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Tag: Purpose

Meaningful Brands Keep Promises

Posted on by Jerry Holtaway

Meaningful Brands are not so easy to come by

Is your brand strategy working as hard as it could be? Or is it being held back by these all-too-common corporate traits: myopia, narrow-mindedness, and self-centeredness? Does your brand strategy focus only on the “what” and “how” of your offering? Does it mostly talk to senior management in the cryptic language only MBAs understand?

If so, your brand isn’t hitting the right notes in today’s marketplace. Today’s most innovative and successful brands are built upon a different premise. They seek to forge meaningful connections with people, not solely through products or marketing claims, but through the added idea of purpose-beyond-profit. As such, they build their brand strategies out from the greater world in which they operate, not from the deep, dark corners of the C-suite.

Continue reading “Meaningful Brands Keep Promises”

CSR and Purpose-Driven Brands Go Hand in Hand

Posted on by Dann Wilkens

CSR and purpose go hand in hand.  We are always moved when companies make a profound effort to identify and then act on a social issue. Especially very large companies. We know how hard it can be. It’s not always obvious how to identify an issue that matters to your brand, and then do the hard work to identify the brand with solutions that matter to people.

Making a CSR part of the brand’s core purpose takes commitment from the top. It takes time and it takes money. But it can have a huge pay-off when handled with authentic, sincere, and meaningful programs that are appropriate for the markets in which Continue reading “CSR and Purpose-Driven Brands Go Hand in Hand”

Should Your Business Embrace a Purpose-led Brand Strategy?

Posted on by Jerry Holtaway

Purpose-led

The notion of purpose-led  does more than make brands appealing to people – it makes money for the businesses that embrace the concept. So claims the chairman of Deloitte, an active evangelist for the “squishy business attribute” called purpose.

Why invest in a woolly, emotional, and squishy idea like purpose? Won’t it be hard to get everyone in my organization and all my customers to understand and embrace it? What is it really beyond a set of words? What value does brand strategy deliver?

These are the questions I often confront as a proponent of empathy, purpose, and emotion. It’s the question of the never-relenting ROI monster, “What’s in it for me?”

Well, here’s the answer, from no one less than the chairman of the world’s largest audit, tax, and consulting firm, Deloitte.

Majority of employees and executives sense lack of purpose and meaningful impact

In a past interview with Bruce Rogers, Forbes’s Chief Insights Officer, Punit Renjen put it simply: “Our research reveals the need for organizations to cultivate and foster a culture of purpose.”

Deloitte’s research has revealed that 91% of respondents who said their company has a strong sense of purpose, also has a history of strong financial performance. Yet, 68% of employees and 66% of executives believe businesses do not do enough to create a sense of purpose and deliver meaningful impact on all stakeholders.

Walking the talk with a $300 million investment to bring mission and purpose to life for Deloitte’s customers and employees

Punit practices what he preaches, and has invested $300 million to ensure his own firm’s mission and purpose is clearly understood by its customers and its nearly 60,000 employees in the U.S. “It’s not just words on a piece of paper,” said Punit.

“My goal is to change the conversation about what makes companies succeed,” Punit continues. And certainly the mission is good for Deloitte and serves to position the firm as a thought leader in how businesses operate best in today’s complicated, global economy. But perhaps more importantly, as Punit states frankly, “it just feels good.”

From squishy idea to profitable business practice

I believe in the concept of purpose when it recognizes, through an empathetic attitude, the needs, values, interests, and aspirations of people. Not a bunch of corporate mumbo-jumbo, but a clear, heartfelt, and human statement of purpose.

Brands need to create a reason for being that resonates deeply with everyone from the C-suite to the night guard; from the close-in, long-term customer to the distant prospect; and from the most loyal employee to the hungry-for-meaning young recruit.

Oh, and there’s one more thing

Brands need to seriously invest time and money to transform the purpose concept into an active driver of personal ambition, behavior, and gratification. In other words, to do what it takes to create a culture of purpose that goes beyond “just words on a piece of paper”. That is, a culture that creates meaningful impact each and every day. It’s not easy to do, but the rewards are there for the brands that want to stand above the rest. We have authored a white paper entitled The Meaningful Workplace which you might enjoy.

