Listen "2 Common Brand Values Missteps That Keep Companies From Creating Authentic and Interesting Brands"
Episode Synopsis
Authentic brand values are one of the most critical parts of your brand strategy. Most companies have some version of them posterized on a wall in their often - often labeled as ‘Core Values’.
So many companies find it necessary to have these values but very few of them actually have ones that are distinctive - truly authentic to the brand they’re building.
Think about it: how many times have you seen companies with values like ‘customer service’ and ‘quality’ and ‘professionalism’?
It’s like all these organizations use the same 10-word handbook of ‘core values’ and then just pick their favorite 5 to 7. And while these values aren’t usually bad, in and of themselves, they leave everyone (leadership, employees, customers, and even vendors) wanting something more.
Authentic Brand Values are Different
True, authentic brand values help inform everyone about the core beliefs and ethics of the organization. They flow from the purpose of the company. And when they’re expressed deeply and creatively, they become something much more powerful than a list of words that everyone learns on Day 1 of employment and then never thinks about again.
Let’s take the example of Southwest Airlines for a moment. Here are their values:
Live the Southwest Way:
Warrior Spirit
Servant’s Heart
Fun-LUVing Attitude
Work the Southwest Way
Safety and Reliability
Friendly Customer Service
Low Cost
What can we notice about these values? They start with ‘why’ and are highly internalized. They’re specific. And they are unique.
Look at the first one: ‘Warrior Spirit’ brings to mind resoluteness, tenacity, and action. It helps us identify that this is not just about behavior (outward actions) but a mental state. It shows us how the value can be internalized and then expressed outwardly.
Southwest could have just said: “action” or “tenacity”. But these would have only guided us to an outward behavior. Instead, they depict the frame of mind representatives of the organization need to be in - and if they’re not, no outward action will be quite right.
And when we think about the experiences Southwest has built, they reflect that their brand values start from within. They’re not just surface level, superficial beliefs that everyone in the organization talks about but doesn’t really believe or internalize. No, it's clear that most staff and leadership, in most situations, really believe in these values. And that leads to truly authentic, resonant experiences that keep customers coming back again and again.
Gutcheck Your Values
So maybe you’ve got some brand values already. How deep do they go? Are they truly unique and different? Do they help everyone in your company really understand the mindset of the brand? Do they inspire people to create experiences that ring true to the brand?
If the answers are not a resounding ‘yes’ it might be worth revisiting your brand values. And as you do, here are two common missteps in discovering your true brand values. This will help you discover and communicate your values with authenticity and clarity.
Misstep #1: Mistaking Goals (or Outcomes) for Authentic Brand Values
I often find this misstep with companies with strong, visionary, action-oriented leaders. These leaders mean well - and they are great at getting everyone on the same page about where they want to go as an organization. They see the world in outcomes and goals - what are we trying to achieve? And then point everything back to these future achievements.
The problem is that values are intrinsically not goals. If they were they would constantly need to change. Instead, we should think of values as beliefs or ethics or viewpoints on the world. They are lasting guideposts for how a brand should behave.
Here’s a common goal that is confused for a value: ‘Success’.
You might be asking, “That actually sounds like a decent brand value. I mean success isn’t bad, right?
So many companies find it necessary to have these values but very few of them actually have ones that are distinctive - truly authentic to the brand they’re building.
Think about it: how many times have you seen companies with values like ‘customer service’ and ‘quality’ and ‘professionalism’?
It’s like all these organizations use the same 10-word handbook of ‘core values’ and then just pick their favorite 5 to 7. And while these values aren’t usually bad, in and of themselves, they leave everyone (leadership, employees, customers, and even vendors) wanting something more.
Authentic Brand Values are Different
True, authentic brand values help inform everyone about the core beliefs and ethics of the organization. They flow from the purpose of the company. And when they’re expressed deeply and creatively, they become something much more powerful than a list of words that everyone learns on Day 1 of employment and then never thinks about again.
Let’s take the example of Southwest Airlines for a moment. Here are their values:
Live the Southwest Way:
Warrior Spirit
Servant’s Heart
Fun-LUVing Attitude
Work the Southwest Way
Safety and Reliability
Friendly Customer Service
Low Cost
What can we notice about these values? They start with ‘why’ and are highly internalized. They’re specific. And they are unique.
Look at the first one: ‘Warrior Spirit’ brings to mind resoluteness, tenacity, and action. It helps us identify that this is not just about behavior (outward actions) but a mental state. It shows us how the value can be internalized and then expressed outwardly.
Southwest could have just said: “action” or “tenacity”. But these would have only guided us to an outward behavior. Instead, they depict the frame of mind representatives of the organization need to be in - and if they’re not, no outward action will be quite right.
And when we think about the experiences Southwest has built, they reflect that their brand values start from within. They’re not just surface level, superficial beliefs that everyone in the organization talks about but doesn’t really believe or internalize. No, it's clear that most staff and leadership, in most situations, really believe in these values. And that leads to truly authentic, resonant experiences that keep customers coming back again and again.
Gutcheck Your Values
So maybe you’ve got some brand values already. How deep do they go? Are they truly unique and different? Do they help everyone in your company really understand the mindset of the brand? Do they inspire people to create experiences that ring true to the brand?
If the answers are not a resounding ‘yes’ it might be worth revisiting your brand values. And as you do, here are two common missteps in discovering your true brand values. This will help you discover and communicate your values with authenticity and clarity.
Misstep #1: Mistaking Goals (or Outcomes) for Authentic Brand Values
I often find this misstep with companies with strong, visionary, action-oriented leaders. These leaders mean well - and they are great at getting everyone on the same page about where they want to go as an organization. They see the world in outcomes and goals - what are we trying to achieve? And then point everything back to these future achievements.
The problem is that values are intrinsically not goals. If they were they would constantly need to change. Instead, we should think of values as beliefs or ethics or viewpoints on the world. They are lasting guideposts for how a brand should behave.
Here’s a common goal that is confused for a value: ‘Success’.
You might be asking, “That actually sounds like a decent brand value. I mean success isn’t bad, right?
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15/03/2023