As shown in our last article, Federal branding confronts a paradox.
Many Americans may like the agencies with which they have contact. But
they rarely confer their approval of the FAA or Post Office or Park
Service on the "parent entity." In other words, the U.S. government
continues to lack a positive brand that answers the many jibes hurled
against it in recent years. In response to a Harper’s Magazine article about a Super Bowl commercial for the Federal government, TMP Government noted that the solutions presented did not seem to get to the heart of the matter: The
overall Federal government provides the essential foundation for all of
the agencies and activities that citizens not only like but expect.
A master brand (the U.S. government) and the sub-brands (agencies,
departments, initiatives) work best when they share a two-way street.
The Federal brand expresses the generic value of working for the
government. The sub-brand, our client, can then differentiate itself
largely through its unique psychological value. Super Bowl XLV presented
a provocative turn on this system in its Chrysler Detroit commercial.
Division of Power: Making the Invisible Visible
Imagine seeing an ad inviting you to work on an exciting new
invention. It promises to revolutionize your personal communications,
giving you full access to everything on your PC from a mobile device
weighing two ounces. Furthermore, it offers you very generous
compensation with outstanding health and education benefits. The only
catch is that the organization at the bottom of the promotion is one
that you have never seen.
Your friends warn you that "if something sounds too good to be true,
it probably isn’t true." Soon, viral messages begin circulating that a
"crank company" is trying to get applications through a misleading job
announcement. Beware about giving that organization any personal
information at all.
Only after digging and sleuthing do you realize that the company making the promises is none other than Apple.
This situation, of course, seems preposterous. A high-tech household
brand has no reason to make a job announcement mysterious. Yet,
unconsciously, most Federal agencies put applicants into a similar
situation every day. Because the Federal government itself lacks a
clear, coherent brand, the value of government employment can be left to
the "hearsay" of talk radio, blogs and the social network grapevine. To
find the deeper truth, candidates must dig deep, accessing the
Partnership for Public Service and USAJOBS. For although the President
began his administration with a call to public service and making
Federal jobs cool, necessary concerns about the deficit have again put
U.S. Government employment in the shadows. How can you then leverage the
value and meaning of public service to bolster your specific career
story?
Learning from the Super Bowl: The "Detroit Commercial"
One answer takes us back to Super Bowl XLV. Do you remember the
Chrysler commercial featuring rapper Eminem? Or was that a Detroit
commercial? The spot
raises the issue of how a hard-working but frequently maligned city can
produce an object of luxury. It brands Detroit as a noble and great
American metropolis, vital to national life.
Note that although many viewers referred to the spot as a "Detroit
commercial," it is actually selling a mid-size variant on its previous
Chrysler Sebring. But rather than produce a typical car commercial, the
agency chose to address the larger issue of “Motor City” and its image.
It is easy to see a parallel between government recruitment
advertising and this spot: The Federal government, like Detroit, is
presently suffering from a negative image while different components
received favorable ratings. Yet separate agencies could no more exist
apart from the overall Federal structure than America’s car industry
could develop without Motown. In fact, the organizational and financial
structure of the Federal government’s executive branch, established by
the Constitution, enables departments and agencies to respond to the
needs of the people.
Relating the Part to the Whole: The Federal Tapestry
Like Detroit and the Chrysler 200, your agency is seamlessly
interwoven with the purpose of the Federal government. Whenever the
media or politicians disparage the Federal workforce, it affects your
own job seekers. TMP believes that the way to address this issue is to
understand in the most basic terms why your organization exists and how
its mission contributes to national well-being. Strong, meaningful
employer brands arise out of thinking through this kind of fundamental
question.
TMP Government has a methodology that can help your leaders and
employers probe these questions. In the final installment of this
series, we will discuss how this approach can link your organization to
the bigger picture of government. As a result, agencies can respond to
the challenge of the Harper’s article: help Americans, including job candidates, understand the overall value of the "Federal brand."
For more information on how TMP can help brand your career opportunities, please contact John Bersentes at John.Bersentes@TMPgovernment.com or give him a call at 703-269-0092.
Back