In a recent Financial Post blog, a writer mentions three priority-based business cultures: putting employees first, putting customers first and putting the brand first.

It is interesting to see his opinion that between employees and consumers, it doesn’t matter what you put first, so long as you focus deliberately in one direction. The question remains, however, what about putting the brand first? Is it so far irrelevant that it’s become obsolete?

Focusing on customers means receiving and responding to consumer feedback. Source: Stock photo from Foxworthy and Associates

I believe what the writer has written largely applies to small companies and start-ups; that in few rare instances, however, putting the company brand first is still the ideal dynamic for a company.

Take for example, Nike, or Coca Cola whose brand images are potentially the companies’ most valuable assets, so valuable that they often go through major litigation to protect them. In these cases, a shift in focus from brand image would be largely detrimental to the companies. With these examples, it is clear that putting the brand first is not an entirely obsolete practice, and is still not only relevant, but crucial for some companies.

However, it is clear that not all companies are Coca Cola or Nike. Smaller businesses such as Zappos with less value brand names may benefit more from a customer or employee oriented culture. And if you’re looking to become more customer oriented, the writer also offers a few great ideas on how to do so.