How to Make Your Brand Work Harder for Investor and Corporate Engagement

Thank you to everyone who joined us for our webinar hosted by London Stock Exchange Group ‘How to Make Your Brand Work Harder for Investor and Corporate Engagement’. There were 150 attendees from a broad range of organisations and roles, including IR, corporate communications, brand and marketing. To view a recording of the webinar, click here. 

On the panel were a range of long-standing Emperor clients, partners and associates: 

- Hannah Maher, Digital Communications Lead - British Land 
- Dr. Guy Champniss Ph.D., Social Psychologist and Behavioural Scientist 
- Jason Frank, Director of Brand & Engagement – Emperor 
- Liz Lynch, Senior Managing Director - FTI Consulting

It was an interesting discussion with a few key themes standing out: 
 
Above all, your audiences crave clarity 

The panellists were aligned on the need for greater clarity of positioning and messaging. In an increasingly volatile and uncertain world the natural human instinct to seek clarity and consistency is amplified. The science shows that clarity of narrative and offer can create real competitive advantage, as corporate and B2B decision-makers subconsciously seek to avoid cognitive effort, defaulting to propositions that are easier to understand.

Branding needs a rebrand

There was consensus on ‘Branding’ being seen too often by senior leaders as decorative, visual and peripheral to value creation. However, behavioural science demonstrates that branding creates tangible value by providing your audiences with greater clarity, confidence and connection with your organisation. It was felt that the closely related concept of ‘Reputation’ may be a more useful word in securing brand buy-in and investment at board level. 
 
Strong brands can reduce reputational risk 

Your stakeholders increasingly want to know not just what you do, but who you are, where you’re going, why you exist, and what you value [purpose, vision, values]. Organisations that do a better job of articulating these strategic foundations are better equipped to minimize reputational damage from adverse events or unexpected changes of direction – as your audiences can see beyond the short-term to a more long-term perspective.

In summary 

A strong and clearly articulated brand plays an increasingly important role in shaping corporate reputation, strengthening investor confidence and supporting meaningful stakeholder engagement. As organisations navigate a rapidly evolving communications landscape, developing a brand that is clear, built on strong strategic foundations and visible across both traditional and AI-driven channels has become a critical business priority. 
 
What’s next? 

If you’d like to get an insight into how your brand is stacking up against key competitors, based on Emperor’s behavioural science driven B2B Brand Benchmarking Framework get in touch at [email protected]