Corporate hero as a branding tool – the case of Datagroup
The corporate hero is one of the most popular marketing tools. It is a certain visual image, an animate object or a real person that triggers an emotional impact mechanism. It helps strengthen the audience’s connection to the brand, emphasize the main idea of the product and increase the company’s recognition.
How a corporate hero helps to train employees told us about Alina Gakh – Leading Specialist of Personnel Training and Development at Datagroup.
Datagroup is an all-Ukrainian communication operator for business and home. The company has been well known in the market for two decades, especially among corporate customers. Its main focus is building secure corporate networks, Internet access, banking services, data center services, telephony, cloud services and DataProtect cybersecurity services. For network operators and providers Datagroup provides high-speed access to the global Internet network, distributed fiber-optic network in Ukraine, Europe, and Asia. Quite recently, Datagroup has purchased Volia, the leading Ukrainian provider of pay television and high speed cable Internet access. Thus, Datagroup became a part of the retail market of telecom services and a new national leader on the Ukrainian market of fixed-line communications.
— Alina, tell us how long has e-learning been implemented in your company and what was the reason for this decision?
— Datagroup’s distance learning portal is called DataLab. It was first launched in September 2016. Our offices are all over Ukraine and DLS perfectly covers the need for training in this case. Our knowledge is divided into 2 parts – mandatory for each employee, and those that increase the efficiency of our work, they are not mandatory, but very useful. Distant training helps when there is a standard important information for each employee of the company, and in this case there’s no need to gather the employees for offline trainings, tearing them away from work. Important knowledge for work in the company is available to everyone, literally in their pocket, at any time convenient for them. And during quarantine restrictions, e-learning is not only the only way to learn safely, but also a good teambuilding option. A webinar with colleagues, where everyone can join in a discussion, ask a question, or just write in the comments, takes us back to that wonderful time when we all worked together in the same office and found time for a little break for tea with colleagues.
— Tell us in more detail about your corporate hero Datic.
— (A little bit of my personal history: I am the third DataLab administrator. I met Datik at ElLab#2 training in 2018. Already then Datic inspired me, and I think I fell in love with him. So after 3 years I became a part of Datagroup. Therefore I know the history of creation only in the retold form).
We have our own corporate favorite, Datic – our main distance learning specialist, personal assistant in development issues, and just a great guy. He works “in the field” – that is, in the distance learning system itself, on the DataLab portal. The idea for it came along with the introduction of the portal. I still have the first Datic on my desk, which was made out of plasticine. The name was chosen by voting in the Company, so we decided everything together. It turned out very consonant – Datagroup’s hero Datic.
— Where do you use the corporate hero?
— All training communication is done on behalf of Datic. He informs employees about new tasks on the DataLab portal, makes hints in courses and answers any questions that may arise in training.
We have big soft toys in the form of Datic, which are in almost every office.
We have stickers with him in our welcome box. I love to call my colleagues and start the conversation with the phrase “Good afternoon, I’m calling on behalf of Datic…” Immediately I hear my colleagues’ spirits rise and the conversation flows in an easy and friendly way. And there is always time to listen to me, to talk, because Datic makes me happy and puts me in a good mood.
— How do your employees respond to Datic? Does it help motivate employees?
— It’s funny, but it works great even with adults. The fact is that Datic is Datic, he’s always in a good mood, he’s always inspiring and motivating. If a real person may or may not like him, and our willingness/unwillingness to approach him with any question depends on it, then Datic is not feared, he is loved.
— What benefits do you see from having a corporate hero?
— Corporate training is a plushie from the Company, which is created for the benefit of the employee himself, but even in such conditions not everyone realizes how lucky he is. Training even for adults and serious people should be delicious and interesting. Dry and boring is easy to do, but it doesn’t work. Any training material should be presented beautifully, juicy, only then there will be motivation to spend their valuable time on training. Corporate hero is the same element of gamification. Introduce each employee to him, tell him who he is and what he can help with. Use him as often as possible, so the entire company knows his hero by sight. And when he wins the heart of his colleagues, you only have to use his authority. It should be remembered that HR is, in principle, the main mouthpiece of any company’s culture, its news and daily life. Having such a hero gives us greater recognition, resonance and memorability, and a closer relationship with our readers. This is part of the company’s history and an inherent attribute.
A corporate hero helps to bring brand communication with employees to a higher level. Allows you to see the face of the company and remember it better.
Advantages of using a corporate hero:
- Allows you to quickly attract attention, and win the favor of employees. Training with cartoon mascot characters seems more friendly, fun and open.
- Increases the appeal of training and work in general. Employees become attached to brand characters.
- The corporate hero provides an emotional and memorable experience of user interaction with the brand.
- Serves as a business’s calling card. Corporate mascot characters are well remembered and are a means of identifying and increasing brand recognition.
Read our other cases:
- Personnel training – experience of the “KreditMarket” company
- Personnel Adaptation – Experience of Planet Kino
- Development of corporate culture with the help of LMS Collaborator: KNESS Group experience
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- How KERNEL and ViYar advertise and engage learning
- The use of the training rating – the case of SOCAR Energy Ukraine
