Employer brand and corporate brand are two values of any business entity which should overall be in line with one another, however with fundamental and significant nuances to the well trained eye. The employer brand is a sub-branch of the entire corporate brand, with the former focusing inward on employees and the latter outward on customers. Branding a company’s employer and corporate values helps distinguish it from its market competitors and solidify the company’s status as a trustworthy name in both the employee market and the products/services market.
Branding is a vital aspect of any company and in Myanmar, employers still make use of generic branding strategies that seemingly cater to both employer brand and corporate brand. Despite there being numerous processes that serve both brand and corporate purposes, there are some major distinctions that can affect the success of a business in any environment. In addition, the influx of foreign investments, ventures, and local startups are making the process of building a distinct brand all the more important. What comes below is a simplified differentiation of employer branding and corporate branding to guide all business owners and executives in Myanmar, followed by a tabulated recap of the differences listed. Using a unique brand strategy is a proven way companies can stand out from the competition.
Value Proposition
An employer brand and a corporate brand differs mainly in terms of the value proposition they create. An employer showcases its brand through the job opportunities and the work environment it offers to the employees while the overall corporate brand focuses on the products and services they bring to market.
Understanding the value proposition is very important because it is something unique that differentiates a person or a business from the competition. Corporate and Employer value propositions essential to be showcased can be better understood with the use of Value Proposition Canvas, a tool to help the companies build a framework for both of the branding processes. Companies in Myanmar should think of brand value proposition as a key tool or framework that can seamlessly introduce a product or service in an easy to understand manner, win the buy-in of the market, and achieve the purpose of generating attention and ultimately sales. Myanmar employers can consider integrating the overall corporate brand values to the employer brand as well, that is extending the message about the corporate culture to the employer, too. For example, if the company declares its unique corporate value to be innovation or technical leadership, then the workplace and work tools should reflect that value and therefore, be modern and well-equipped.
Stakeholders
An employer and a corporate brand may have to place emphasis on their interaction with their stakeholders but not all of them are vital to the health of both an employer and a corporate brand. An employer brand appeals to its applicant pool, thus the candidates and the employees as well while a corporate generally appeals mainly to its customers.
Stakeholder management and relationship is important for both employer branding and corporate branding. As a matter of fact, companies that attract many stakeholders through a strong brand are the ones that stand out in the industry as go-to employers for job seekers. In Myanmar however, there are certain stakeholder management imbalances evident in many companies. For example, employers in Myanmar focus more on recruitment marketing and promotion to forge a good relationship between the prospective or future employees but they often miss out on forging the same positive relationship with the current employees who are also important stakeholders for the company. It should be noted that the positive recognition by one entity is not a sustainable outcome of branding either a company or an employer on the whole.
Goals
Employer branding works toward three primary goals: attracting, recruiting, and eventually, retaining talent. Attraction is a fundamental purpose of an employer brand aimed at drawing the attention of job seekers followed by recruiting which entails successfully onboarding the suitable candidates to work for the company and understanding what values the company has. Employer branding concludes by subsequently retaining the acquired employees and convincing them to stick with the employer for a long time as a good place to work. The corporate brand, on the other hand, generally intends to sell its products or services, make a profit, and create more customers.
Myanmar companies generally can improve their branding strategies by defining the end goals of these strategies. As mentioned earlier, despite the similarity, an employer and a corporate have their own branding boundaries and the ability to establish the distinctive branding practices that can accommodate the general goals of each branding process; which can distinguish a business entity not just in Myanmar but anywhere else around the world. As Myanmar is now exposed to international enterprises and foreign business landscape more than ever; it becomes easier for Myanmar companies to emulate such successful international companies based here and model after their branding practices to create their own stand-out brand.
Incentives
A corporate and an employer brand is incentivizing to their major stakeholders through several attractions. A corporate brand leverages its product quality, durability, price, reputation, and loyalty programs (premiums, discounts, etc.) to acquire customers and their patronage. An employer brand, on the other hand, mainly promotes its salary competitiveness, career progression opportunities, benefits, and workplace conduciveness to reel in its potential candidates.
Incentivizing employees in Myanmar could be seen as slightly different from many other countries where monetary incentives happen to be the most appealing factor for job seekers; many Myanmar job seekers usually want more than a competitive salary especially because Myanmar is a society that cares more about family values, proximity to loved ones, and development of personal attributes than materialistic possessions, making salary a secondary consideration for employees while making a decision to work for a company. Keeping these traits as key to a corporate brand can often prove a winning strategy.
Company Culture
Culture is an instrumental aspect of a company but it may not necessarily apply to a corporate brand that focuses more on streamlining the products and services offered by the company, making it more important to prioritize the customers and their impression toward the company outputs. Nonetheless, an employer may be more interested in branding the physical and psychological aspects of its workplace or the company culture aimed at appealing the job candidates; therefore, products and services of the company offer may be of secondary significance for employer branding. Each company will have to think of their business model and what works best in their specific case.
Company culture in Asian business environments are an important consideration for employers while thinking about their branding. In a country such as Myanmar this is even more crucial due to the fact that Myanmar is a predominantly Buddhist country; with its fair share of cultural sensitivity, preferences, and reservations, etc. that are exceedingly important in personal and professional conduct. Accordingly, some workplace practices and cultural inclinations that employers find normal in westernized countries may be inappropriate or frowned upon by Myanmar locals and vice versa.