The Benefits of Branding with Corporate Apparel

The purpose of branding is to create a distinct and lasting impression of a company. Effective branding creates a unique, persistent identity that people associate with quality, origin, personality and preference. Yet building a brand can require considerable investment and time. Corporate apparel offers a cost-effective branding option. Adopting corporate apparel has both internal and external benefits for a company.

Creating a Corporate Culture

One of the most significant advantages of corporate apparel is that it helps to build a distinct corporate culture among employees. The wide variety of corporate apparel items also makes it easy to find a comfortable and chic option that employees will love. Beyond simply making it easier for employees to choose an outfit in the morning, corporate apparel fosters identification with the company’s values and mission.

• Corporate apparel establishes an automatic dress code that is both professional and comfortable. Because employees see corporate apparel as a more casual wardrobe option, they generally report higher satisfaction and morale after a switch to corporate apparel.
• Since all employees wear the same thing, the distinction between management and subordinates is blurred. Removing this barrier promotes communication and cooperation among employees.
• Employees who wear corporate apparel generally identify more strongly with their company’s values, mission, and goals. They also feel more accountable for upholding those principles, and are more likely to strive to represent the company well. This dedication often results in definitively better customer service.

Building a Reliable Image

Corporate apparel offers an economical--and highly effective--branding method. Companies that use corporate apparel enjoy significantly improved perceptions among customers and clients. These attitudes translate into increased customer loyalty and higher sales.

• Customers tend to associate corporate apparel with large, well established companies. That kind of image bolsters their confidence in a company’s professionalism and skills, meaning that they are more likely to feel secure in making a purchase.
• Consistency sells. When customers can rely on having the same positive experience every time they work with a certain company, they are more likely to continue to patronize that business. Corporate apparel provides a consistent appearance for all employees, reinforcing that feeling of reliability.
• People associate branded items with higher quality. When consumers are presented with items of identical quality, one bearing a brand, they inevitably identify the branded item as the higher-quality one. Corporate apparel taps into that perception, elevating the apparent quality of your company.
• Corporate apparel gives employees specific authority. Customers tend to view employees who wear corporate apparel as both brand ambassadors and experts in their field. This opinion increases their confidence in employees’ competence and ability to meet their needs.

Ultimately, corporate apparel allows companies to improve their image among both employees and the public. A relatively inexpensive option for branding, corporate apparel promotes communication and loyalty among employees, while boosting public perception of a company’s reliability and expertise.