Virtual Incentives explored the relationship between employee recognition and brand advocacy in a December 9, 2013 article using examples from five large organizations.

The company discussed Apple, The Body Shop, Dell, Kaiser Permanente and Unilever to illustrate different ways employees could learn about and participate in a brand’s activities. The examples covered product familiarity, internal communication, environmental training, social participation and previews of new initiatives.

These examples were presented as recognition and communication approaches observed by Virtual Incentives, rather than customer implementations of its own software.

The provider’s accompanying product description concerned a customizable virtual prepaid platform linking achievements with rewards, rebates and offers. It proposed small rewards as one component of recognizing employees when a company could not simply give staff its own consumer products.

The article argued that employees’ understanding of an organization affects how they represent it to customers and potential colleagues. Its focus was the connection between internal engagement and external brand relationships, with prepaid rewards positioned as a supporting tool.