Is it time to kick-start your brand strategy and embrace these ideas? Click here  to see what clients have worked with Emotive Brand to implement purpose-led brand strategies.

A Brand’s Purpose is Not a Tagline!

Posted on by Jerry Holtaway

Once again drawing from our white paper, “Transforming your brand into an emotive brand“, we explore another of the key drivers of our thinking, “Purpose Beyond Profit”.

Here’s how we recap this idea in our paper:

As an emotive brand, your brand lives to a promise that embodies a purpose that goes well beyond profit. As such, you use your brand’s promise to establish and reinforce the higher-ground connection that customers and employees find emotionally meaningful. By thinking beyond profit, you reveal your commitment to connecting with people in truly significant ways.

Look beyond profit and thrive 

For decades, enterprises have had “mission” statements, “vision” statements, and  “values”. Check almost any corporate website and you’ll find these “drivers” of the business buried deep down and many clicks away from the surface.

Despite having taken on these important steps to say what their business is all about, there’s often a big difference between what they intend, and the effect they have. The fact is, these tools of business have rarely gained much traction outside of the C-suite.

A “purpose” is a more powerful and effective tool because it engages in a way that matters to a wide range of people across an organization. It is not dry, administrative, and full of corporate jargon. It doesn’t set a goal that feels irrelevant outside the C-suite. Rather it is an idea that touches upon a quest for meaning and purpose that  is universal in appeal, while at the same time relevant to the business.

Continue reading “A Brand’s Purpose is Not a Tagline!”

Where Does Brand End and Reputation Begin?

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

Confusing Branding Terms

It seems so many ” branding terms ” are being rendered meaningless these days and we tend to blur the difference between them. We use specific words in a broader context than originally intended. Often, we use words as umbrellas to bring together a multitude of ideas. But, among us, we’re not consistent in the way these words are used.

As a result, if you ask three business people what a particular word means, you’ll get no fewer than five answers.

Take these two words as examples: “Brand” and “Reputation”

What does each mean? What are the differences between them? Where does one end, and the other begin? Why is it important to understand what makes them different from each other.

To quote from our paper, “The Path to a Brand’s Meaningful Reputation:”

“For many, there is no distinct line between the meaning of a brand and its reputation. However, by intentionally creating a line between the two, at a point where one can presume one ends and the other begins, one starts to see clearly how a brand drives its reputation.”

To us, there is a big difference between the two words.

“Brand” is the things you can control (e.g. your identity, products, services, and behavior).

“Reputation” is something people control through their perceptions of what you offer, how you do business, and why you matter to them (if at all).

When viewed in this light, it becomes easier to see how important your brand is in shaping the reputation of your business.

Working from the platform of what your business does, and how it does it, people put you into a “good reputation for X” box within their hearts and minds.

If you truly matter to someone, your business is the only one in that box, and gets chosen every time.

If, on the other hand, your behavior doesn’t strike an appropriate give and take between what your business does and what people are seeking, that box can be very crowded.

And, as others in that box work to enhance their reputations by making their business matter more to people, your offering loses more and more appeal.

Others rise above you, because they better match what they do – and how they do it – to the needs, beliefs, interests, and aspirations of people who want to create more meaning in their lives.

These people gravitate to businesses and brands that help them do things better, achieve more, and live more fulfilling lives.

They seek to align themselves with businesses that have a clear and appealing purpose beyond profit.

They appreciate when businesses deal with them in ways that make them feel that they are valued, that the company is a caring one, and that doing business with the company is a smart and respectable choice.

Curious about brand strategy and your brand’s reputation? Download: Where does your brand end and your reputation begin?

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

How Do You Create a Product that Matters?

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

Whatever industry you are in, whatever kind of buyer you target, whatever distribution system you use, whatever your promotional budget, you can’t afford for your product to be a lemon.

