1. Trevor Isherwood, Managing Director of Isherwood + Company, explores the advantages and
challenges of using ‘family’ as a cornerstone of marketing and branding strategies.
Successful use of ‘family’ in marketing
and branding appears to correlate with
how actively involved family members
are in the day-to-day running of the
firm. Some industries might also be
better suited to branding as a family
business, for example, wines, luxury and
artisan products where craftsmanship
and heritage are valued. Those family
businesses that believe marketing and
branding are merely about the external
imageofthefirmarecertainlytakingsome
risks with their hard earned reputation.
Marketing, customer experience and
branding represents your company in
its entirety and how your customers and
competitors perceive and experience it.
Effective marketing, branding and in
particular strong customer experience as
a brand building tool helps you preserve
your competitive advantage.
As a family business it may be hard
to decide whether to incorporate the
‘family’ component of your organisation
into your brand and marketing strategies.
This seemingly simple decision can be
fraughtwithcomplexitybecausebranding
can encapsulate both significant business
issues and more superficial tactical points
at the same time.
Family owned and run businesses have
become even more appealing since the
global financial crisis in 2008 where many
large and respected public companies lost
the trust of customers and employees.
Many people subsequently found the
promise of security and accountability
in long-standing family firms highly
appealing. Nationally over 65 per
cent of UK businesses are family run.
They employ over nine million people,
accounting for 40 per cent of all private
sector jobs.
‘72% OF CONSUMERS… SAY THEY
TRUST FAMILY-OWNED BUSINESSES’
Past research shows consumers believe
family companies make products they
can trust and are more committed to
their communities. Edelman, a public
relations firm, found in studies that 72%
of consumers in developed economies
say they trust family-owned businesses.
Yet the family connection is often poorly
communicated because the role of
‘family’ in marketing and branding has
not been clearly defined. Frequently it is
reduced to a mention in a tagline or on the
history page of a company website and the
message could be a lot stronger in many
cases. It raises the question of why even
mention the word ‘family’ if firms don’t
make it a point of difference and provide
experiential evidence that ‘our customers
benefit because we’re family owned’.
All brands need to be authentic in
their communication and for the use of
‘family’ to be credible in communication,
it is important that the family do still
play a significant role in the business.
Those family firms that have successfully
passed from one generation to the next,
can also lay claim to the even more
emotive concept of having heritage,
showcasing the family’s ability to sustain
their business and creating associations
of dedication, quality and integrity. These
B R A N D I N G YO U R
FA M I LY B U S I N E S S
promotion

2. can be used as powerful motivators
in the mind of your customer. Here,
family businesses have an authenticity
advantage; they can communicate a
clearer longer-term purpose rather than
being merely motivated by short-term
profit taking.
The world of marketing and branding
is constantly changing and it seems
many family businesses may be among
those not keeping up. In the past, poor
customer or employee experiences might
have been passed by word of mouth, but
today they are spread via review sites and
social media. Companies need to treat
marketing as a way to invite customers
and prospective employees inside
their firms, to provide transparency
and promote authenticity, not to use
marketing and communications as a
screen behind which they hide reality.
In the digital age, inconsistency of
message is easily detected which is risky
when the reputation of your business is
increasingly in the hands of its employees
and customers.
Not everyone is going to appreciate
the family dimension of marketing or
branding strategies. The firm needs
to understand what ‘family business’
means in their industry and to their
customers. Despite the many positive
attributes associated with family
businesses, there are some significant
negative expectations also, such as a
lack of professionalism. Indeed 30% of
family business respondents in a recent
UK survey by professional services firm
PWC claimed that raising professional
standards in their business would be a
key challenge over the next 5 years.
‘WHEN YOUR FAMILY IS THE
BRAND, IT MAKES THE NECESSARY
CONSISTENCY FOR FIRST CLASS
MARKETING AND BRANDING SO VERY
MUCH EASIER’
When it comes to the inclusion
of ‘family’ in marketing and brand
strategies, there is no ‘one size fits all’
approach. It is dependent on the nature
of your business, the degree to which your
family is engaged in the firm, and factors
such as target audience and competitors.
By understanding and assessing whether
‘family’ adds meaningful value to your
brand, product and customer experience,
you can find the best approach for your
company.
Before raising the profile of the family
element of your business, all family
members must be in agreement and fully
prepared.Onceexposedtopublicscrutiny
families potentially leave themselves
vulnerable to negative as well as positive
news stories. Yet the benefits most often
outweigh the problems. For families
closely involved in their businesses,
no-one else understands the firm quite
as well so when your family is the brand,
it makes the necessary consistency for
first class marketing and branding so very
much easier.
Tips for success:
Engage all family members who
are active in the business in
the branding process, allow the
business to become an integral
part of who they are which can
help further family unity.
Be yourself and be authentic. Use
heritage where it exists and tell
your story through compelling
marketing.
Use marketing strategies and
social media to invite customers
inside your business, create
transparency and earn trust.
Listen regularly to what customers
say they value about your service
and your brand and observe the
competition. Adapt the marketing
and branding strategies as needed.
Do make sure
employees
understand and
deliver the brand
and family values to
create a differentiated
customer experience.
Don’t create a hefty
brand manual;
a single, clearly
articulated sentence
can be all it takes.
Trevor Isherwood is a Chartered Marketer and the founder and Managing
Director of Isherwood + Company, a Devon based marketing agency.
www.isherwood.co.uk | Tel: 01271 336 121