AND YOU CAN INFLUENCE ITS VALUE

From a personal perspective, evaluating brands is part of our daily lives. We reflexively look at the brand name of a product to help determine its value – and the most valuable brands in the world, such as Apple, Amazon and Google, are estimated to be worth hundreds of billions of dollars.

“It takes a long time to build up the value of a brand, but it can be eroded very quickly. Our brand’s positive recognition depends on that all of us speak and act in a uniform way. We have a good reputation and we want to keep it that way,” says Caroline Jakobsson, Head of Corporate Governance at Stena AB.

Sometimes it only takes one moment to create a brand crisis. One recent example is when a character in a world famous TV-show suffered a fictional heart attack after a session on a popular workout machine. The manufacturer’s share price plummeted – and their sales went down.

An irrational reaction? Absolutely. But still a very good example of how vulnerable a brand image can be in certain circumstances.

At Stena, there are Principles, Convictions and Basic Values (the White book) as well as the Code of Conduct and other policies in place to guide us.

The Stena AB Brand and Trademark Policy, signed by our main owner and CEO Dan Sten Olsson, gives straightforward advice about situations regarding our brand. Basically, the policy is about acting according to the Stena values to build and keep trust and helping to create positive recognition for brands and trademarks within the Stena Sphere.

“We have many well-known and valuable brands within the Sphere; some of them not carrying the ‘Stena’ name. Still, all of them are important assets that must be protected,” Caroline says.

She continues: “Since many of the companies within the Sphere share the name ‘Stena’, how we act in one company may affect another Stena company. If something happens in one of our entities, people may intuitively associate this with a different Stena company because it is present in the eyes or mind of that person.”

Lovisa Andersson, Head of Global Brand and Marketing at Stena Metall, adds:

“Even if we keep the Stena AB and Stena Metall brands apart, we share the same owners, heritage and culture. All of us are ambassadors for Stena and we should be very clear about what we stand for and how this is communicated.”

All communication, big and small, can affect the brands.

“This is especially relevant to consider now when most of us are visible on social media. It is wise to think twice about if and how our working role at Stena is reflected when posting texts and images,” says Lena Alvling, Global Head of Corporate Identity at Stena AB.

Lena continues: “Be loyal to our brand and always remember that it outlines our promise to our customers and what we stand for. We should be good representatives for the brand online and offline.”

It is also up to everyone to react and report if suspected violations or infringements of our brands and trademarks are noted. These trademark violations can appear in different places. A recent digital case involved someone setting up a home page pretending to be Stena Line.

“We have procedures in place to deal with different kinds of infringements. But we need everyone within Stena to be alert and report any misuse of the brand,” Caroline says.

When it comes to the graphic use of the brand, such as logos, headlines and images, the Corporate Identity Manual outlines what is approved.

Good brand management also includes offering employees a safe and inclusive workplace – and making sure that we are an attractive employer for potential new recruits.

“Our culture is in our DNA. It should be so strong that it attracts highly qualified people and creates loyalty. We should know it by heart and make it part of everything we do,” Lovisa says and concludes.

“The ultimate goal of branding and marketing is always to make us stronger, increase our profits or the customers’ willingness to pay for our products and services.”