It needs to stand out from the field in unique and meaningful ways.

This can be hard to accomplish when you’re working to business-as-usual.

After all, your competition is generally using the same technology, same ideology, and same processes to create, distribute, and promote its products.

And, even if you are able to jump ahead of the competition in some significant way, they’re able to catch up so quickly that your advantage is short-lived.

That’s why, in crowded, cluttered, and confused categories, it’s essential to break through, to rise above, and to matter in meaningful ways.

But we see many products fail to matter from the get-go.

Few notice when they come to market.

They find themselves quickly relegated to the blurry corners of the category, the internet, and the shelf.

Why do so many products fail to break through the clutter?

Because, all too often, product designers aren’t engaged around the idea of what makes a product truly matter to people today.

That’s because the company they work for hasn’t adopted a clear, concise, and compelling Purpose Beyond Profit.

The company is still doing business-as-usual and not taking steps to transform itself through meaning.

As such, the company’s product designers don’t seize the opportunity to design products that represent, encapsulate, and magnify the best intentions of the company.

The resulting products, while worthy unto themselves, don’t leverage, add to, or amplify a bigger story designed to differentiate and create appeal for the business.

In the end, too many products are too narrow in their goals; they are solely focused on the immediate problem or opportunity and do not benefit from deep insights into why what they’re building will matter to people.

When product people work toward a higher purpose, products that matter become a natural result

When a company is driven by a Purpose Beyond Profit, product designers join the rest of the company in working toward a meaningful ambition.

They design products that matter because the solutions they offer reflect not only an answer to the immediate needs of buyers, but also a carry a response to the more holistic hopes, desires, and aspirations of buyers seeking to create new meaning in their lives.

The nature, intent, and scope of that higher purpose helps product designers to craft ideas that matter.

This is not about adding a layer of purpose on top of the product, but rather it’s about baking the purpose into the product at the earliest conceptual stages.

Indeed, the starting point of design for products that matter isn’t technology

Rather, meaningful design starts with the lives of the people who will, one day, learn about the product, try the product, use the product (perhaps over and over again), and talk about the product, and the company behind it, with family and friends.

A Purpose Beyond Profit merges the holistic needs of buyers with what the company does and how it does it.

It is a guiding light, a purposeful stimulant, and an effective filter for designers of products, and for everyone else in the company.

As such, the products purpose-driven designers create work in a broader context than immediate problem-solving, easier ways to do things, or new advantages owing to new technology.

Products that are vivid demonstrations of the business’s Purpose Beyond Profit

These are products that break through the clutter, rise above the crowd, and matter in powerfully meaningful ways.

People don’t simply “buy” these products, they “buy-into” the idea of the product.

They don’t simply “use” these products, they “incorporate” them into their lives.

They don’t simply “acknowledge” they use these products, they “advocate” the use of these products.

The results of buying-into, incorporating, and advocating, add to both the economic and emotional value of your business.

People look forward to your next product idea.

Not with the expectation of a simple “wow” feature, but with the heartfelt belief that your next product will, once again, help them create new meaning in their lives.

In other words, a new product that matters from a company people respect, admire, and support.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

Why Every CEO Should Pursue a Purpose Beyond Profit

Posted on by Jerry Holtaway

It’s textbook management practice to formalize a company’s “mission, vision and values.”

And while these are important steps in helping form a direction and way of being for a company, many CEOs are nonetheless challenged with a litany of business issues:

  • Unengaged employees
  • An inability to attract the new talent needed
  • Customer defection
  • Lack of marketplace differentiation
  • Dissatisfied shareholders

This list goes on and on, doesn’t it?

Behind each of these business challenges is a big question: How can my business matter more to people?

When your business truly matters to people, they are far more likely to do what you need them to do.

They work with enthusiasm. They line up to join your organization. They become loyal advocates of your company. They put you at the head of the competitive field. They invest in your future.

How do you get your business to matter to people?

Modern businesses identify a “Purpose Beyond Profit”.

They step back and look at what they’ve been doing with fresh eyes.

