Wasted Investment in Branding

Recently, I needed a service call in my home to fix a problem. I don't want to identify the company, but it is a large enterprise which invests lots of money in its brand. The service person was a very nice, chatty guy. As we talked, he proceeded to tell me all about the problems in his company ... how it was losing its local roots ... how disillusioned employees were ... etc., etc. So, all the money that the company had invested in advertising, public relations and community events that had influenced my positive image of their brand ... went right out the window. That's why internal marketing and good employee relations are such a critical component of branding.