How can your company develop a brand purpose that is both aspirational and actionable?
A brand purpose is a statement that defines why your company exists, what value it creates, and who it serves. It is not just a slogan or a mission statement, but a guiding principle that shapes your decisions, actions, and culture. A brand purpose should be both aspirational and actionable, meaning that it should inspire your stakeholders to pursue a higher goal and also provide clear direction on how to achieve it. In this article, you will learn how to develop a brand purpose that is both aspirational and actionable, using a simple framework and some examples.
The first step to developing a brand purpose is to identify your core values, or the beliefs and principles that drive your company. Your core values should reflect what you stand for, what you care about, and what makes you different from your competitors. They should also be authentic, consistent, and relevant to your target audience. To identify your core values, you can use tools such as surveys, interviews, workshops, or brainstorming sessions with your team, customers, partners, and other stakeholders. You can also look at your company history, vision, goals, and challenges, and see what themes emerge. Once you have a list of potential values, you can prioritize them based on their importance and alignment with your company.
-
Developing a brand purpose that's both aspirational and actionable is all about defining your core values clearly and honestly. Here's where ChatGPT comes in handy, and I'm not kidding, it's surprisingly good at this. But it needs the right information. You've got to feed it the real stuff about your company: your history, your biggest wins, your worst flops, what you believe in, and the kind of impact you want to have. This isn't about sounding good; it's about being authentic. For a prompt, you could go with something like: "Help figure out our core values. Here's everything about us: our history, what we stand for, our successes, and failures. Can you help us define a set of core values that truly represent who we are?"
The next step to developing a brand purpose is to define your impact, or the positive change that you want to create in the world. Your impact should be related to your core values, but also go beyond them. It should address a specific problem, need, or opportunity that your company can solve or fulfill. It should also be measurable, realistic, and meaningful to your stakeholders. To define your impact, you can use tools such as the SMART framework, the social return on investment (SROI) model, or the theory of change (TOC) approach. You can also look at your products, services, processes, and partnerships, and see how they contribute to your desired outcomes. Once you have a clear idea of your impact, you can articulate it in a concise and compelling way.
-
Some steps to define your impact are: - Identify specific problems, needs or opportunities to find where your company make a difference and ensure it aligns with your core values. - Ensure measurability to allow you to track progress. You can use tools like the SMART framework to set goals. - Engage stakeholders to ensure the impact is meaningful to them. - Utilize impact assessment tools: such as SROI model or the TOC approach. - Create a tangible roadmap: provide practical steps for your company to take, making your brand purpose both inspiring and achievable. These steps shape a brand purpose that is actionable, measurable and aligned with stakeholders but also ensures your company's meaningful impact.
The final step to developing a brand purpose is to communicate it effectively to your internal and external stakeholders. Your purpose should be embedded in every aspect of your brand identity, such as your name, logo, tagline, story, voice, tone, and visuals. It should also be expressed in every touchpoint of your customer journey, such as your website, social media, advertising, packaging, events, and customer service. It should also be reinforced in your organizational culture, such as your policies, practices, incentives, and recognition. To communicate your purpose, you can use tools such as the golden circle model, the brand pyramid, or the brand archetype framework. You can also look at best practices and examples from other brands that have successfully communicated their purpose.
-
Effective brand communication is key to ensuring all elements in the strategy are presented to our target audience and stakeholders. Some key aspects to take into consideration when communicating your purpose: - Plan concrete initiatives, breaking down the purpose into actionable tasks and projects. - Engage with the community, encouraging their participation and involvement in your purpose. - Have consistent messaging across all channels. - Be transparent and authentic - Use accessible language - Use visual elements to generate impact - Measure and Iterate to track the progress of the initiatives and adapt the strategies
-
I believe, brand purpose should be embedded in every aspect of your brand identity, such as your name, logo, tagline, story, voice, tone, and visuals. It should also be expressed in every touchpoint of your customer journey, such as your website, social media, advertising, packaging, events, and customer service.
Rate this article
More relevant reading
-
Business StrategyWhat are the key factors to building a strong brand identity during business expansion?
-
Brand ManagementHow do you create an emotional connection with customers through your brand's values and purpose?
-
Brand StrategyWhat do you do if your brand strategy clashes with the creative team's vision?
-
EntrepreneurshipWhat are the key components of a brand that supports growth?