They distill all the good that is buried under the layers, the data, and the anxiety.

They think about what people are really connecting to these days: companies that are doing good things, making work worthwhile, shaping a better future, and being a good citizen.

They then create a purpose that bridges what the company does well, and what people want from the company.

Operating on a higher, more emotional level than the obvious and the required business goal of making a profit, a Purpose Beyond Profit lifts spirits, engages minds, and touches hearts.

Easier said than done.

The biggest challenge for a CEO and team is to get the necessary perspective needed to sift through their complex business situation, and to arrive at the “truths” about the company that will fuel a meaningful, impactful, and hard-working Purpose Beyond Profit.

Which is why we have developed a method of helping companies reveal the hidden meaning of what they do, and to bring that to the surface through a compelling purpose beyond profit. We do this through emotive branding which is our brand strategy methodology.

We also help activate workplaces and marketplaces around a company’s Purpose Beyond Profit – with the goal of changing the way people see, think about, and act on behalf of the company.

CEOs who want their companies to be stronger today, and better fit for the future, will define – and heartily embrace- a Purpose Beyond Profit.

Want to understand how we help CEO’s and their teams to implement new strategies? Download the paper below:

Download White Paper

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

Culture Shock – Will McInnes Envisions Truly Meaningful Work

Posted on by Tracy Lloyd

The power of meaningful work is  topic we have been writing on for years. When Culture Shock was released, we were more than intrigued.

Culture Shock: A Handbook for 21st Century Business is a fascinating read from Will McInnes.

McInnes provides an insightful and helpful guide to leaders who are challenged by today’s turbulent environment. Exploring the concept of the “social business”, he covers a breadth of topics relevant to leadership in the 21st Century, including “purpose and meaning”, “conscious leadership”, “change velocity”, and “fair finances”.

We were intrigued by his section on “democracy and empowerment”, in which he paints an interesting vision for more meaningful, and successful, workplaces.

Continue reading “Culture Shock – Will McInnes Envisions Truly Meaningful Work”

The Purpose-Pivot

Posted on by Jerry Holtaway

Why smart brands are adding meaningful metrics

We recently came across a Huffington Post article, “Meaning is the new money,” that posits the notion of the  purpose-pivot.  According to the author, Blanca Rothschild, the term is a combination of “pivot” (being capable of turning around fast based on new knowledge, from Eric Ries’s book “Lean Startup”), and “purpose” (working to an ambition that transcends the goal of making a profit). In summary, a purpose-pivot is an idea that is “applied in a multi-dimensional way across all stakeholders, and involves redesigning HOW we succeed to include metrics of happiness, well-being, community, and the environment. Where traditionally a business would often choose to pivot toward a financial goal, instead it would now base the pivot on alignment with its defined higher purpose, while still keeping in mind the bottom line.”

As such, a purpose pivot is about adding new metrics to your current, financially-based, measures of success. These metrics help you forge meaningful connections between what your business does, and what is important to the people it touches.

Nothing that matters is easy

Rothschild notes that a purpose-pivot, however important to future success, is not an easy move to make. She offers six wise pieces of advice for leaders considering such a change:

1. It takes courage.

It may feel like the biggest risk you have ever taken in business. Depending on the size of the business or your levels of attachment, it can feel like turning around the titanic. Or free-falling waiting for a parachute to open.

2. It takes grit and determination.

Get ready for a journey. You will be learning new ways of thinking, new language and will be testing emerging ideas in real time in your own business or career. This is commercial innovation in action – there’s no text book just yet.

3. Step into purposeful leadership.

What happens in a purpose pivot is that your vision becomes vital to getting your team on board, and you will need to lead and inspire your team in ways that share your authentic mission, vision, and purpose. This will be new to most leaders who have been used to leading with financial and quarterly goals at the fore.

4. It takes authenticity, humility and trust in yourself.

You may feel naked in your first meeting sharing your new ideas, but you will also feel exhilarated at the freedom and joy that comes with aligning to a higher purpose, and seeing the purpose ignite your team.

