Blue. And silent. It was probably completely silent in that small Austrian chapel where the Christmas carol "Silent Night, Holy Night" was played for the first time in 1818. One imagines churchgoers listening devoutly, but perhaps they gradually joined in the singing as well.

When "Silent Night, Holy Night” is intoned during a Christmas service in the year 2019, then it becomes loud and lively. Many voices form a harmonious community, and even the children can sing along. This song is familiar to us, as it triggers a reflective and solemn feeling and is often the highlight of the worship service or the Christmas mass. Everywhere in the world, people sing this Christmas song in over 300 different languages.

In 2018, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of its premiere, exhibitions took place at several locations in the Austrian province of Salzburg, celebrating its anniversary and commemorating its creators. The Salzburg Museum, too, organised an exhibition entitled "Silent Night 200 - History. Message. Present." The director of the museum made the remarkable statement, "Silent Night" is, so to speak, a "superior brand."

Can a song be a brand? The museum director and art historian justified his statement by claiming that "the song works everywhere." In fact, this is an essential characteristic of brands, because communities of faith are built on brands, which contain an emotional bundle of meanings and a promise of values. For many decades, the song "Silent Night, Holy Night" touches and unites people at Christmas in many different places. The familiar, recurrent singing of this song at Christmas time makes them reflect on shared values and traditions, culture and attitudes, and that was probably what he meant by "the song works."

The one thing that is certain is that the song has social relevance, identification power and builds emotional bridges, which are all brand qualities in the best sense of the word. By the way, in 2011, the Austrian UNESCO Commission included the song as “Silent Night - the Christmas Song" in the list of the country's intangible cultural heritage.

Blue. Like the sky over Abu Dhabi. The Louvre in Abu Dhabi, sparkling white and situated directly at the waterside, lets the sun's rays glitter through its domed roof. The architectural masterpiece and the first museum with a universal claim in the Arab world opened its doors in November 2017.

Up to now, the Louvre was something unique and irretrievably connected with Paris. The Louvre is the epitome of museum experiences, the most visited museum in the world and home to the world-famous Mona Lisa. This makes the Louvre the prototype, so to speak, of a strong cultural brand.

The example of Abu Dhabi illustrates how the radiance of a strong brand can be harnessed. The museum should not bear a new name but be called “Louvre”. On the one hand, this is due to the close cooperation with France and the enormous financial support provided by the United Arab Emirates for French museums.

On the other hand, the naming has at the same time gained a leap of faith. The high value and reputation of the Louvre brand are intended to make the museum in Abu Dhabi attractive. To the Arab Emirates, the uniqueness of the Louvre, an important brand requirement, was worth paying 400 million euros for the use of the naming rights. The museum on the Gulf may bear the name Louvre for 30 years.

Time will tell whether the Louvre has sold its soul, as critics claim and whether brands are really for sale and transferable. The decisive factor of a brand, namely its brand loyalty, is certainly not for sale. Moreover, since brand loyalty is human behaviour, we can now build the bridge to Employee Brand Management. Behind strong brands are always the minds that animate the brand from the inside out.

A Short Digression on the Colour Blue. We have not only designed our logo for “Employee Brand Management” in blue because blue is such a beautiful rich colour – our associations and ideas regarding this colour go much further than this, so please accompany us on our short digression.

The flag of the United Nations (UN), characterised by its blue background, the globe and two olive branches, symbolises the UN’s basic concern: the whole world united in peace. For 70 years now, the United Nations has provided a forum for resolving conflicts. On 26 June 1945, the founding countries signed the UN Charter, which stipulates the following UN tasks: the securing of world peace, the monitoring of compliance with public international law, the protection of human rights and the advancement of international cooperation. The UN is divided into six main bodies such as the International Court of Justice and the Security Council as well as numerous subsidiary bodies and specialised agencies.

Blue is also the colour of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), one of 16 specialised agencies of the United Nations, which was established in 1946 “to contribute to peace and security by promoting collaboration among nations through education, science and culture”.

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) is one of the UN’s development bodies and was founded to provide food and healthcare to children affected by after World War II. Since then, UNICEF has provided humanitarian aid to children in emergency situations, based on its guiding principle that children have a right to childhood. The UN Convention on Children’s Rights grants every child in the world the right to life, education and protection against violence. UNICEF has been tasked with helping to realise children’s rights worldwide. The Children’s Fund likewise wears the signal colour blue.

Europe too has chosen blue. “United in diversity” is the motto of the European Union, a unique economic and political partnership among European countries. All EU countries have joined forces to achieve peace and prosperity. Human dignity, freedom, democracy, equality, the rule of law and respect for human rights are the EU’s fundamental values. Started as a mere economic community, the EU has meanwhile developed into an organisation covering many political issues. Its success story is marked by half a century of peace, increased stability and prosperity as well as freedom to travel.

Blue is a symbol of peaceful co-existence, freedom, justice, tolerance, esteem and the protection of others. Therefore, blue is the colour of the UN and of the EU and is internationally recognised as the colour of peace. The soldiers of the peacekeeping forces are called Blue Helmets and, as their name already indicates, they wear blue berets or helmets.

Many good reasons for us to start Employee Brand Management with blue...

Blue. An Emotion. The wavelength and with it also its frequency influence the colour of light. In the visible spectrum, blue is represented within the area from 380 up to 500 wavelengths (nm), starting from deep purple up to greenish blue. Successive contrast reveals that yellow is the complementary colour of blue.

So much about theory and obvious facts. However, each colour is not only a physically measurable wavelength but also a feeling. Colours are unconsciously influencing our brain performance and our behaviour, while undoubtedly having a psychological effect.

For us, blue is the rich, deep colour of vast skies, infinite distance and the oceans. We perceive this colour as pure, fresh and soothing. Shades of blue are said to have a peaceful, positive energy.

Clarity, peace, trust, honesty, understanding, loyalty as well as seriousness are associations people connect with the colour blue. This is certainly one reason why certain companies such as Nivea, Samsung or Ford have designed their brand logos in blue, just to name a few.

Canadian scientists at the University of British Columbia have found out that blue gives us a sense of safety and infinity, which lets us become creative. During their experiments, the psychologists have proven that blue enhances innovative strength and creativity. When we perceive blue, open spaces for inspirations and innovations come into being. We become braver and can break away from usual thinking.

This leads us on the topic of Employee Brand Management. As to our work, we too want to leave the well-trodden paths, while encountering today’s and tomorrow’s changes with innovative concepts. We proceed systemically and holistically, thus finding new perspectives and targets by changing our perception.