Question

Topic: Branding

Branding/positioning And Corporate Values

Posted by Anonymous on 8/7/2007 at 3:15 AM ET 250 Points
we recently wrapped up the positioning phase of our brand study where we agreed on the positioning statement and brand values of our company. now, our Human Resources department is asking if the current set of corporate values should be changed in the light of the results of our branding study? basically the question is: does branding dictate corporate values?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by steven.alker on 8/7/2007 at 6:36 AM Accepted
    Dear Sheila

    The basic answer is that corporate values should determine brand values!

    If you have carried out a branding exercise without reference to the corporate values and the two conflict with each other, it will weaken your message and possibly make you look silly.

    If the branding exercise has been deemed successful in terms of getting the right position and message over to your market, then you will need to examine your corporate values for conflicts and eradicate them.

    Best wishes

    Steve Alker
    SalesVision

  • Posted by Harry Hallman on 8/7/2007 at 6:36 AM Accepted
    This is an excellent question. One that really makes you think. If your brand values are not in concert with your corporate values I believe you’re headed for lots of trouble. Eventually this kind of deception will catch up with the company.

    For instance if I sell eco products, but do not require the staff to conserve, recycle and use our own products that will cause a lack of continuity in communications and affect the staff’s belief in your products and brand values. This causes discontent and affects sales.

    For me, brand values and corporate values are the same, but there are plenty of examples of companies talking the talk, but not complying. In the consumer world, we call that lying. In politics they call that normal behavior.


  • Posted by steven.alker on 8/7/2007 at 6:43 AM Member
    Mind you, Harry, running a Green Technology company which makes, say, 5% of its products, perhaps chairs, from the skins of endangered animals on hardwood frames manufactured from non-sustainable timber from a threatened bit of the Amazon rain forest, all flown over in your private jet and delivered to the customer’s door in a Bentley, would get you a hell of a lot of publicity!

    Steve

  • Posted by steven.alker on 8/7/2007 at 7:08 AM Member
    Steve

    I think that’s marketing and corporate idealism. Most companies haven’t got a clue what their “core values” are and probably don’t want to know. That they make things and sell things profitably is what consumes management’s attention.

    Unless they’ve hired a management consultant or a new MBA, who has said that they need to define their core values in order to position the company optimally, or some other corporate waffle, I’d dare bet that the management doesn’t give a toss.

    Remember all those “Mission Statements” evolved at huge expense in the 1990’s?

    “The company’s mission is to trade profitably in areas where we can deploy our----“

    Wow! Groundbreaking! That will be $100,000 please Mr Client.

    The other Steve
  • Posted by Vigyan Verma on 8/7/2007 at 8:04 AM Accepted
    Dear Sheila,
    It need not necessarily be so.
    Corporate values are usually in the realm of place of origin, consumer orientation, quality, corporate social responsibility, social and human ethics.
    Brand values on the other hand are more closely linked to a brand experience (e.g fun+young+adventurous vs reliable+financial expertise+exclusive 'club' appeal).
    It would depend on the kind of organisation you work at perhaps. If you work at an organization with many different brands-with different brand values- then you obviously will not be able to develop a sync between the corporate values and individual brand values all the time.
    In a Unilever, Axe (Lynx) and Dove are poles apart in their target audiences and brand values.
    In a Virgin, with a single branding across different products and services there would be a need for alignment between corporate and brand values.
    Hope this helps.
    Vigyan





  • Posted by ilan on 8/7/2007 at 8:13 AM Member
    Just a simple name: Bob Nardelli.
    Brand values and corporate values didn't work hand in hand, the result, he's history at Home Depot, but was given a no pay mission at Chrysler to change the brandless corporation.
    Chrysler, being baught by a bunch of money makers, is having a single minded mission: make money and the hell with the brand, Nardelli is perfect for that.
  • Posted by steven.alker on 8/7/2007 at 8:31 AM Member
    Gosh Sheila, what a humdinger you’ve kicked off here!

    With an analysis like ilan’s I could be sold on the idea of Mission Statements.

    “The company’s mission is to make vast profits for the shareholders from the employees, the equity, the suckers, sorry, the customers and the banks and go-hang the consequences”

    As for disparate brands – my wife thinks that Dove Soap has the same effect on her face as Ajax Scouring Powder, but then she is a fussy, classy girl!

    Toodle pip

    Steve
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 8/7/2007 at 2:35 PM Accepted
    Perhaps branding does determine corporate values. If you've gone through all the work to create your branding (and got agreement throughout the organization), then perhaps your corporate values are out-of-date.

    As others have noted, core values are the foundation for an organization. All decisions need to be made from that perspective (including marketing, sales, hiring, finance, etc.). Often, organizations forget about their core values and get focused on revenues, shareholders, etc. Or, they quickly come up with core values that are generic, and don't say much of anything.
  • Posted by SteveByrneMarketing on 8/7/2007 at 3:22 PM Member
    Hi Slaluna,

    It might have been helpful to see your "positioning phase". Positioning is always about competitive differentiation. I have read many corporate mission/core value statements. They usually sound the same and for that reason have very low credibility with consumers or investments - really just the height of political/corporate PR correctness.

    So to rephrase, I suggest that brand values reflect competitive differentiation, and therefore corporate values should also reflect competitive differentiation. These statements will only have meaning if the audience (consumers and investors) confirm their credibility (reflecting the outside looking in point-of-view).

    So to your question: does branding dictate corporate values? I would ask, is how your audience is viewing your company aligned with your self pronounced brand/corporate values? If not, why not.

    Hope this helps,

    Yet another Steve
  • Posted on 8/7/2007 at 3:43 PM Accepted
    It sounds to me as if the corporate values weren't very valuable (or they would not have been compromised during the positioning stage) or they were very much in need of an overhaul.

    Regardless, I feel that if everything (from the brand values to the corporate values, to your letterhead font, to how the administrative assistant answers the telephone) is not in harmony, the disharmony will be noticed by employees, produce indifference to some and the effects will be felt by customers. In my opinion, it will seem hollow.
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