5. You need to be married to your purpose.

You must be committed, really and completely, to the purpose and the pivot. There is no turning back. You may be tempted by shiny gold nuggets and easy wins that will steer you off track, but you need to stay committed.

6. Forget about work-life balance.

Integration is your new mantra. You are now actively seeking ways to bring energy and creativity to everything you do in work and play, so you don’t have to wait until you retire, or the weekend, before you have a joyful and meaningful life.

Making a purpose-pivot through brand strategy

When considering the idea of a purpose-pivot, a natural starting point and delivery vehicle is your brand strategy. When your brand strategy is built upon a platform of empathy, purpose, and emotion, it will integrate the idea of purpose-beyond-profit into your brand. When it includes ideas on workplace behavior, it shows you how to evolve your products, processes, policies, and procedures in ways that create the meaningful connections your purpose enables.

React to new knowledge: the traditional financially-led strategies are giving way to purpose-led strategies. To thrive in the future: it’s time to pivot with purpose.

For additional information, please download our latest white paper

Download White Paper

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Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

 

Purpose-Driven Business

Posted on by Jerry Holtaway

McKinsey’s Vision of Businesses as Problem Solvers

We recently came across an older and rather interesting article from McKinsey that speaks to the imperative of business to become increasingly purpose-driven. The article starts with the words, “Capitalism is under attack.” It then offers new definitions for prosperity, growth, government, and capitalism itself: a conscious capitalism. Then it goes on to explain what business needs to do:

“We believe that a reorientation toward seeing businesses as society’s problem solvers rather than simply as vehicles for creating shareholder returns would provide a better description of what businesses actually do. It could help executives better balance the interests of the multiple stakeholders they need to manage. It could also help shift incentives back toward long-term investment—after all, few complex human problems can be solved in one quarter.”

“This is not to say that shareholders or other owners are unimportant. But providing them with a return that is competitive compared with the alternatives is a boundary condition for a successful business; it is not the purpose of a business. After all, having enough food is a boundary condition for life—but the purpose of life is more than just eating.”

“Some companies already think in these terms. Google, for example, defines its mission as “to organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful”—a statement about solving a problem for people. And it famously refuses to provide quarterly financial forecasts.”

Solving problems to improve the lives of people

The main thrust of the article is a shift in thinking toward a capitalist system populated with purpose-driven, problem-solving businesses. It then asks readers this question: “What problems do you solve?”

“Once we understand that the solutions capitalism produces are what creates real prosperity in people’s lives, and that the rate at which we create solutions is true economic growth, then it becomes obvious that entrepreneurs and business leaders bear a major part of both the credit and the responsibility for creating societal prosperity. But standard measures of business’s contribution—profits, growth rates, and shareholder value—are poor proxies. Businesses contribute to society by creating and making available products and services that improve people’s lives in tangible ways, while simultaneously providing employment that enables people to afford the products and services of other businesses. It sounds basic, and it is, but our economic theories and metrics don’t frame things this way.”

Driven by new benchmarks of success

The purpose-driven form of capitalism the authors envision works through different approaches, values, and rewards.

“Today our culture celebrates money and wealth as the benchmarks of success. This has been reinforced by the prevailing theory. Suppose that instead we celebrated innovative solutions to human problems. Imagine being at a party and rather than being asked, “What do you do?”—code for how much money do you make and what status do you have—you were asked, “What problems do you solve?” Both capitalism and our society would be the better for it.”

Moving toward purpose-driven success

The first step is to step outside your immediate world and to see the meaningful outcomes your business generates beyond profit. Investigate the ways in which your business’s products, policies, and procedures improve individual and collective well-being. Start to imagine all the other ways your business could generate meaningful and gratifying outcomes for customers, employees, the society, and the environment.

Coalesce all this goodness into a brand promise that captures the essence of those meaningful outcomes. Use that promise to focus, motivate, and energize your organization and brand strategy. Build success, profits, and shareholder support by solving important problems that improve well-being.

Download our white paper – Purpose Beyond Profit

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Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

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