Brand image, reputation, corporate culture... 🎯 How can you engage internally and externally in the B2B sector? How can you differentiate yourself sustainably while remaining true to your values? To find out, let's ask a major European player in the B2B-Profile, Manutan!
Who are Manutan? 🤓 A partner of businesses, communities, and artisans, specializing in the distribution of equipment and supplies.
Elsa d'Andréa, Director of Communications of the Manutan group and member of Club We Are COM, entrusts us the ins and outs of an authentic, engaging and forward-looking B2B strategy. 🚀 Ready to explore best practices for mindfulness in the age of information overload?
Hello Elsa, first of all, what definition would you give to brand image, particularly in the B2B sector?
Generally speaking, brand image is the perception of a company by its ecosystem, internal as externalHow do stakeholders see it? What do they associate it with? Everything that emanates from a company impacts its identity: positioning, values, reputation, communication actions, internal culture, voice of employees, etc.
In the B2B sector, a strong brand image is all the more essential asIt helps to build credibility, trust and preferenceWhen competition is fierce, standing out is necessary to retain customers and attract new prospects.
How do stakeholders see it? What do they associate it with?
At We Are COM we are curious, we would like to know how your Communications Department is organized?
Our Communications Department covers institutional and internal communications. To this end, I manage a team of 5 people : a corporate COM and CSR manager, an internal COM and employer brand manager, a social media manager, a videographer photographer and a versatile work-study student. 🙂
What are the major strategic challenges at Manutan today and why? Who are your targets?
At Manutan, our ambition is to go beyond our simple function – namely the distribution of equipment and services to businesses and communities. Behind our mission, “Undertaking for a better world”, we are a committed player for a more sustainable future. To achieve this goal, we need to bring our entire ecosystem on board.
Also, in terms of corporate communication, our strategic challenges are structured around three major priorities.
- Be an inspiring company, by making our mission a differentiating element on the market. To do this, we deploy strong and authentic communication, we reaffirm our commitment and our positive impact.
- Promote our commitments on the panel CSRWe value our strong initiatives: product environmental impact score, responsible offering, integrated hub to promote the circular economy... Our teams play a key role in this transformation, they are the agents of change.
- Strengthen the feeling of belonging by personalizing the employee experience and investing in the employer brand. Employees are the brand's primary ambassadors; it's important to unite them around a vision, values, and rituals.
At Manutan, our ambition is to go beyond our simple function.
Precisely, in the very specific world of B2B, how do you make yourself known to the general public? What communications do you implement?
In B2B, public awareness is a strategic lever. It strengthens the company's credibility, attracts talent, and even influences decision-makers. How to make yourself known to the general public? We activate multiple communication levers : press relations, public relations, sponsoring, partnerships, advertising and employer branding.
As an example and concerning the employer brand aspect, our film “We don’t know each other, but we’re going to love you.” aimed to promote our HR policy to attract new talent. This campaign, which we boosted on social media, was viewed more than 1,5 million times, generating 4 applications.
It's often said that the best ambassadors are employees. How can you promote corporate culture internally to make it shine externally?
Indeed, There are no better ambassadors than employees! To make the internal shine externally, it seems to me that three things are essential: commitment, valorization and corporate culture.
First of all, We engage our employees by establishing regular communication rituals. Internal events reinforce the sense of belonging. These rituals are designed with complete transparency in mind, so that every employee has access to the same level of information. For example, we organize plenary sessions (monthly and exceptional) to share our strategic objectives, results, successes, projects, etc. with the entire Group. At the same time, and throughout the year, our intranet takes over this transparency.
To go even further in this commitment, We are considering implementing a social media ambassador program. We believe that the authentic voice of an employee has a greater impact than that of the company itself.
In a second time, We are committed to promoting the successes of our employees, particularly by sharing their inspiring stories and daily achievements. This sharing takes place through our plenary sessions, our intranet, our corporate website, and our social media. The other element to promote is our CSR strategy. Our initiatives are highlighted across all channels. We communicate, among other things, about our CSR report and our internal “CSR Month,” an initiative that encourages employees to get involved.
Making the internal shine also means communicate about our corporate culture and its values. It is imperative that the values we display are truly embodied on a daily basis, that our management rituals contribute to the development of each individual, and that our HR policy is designed with the employee in mind. We are extremely proud that all of this is bearing fruit, since we are a certified company. Great Place to Work for the 9th consecutive year.
Finally fulfillment also comes through the workspace. Ours are designed by and for our employees. Our headquarters in Gonesse, for example, has a gym, fitness rooms, a restaurant run by a chef, a concierge service, and more.
To make the internal shine externally, it seems to me that three things are essential: commitment, valorization and corporate culture.
In your opinion, what major developments will impact brand communication in the years to come, particularly in terms of awareness, in a world where information is saturated?
Indeed, The more information the public is overwhelmed with, the harder it is to capture their attention. When information consumption patterns evolve, communication must imperatively adapt.
First of all, brands will increasingly need to focus on differentiation. At Manutan, our uniqueness lies in our mission, which is why all of our corporate communications are guided by it. The brands of tomorrow will be those that succeed in creating an emotional connection by truly engaging on societal issues.
Branding is no longer limited to the unilateral voice of a company, but is based on multiple and impactful discourses, those of stakeholders... We must agree to let go of some control of communication by letting everyone tell their story, their feelings.
Moreover, it seems to me that Authenticity and transparency are essential to reach the audience with emotionToday, customers expect honest communication from brands; they need to communicate about everything, even their imperfections.
Finally, I think it is essential to diversify, to vary the tools, formats and communication channels. More than ever, brands must adopt a global, coherent and impactful approach. To do this, AI is at our service. At Manutan, we've taken the plunge: content, visuals, videos, soundtracks, translations... We are trying to make the most of artificial intelligence.
When information consumption patterns evolve, communication must imperatively adapt.
Before we leave, do you have any final advice for We Are COM readers?
Communication is not an exact science! Surround yourself with experts, while trusting your common sense and intuition. I would add that to think outside the box effectively, nothing beats test & learn.
3 things to know about Elsa d'Andréa
His sources of inspiration? Elsa is an avid reader. Fred Vargas, Anna Gavalda, Douglas Kennedy, Juliette Benzoni, Freida McFadden… She's an eclectic reader. And when it comes to movies, Elsa enjoys immersing herself in science fiction. She believes imagination helps us build the future.
His favorite COM campaign? “Amazon's Christmas Melody”, a campaign that she finds both surprising and kind. This anthem of generosity particularly touches her.
His passions ? Cooking for her family and friends, even if she admits she is not always a true cordon bleu. 🙂
