April 24, 2012, NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Marketing leaders today are facing enormous pressures trying to attract and retain customers; struggling to do more with fewer resources, while facing unprecedented options for customers to consume advertising and marketing messages, only to be lost in the noise. A new research summary produced by the business thought leadership organization, The Forum: Business Results Through People, shows that an organization’s own employees can provide a critical competitive edge.

The report, “Why Marketers Should Care About the Health of their Internal Culture,” is the first in a new series of targeted and concise research packages designed for marketing executives. Its author, Dr. James Oakley of Purdue University, says that the research focuses on employees who have no face-to-face contact with an organization’s customers. “This is a particularly intriguing angle given the rise of service and internet-based organizations where in-person interaction is limited or even non-existent. These channels are often the most difficult for marketers to successfully navigate,” according to Dr. Oakley.

The research summary demonstrates a direct link between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction, and between customer satisfaction and improved financial performance. Further, it shows that satisfied employees see their positive attitudes transferred directly to satisfied customers, with employees acting as brand ambassadors for the company.

The research suggests marketing leaders support company employee engagement programs, involve employees in the design of external marketing initiatives, and work with company leadership to promote a strong cooperative internal culture.

To read the entire research summary, please visit The Forum’s website, www.businessresultsthroughpeople.org and click on the Research tab.

About the Forum
The Forum (www.BusinessResultsThroughPeople.org), affiliated with Northwestern University, is an organization for thought leadership advocating the most effective way business leaders create and sustain organizational value is through partnership with people.

CONTACTS:
Sue Voyles - 734.667.2005 sue@logos-communications.com
Susan Peterson – 630.369.7780 Sue@BusinessResultsThroughPeople.org

About the Forum
The Forum (www.BusinessResultsThroughPeople.org), affiliated with Northwestern University, is an organization for thought leadership advocating the most effective way business leaders create and sustain organizational value is through partnership with people.

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Naperville, IL 60563

This release was published on openPR.