No value for branding
“Respect”, “Integrity”, “Communication”, “Excellence”.
CEOs love these on their annual report. If any of the above sound familiar and you find a way to replace them now, do it. Your communications group will praise you for it endlessly.
Why? Not only are they nondescript (and we will look at why), but these are the values Enron had on their annual report the year the company filed for bankruptcy after a historical scandal brought to light criminal management practices. These values were blatantly, easily ignored and therefore empty.
Company values should colour its culture and its relationships with the outside. As such, communication managers and creatives look to them for inspiration. But let’s look at how helpful values like these are.
A client promise based on the above could sound like this: “We are a company with integrity that will treat you with respect and communicate openly and timely with you while delivering excellent products or services.”
Who would say the opposite? “We are a criminal company that will treat you terribly, hide our faults and deliver bad products or services.” The above values could stand for any number of companies and therefore are of no value, forgive the pun, at all for differentiation and branding purposes.
A startup might say “we are a quirky group of young professionals that will provide innovative solutions within a 24-hour turnaround through informal channels.” This is no less attractive than “a 200-year-old company resting on traditional knowhow that takes time to deliver custom-made results protecting our relationships for the long-term.”
The good news? If you can’t change them (because your annual report has already gone to print, of course), you can still work your values to inspire branding. What does “respect” mean for your company? Is it an answer to every customer question? Is it a personal relationship with a client manager? How do you show your “integrity”? Will you provide a money-back guarantee? Do you open your innovation pool to the outside?
These promises are specific, unalienable and, you can back them up with facts. No creative should settle for less. Or CEO for that matter.
