Furthermore, throughout the co-creating and open
innovation process, employees enjoy the direct
interaction with costumers and other stakeholders;
this process causes corporate departments’ direct
involvement avoiding traditional silos that are
created within organizations when there exist a
hierarchical and compartmentalized performance.
Co-creation is an opportunity to make client
experience and shared value creation with
stakeholders a cross process. This allows the
company and society to create an operative
community where ideas flow and challenging
questions and fast answers are needed.
A successive process in 2 steps
Co-creation is a joint inspiration process that has
been implemented by successful global brands like
Lego, Kraft, IBM, Starbucks, Danone, Mozilla,
Google, P&G or McDonald’s. It can be divided into
two stages:
1. The thinking stage: the plan must be designed
to identify and build loyalty with future brand
Graph 1: Model of brand management
Source: “Branding on the Web: a real revolution?”, Nicholas Ind & with Maria Riondino, 2001.
Identity Image
Accumulatedbrandexperience
Feedback
Spontaneous stakeholder feedback
Customers
Suppliers
Shareholders
Local
communities
e-communities
Governments
Media
Influential
groups
Corporate
personality
Corporate
culture
Corporate
philosophy
Core values
Corporate
mission
Positioning
Brandreputation
Marketing
communication
Employees’
view of identity
Products and
services
Brand
idea

3. Insights 3
Co-creation creates
stronger bonds
between brands
and stakeholders
by talking and
collaborating
with them
‘Co-creation
is an
opportunity
to make
client
experience
and shared
value
creation with
stakeholders
a cross
process’
referring to connection with other people, being in
contact with them or making the most of their time;
secondly, people would comment on their memories
and mental associations with the past, childhood and
the group they grew up with.
A new interesting and innovative point of view is
provided by Nicholas Ind and his team of researchers
in this book; how to develop an innovation process to
benefit the brand, the brand idea –implicit or explicit–
can offer new possibilities to specifically set new ways of
products and services.
We can name some examples like Virgin, with a leader
like Branson or a brand idea like “people champion”
and some values focused on fun, pioneer instinct. All
this leads to challenging solutions, change reality and
will change things –music, games, radios, phones,
energy, trains…
Co-creation creates a possibilities world that any brand
acting by its own would have been able to create. Co-
creation makes brand innovation to be focus on people
allowing their dreams and wishes to make true. Co-
creation, ultimately make brands to be owned by users,
by speaking and collaborating with them in order to
create and develop those things that really affect them
and are important for them.
ambassadors including their participation, personal
autonomy, opening and engagement to evolve,
redefine or create something completely new.
2. The implementing stage: implementing a
collaboration innovative culture and the
opening process that makes stronger the brand,
connecting and understanding people, their
feelings, wishes, aspirations, principles and
values, to get the best from the relationship.
Moreover,co-creationallowsanindividualandcustomized
relationshipwithcustomers.Itismoreandmoredemanded
by them, therefore, it is an essential requirement to get
employees engaged turning them into the most important
brand ambassadors. Because of this, the organization will
achievethreemaingoals:productandservicesinnovation,
brand value reinforcement and improvement of financial
results.
Conclusion: innovation for life
It is well known what a hundred years ago, Henry Ford
affirmed: if he had asked to their clients what they
wanted, they would have asked for a faster horse, not
a car. But, it is not a mistake to speak with them and
get to know what they want and what worries them,
it is a mistake to ask directly what they want and
worries them.
In order to obtain relevant information for innovation,
itisnecessarytoask“why”.Firstly,peoplewouldanswer
Graph 2: Why identification of employees is important
Source: “Living the Brand”, Nicolas Ind. 2011.
Customers want
• Focus on needs
• Individual treatment
• Branded experience
Employees need to deliver
• Consistent and innovative service
• Distinctively and “on brand”
Company gets
• Improved performance
• Focus inovation
• Stronger brand
Employees need to be
• Committed
• Brand believers
• Empowered

4. Leading by
reputation
©2013, Corporate Excellence - Centre for Reputation Leadership
A foundation established by major companies aiming to excel in the management of intangible assets and facilitate promotion of strong brands
with a good reputation and a capacity to compete on the global markets. Our objective is to become the driving force, which would lead and
consolidate professional reputation management as a strategic asset, fundamental for building value of companies around the world.
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