This week we discussed the many mistakes the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation made in communicating their brand to the public after deciding to withdraw support for Planned Parenthood, but I think it’s also interesting how this organization failed to properly communicate their brand internally before making that fateful decision. Refusing fund to Planned Parenthood contributed nothing towards ending breast cancer; in fact, it did the exact opposite… denying money to an organization that provides around 500,000 breast cancer screenings each year.

Many organizations spend a great deal of energy to communicate who they are to the outside world, but fail to remind their own employees on a regular basis. These are the same employees who take part in presenting what the organization stands for on a daily basis; not just in formal correspondence, but in regular social situations (such as discussing what they do at a party or a networking event). It’s easy for a staff member to get caught up in individual tasks and forget the mission these tasks serve. The brand, as an extension of the mission, should always be present in the work we do and how we communicate this work to the outside world, along with to each other.