I mean, we all know the brands we work for, but do we reaaaally know them? And why is that important?

Unless you have started a business from scratch, it can sometimes be difficult to know what a company stands for and what their values are.

Ultimately, values touch every aspect of a brand, from tone of voice and design to target audience and even into the way they treat their own employees.

Brand Values – What are they?

A companies values put simply, is what the brand stands for – it’s what is important to them. It forms the foundation of a brands identity and actions.

Brand Values – Why are they important?

Values are a big factor of what pulls in your audience, through relatability, reliability and so much more. If your values include quality, the consumer expects high standards at every touchpoint, if values include community, the audience is going to expect to feel part of something, heard. This only stands if you authentically, and honestly, stand by your values – so that your audience builds trust that turns into loyalty.

They are imperative to help a brand stand out from the crowd, if two brands sell toilet toilet paper and one brand has a value of kindness, they give back to local communities for every roll sold and another brand is just keen to give you a squeaky clean bum – which one are you swaying towards?

Recognition, a brand should hold it’s values so strongly – the consumer doesn’t even need to remember the name for others to know who they are talking about.

They make smoothies with real fruit, and don’t take themselves too seriously.

They make tasty ice cream, in order to support good change in the world.

Any idea?

How do I know what my brand values are?

You can hire someone like me to help you answer this question… just kidding (kind of).

Put the people who know your brand well in a room, and discuss. What does the brand mean to you? What are three values that stand out to you and your team when they think of the brand?

What are your strengths and weaknesses, and how do they define your brand? How can they be applied to your values?

If you hit a roadblock, look at brands your team likes and dislikes, have a discussion about what you think their values are – and discuss the thinking behind this. That discussion can often kickstart a good look at your own brand.

Look at competitors, what are they doing and what are you doing differently?

If you are already established, ask your consumers. Why do they buy from you, and what makes them keep coming back?

Where do brand values apply?

Everywhere.

Once you have established them, they need to be applied to:

• Strategy – business, sales, media, marketing, social, advertising and the list could go on.
• Creative – marketing, social, advertising, events, tone of voice and the list could go on.

If employees are aware of a brands values, they will not only confidently apply this knowledge to all of their touch-points but if they are proud of the values, productivity and loyalty will rise. When hiring, you will attract people with the same values.

A big mistake a lot of brands do, is shout about the values in their external creative (fun/relaxed/cool), but don’t apply this internally – don’t give their employees a fun or relaxed environment – causing negative connotations.

I’m sure I’ve missed something off of the above list, but you get the gist.

Conclusion

Brand values are what your company stands for and how you are perceived, they should be applied to everything.

Research points to consumers wanting to see their own values within the brands they support, it’s important company values are clear and authentic for this reason.

Values help to guide a company creatively, strategically and internally.

Once brand values are established, it’s so important to stay consistent.