Brand Champions in an Updated Digital Age

Picture this: In one universe, your newest employee just posted about your company on LinkedIn, already acting like a committed brand champion. They’ve been with you for three weeks, but their post perfectly captures what makes your organization special—the language is on-brand, the message is compelling, and it gets dozens of likes and comments from potential customers and future hires.

Now picture this: In an alternative universe, the same employee creates a presentation for a client meeting. The fonts are wrong, the messaging is confusing, and they accidentally undermine your key differentiator by describing your approach exactly like your biggest competitor would.

What’s the difference between these two universes? Brand training. Or more specifically, the lack of strategic, ongoing brand education that turns employees into confident brand advocates instead of well-meaning brand saboteurs.

Here’s the reality: Employee engagement in the U.S. hit an 11-year low, with 4.8 million fewer employees engaged in Q1 2024 versus Q4 2023 (1). At the same time, 75.6% of employees perceive themselves as active ambassadors for their company (2). There’s a massive disconnect between intention and execution, and brand training is the bridge.

Organizations are struggling with remote teams, hybrid workforces, and employees who have access to more design tools than ever before—but not necessarily the brand knowledge to use them effectively. Is yours? Probably.

Brand Training Basics (The 2025 Edition)

WHO: Everyone at an organization, period. The degree can change based on role, but at a bare minimum, everyone in an organization should be able to say what the organization does and what it stands for. Why? Because 94% of employees express they would stay longer at a company that invests in their career growth. (3) Brand training isn’t just about the brand—it’s about showing people you care enough to invest in them.

At the other end of the spectrum are those who have to have a thorough understanding of the brand and how it comes to life strategically and technically: namely, those who develop products and services and those who promote them to the world. There are varying degrees for everyone in between.

WHAT: Following that train of thought, what is part of the brand training depends on the role people play. Graphic designers need to understand color usage, and writers need to understand tone of voice. Ideally, however, brand training will go beyond the bare minimum to include:

Why the work is essential and why anyone should care
The ways the organization is different from all the other choices people have
The organization’s personality attributes
The importance and benefits of consistency
How to interact authentically as a representative of the organization with people inside and out of it
Why the logo is sacred and cannot be altered
How to be a brand advocate (not just a brand compliant employee)

WHEN: As soon as possible to start is ideal (once you have your brand strategy sorted, that is), then as part of new hire orientation. Plus, if there’s a major change, a refresher course is always helpful. Here’s the new reality: 9 out of 10 employees believe that effective training boosts engagement. Make it ongoing, not a one-and-done event.(4)

WHERE: Meet your colleagues where they are, physically and psychologically. The easier it is for them to support the brand, the more likely they are to embrace it. In our hybrid world, this means thinking beyond the conference room.

WHY: People are more likely to do what you ask them when they understand why it’s essential. Implementing a brand strategy is no different. Here’s your new ammunition: Employees can play a massive role in building an organization’s brand awareness. Many organizations are leveraging employees’ social channels for sharing their brand messages, thereby turning them into brand ambassadors. (5)

HOW: Ah! This one has exploded with options since I developed my first brand training program! The technology revolution has given us tools our predecessors could only dream of:

AI-Powered Learning Platforms: AI-powered platforms can analyze an individual’s learning habits and performance, adjusting the training content in real time to match their pace and understanding
Microlearning Modules: These platforms are designed for efficiency, providing short, targeted learning modules perfect for onboarding, remote team training, and skill enhancement. (6)
Digital Adoption Platforms: Digital Adoption Platforms (DAP) solve this problem by acting as real-time guides embedded within the software. Instead of lengthy manuals or formal training sessions, DAPs provide on-screen prompts and instructions
Gamified Learning: Incorporating game elements into training programs has proven to be a powerful tool for increasing engagement and motivation among remote learners
Interactive Chatbots: NLP-powered chatbots employees get instant, practical answers instead of wasting time on manuals

Brand Training Support (Supercharged for 2025)

Like most topics, brand training is not a teach-it-and-forget-it scenario. People benefit from continued support, encouragement, and coaching. Here are some of my favorite ways to do that—updated for our new reality:

Template EVERYTHING (But Make It Smart). Inconsistency is Enemy #1 of a strong brand, so one way to reduce it is to provide templates. But we’re not talking about static PowerPoint templates anymore. AI-powered content creation tools can help employees generate on-brand materials while maintaining consistency. Tools like TalentCraft and similar platforms are revolutionizing how quickly and effectively teams can create branded content.

Launch a Dynamic Brand Center. There’s no better way than a brand center to distribute and keep templates up to date. We’ve talked about the power of a brand center and even showed off ours! But the 2025 version includes real-time collaboration features, version control, and AI-powered suggestions for improvements.

Create Brand Champions (Not Brand Police). Some organizations call them brand ambassadors, some champions, but the result is the same: people within the organization whom you have deputized as brand experts. They will need a bit more training and tools to take on this role, but having them in the field helps ensure access to answers. It reinforces the idea that the brand belongs to everyone, not just marketing.

Here’s the key shift: instead of policing brand compliance, focus on building brand advocates. Companies who jump on this bandwagon experience increased employee engagement, retention, and long-lasting employee-employer relationships. (7)

Show Them the Data (In Real Time). The digital nature of remote training allows for the collection and analysis of extensive data on employee engagement and progress. Use this to your advantage. As your brand grows, provide regular updates on how consistent brand execution is paying off. Make the connection between their efforts and business results crystal clear.

Share the Spotlight. Even if you are responsible for the brand, share the credit for its success with everyone in the organization. You may be in charge, but the brand should be everyone’s responsibility.

The New Metrics That Matter

Here’s what we couldn’t measure effectively 2.5 years ago but can now:

Employee Net Promoter Score (eNPS) for brand advocacy
Brand Training Completion Rates with engagement analytics
Social Media Brand Mentions by employees
Internal Brand Consistency Scores across departments
Time-to-Productivity for new hires post-brand training

The data are clear: Companies with effective reward programs see a 31% reduction in turnover (7). Brand training, done right, becomes a retention and engagement strategy disguised as education.

The Bottom Line

The organizations that treat brand training as a strategic imperative—not a nice-to-have—are the ones that will thrive. They’re the ones whose employees will stick around, advocate for the brand, and drive business results.

Need some help with that? Let us know. That’s why we’re here.

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