How’s your brand’s health?

Whether things are in limbo or you’re charging ahead like never before, what you do for your brand right now will speak volumes when the world rights itself.

We’re all in uncharted territory – a unique situation that warrants a unique check-up on brand health.

We’ve spent a lot of time building brands and protecting them through good and bad. So we’re sharing our check points to dial in on ways to nurture your brand health now, and continue moving it forward in a post-COVID-19 world. Follow along with our 4-part series:

• Check your relevancy
• Check your transparency
• Check your brand purpose
• Check your post-quarantine communication plan

Part 3: Your Brand’s Purpose

There is a very real, universal human need to find a higher value woven into the things we do every day. Even though “every day” looks different right now, that sense of purpose – the desire to connect on shared values – is arguably stronger than ever.

Connecting on shared values

An effective brand purpose offers an avenue for customers and employees to envision something better: better self, better community, better world. Consumers tell us shared values are important: in this study, 65% of people who feel an emotional connection to a brand say it’s because “they care about people like me.” That connection is tangible. Brands with a high sense of brand purpose have experienced a brand valuation increase of 175% over the last 12 years.

In light of COVID-19, this is your opportunity to build enduring bonds and inspire lasting loyalty through your brand purpose. But first, it requires covering a few basic, yet essential questions:

Do you know your brand’s purpose?

Every company has one, but not every company has identified that purpose and taken steps to engage with audiences. When a brand is able to connect with a customer’s belief system and invites them to share in something greater than a simple purchasing decision, brand purpose is established. Think of it as your moral compass, the driver behind everything you do and say, especially in the current environment. Here are some hallmarks of a strategic brand purpose:

• It expresses “why” you do what you do to make life, or the world, better.
• It logically and intuitively connects to your brand and complements how you demonstrate value.
• It resonates with your customers, and reflects your culture.
• It differentiates you from competitors.
• It makes a measurable difference.
• It inspires people to care and to share what you’re doing. 

Are you staying aligned with your brand purpose?

Brand purpose is more than a well-written statement that you flash during company meetings. It should be at the core of your actions, how you communicate and how you create value. Especially in a time of crisis, it should stay true to who you are as a brand. This isn’t the time for inauthentic gestures that can be misconstrued as marketing tricks. However, charging ahead like nothing has changed is likely a misstep, too. Here are some guide posts to consider during this time:

• Do your marketing communications speak to your purpose versus promoting brand features and benefits only?
• What are relevant, shared values to which your brand can connect, and how can they be demonstrated?
• Does your purpose align with your expertise, knowledge and positioning, and put it all to good (social) use?
• How can you engage employees, supplier partners, or influencers and brand ambassadors to help you demonstrate your brand purpose in this time of uncertainty?

Should you evolve your brand purpose?

We must also acknowledge that consumer trends and preferences have shifted in the short-term and will have some long-term implications, too. Experiencing a crisis like this could be a prime opportunity to reassess and evolve your brand purpose. Some questions to consider:

• Will COVID-19 impact your business’s core values?
• Will COVID-19 impact your customers’ core values?
• Will your brand purpose not only successfully guide your actions today, but also help bridge to our new normal?

Tracking and monitoring your brand’s activities and the sentiment around your actions during this time will help you stay aligned with your brand purpose or determine if you need to evolve in any way.

A genuine, transparent and relatable brand purpose connects on shared values and drives a sense of action and continuous improvement for employees, customers and others. In a time when people are told to isolate, connection becomes essential. Make sure you’re looking beyond sales goals to make these connections, and make a true difference.

It starts with brand purpose. Ours is: “We share a passion for advancing agriculture and food to make life better.” We think it holds up to the Brand Health Check. Let’s talk about yours.