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Informed by culture, driven by brand purpose

A brand’s ability to execute on its purpose is driven by the culture; how people are feeling, constraints, and their experiences. Consider this: when people reflect post pandemic how do you want your brand to be remembered; did you deliver on your purpose?

Invest the time into exploring how to flex the brand values and sentiment to lean into how the nation is feeling and deliver on your purpose. We are moving at break neck speed through emotions and situations we may never have considered possible.

“Only when the tide goes out do you discover who’s been swimming naked”   Warren Buffet

How to get started.

How do you get everyone rallied around the same framing of the past, now, next? Here is a simple model to help guide your thinking.

Three independently moving dimensions to align with how your brand shows up; sentiment, imposed constraints and your product / service (at any point in time).

You can use these dimensions to help contextualise any communication, decisioning or positioning.

Customise the filters based on your needs and / or your intel.

To make it manageable focus only on past, now and the next stage.

Align with the sentiment of your team, customers and more broadly the Nation

As this situation unfolds, everyone will move through various stages, akin to the stages of grief. In response to each of these ‘stages’ how does your brand purpose show up, what is it’s role?  Each of these stages provides an opportunity for empathy and response; be it a service, content, financial relief…

Source: Apparent

Constraints imposed by Government mandates

Consider the implications of the lockdown escalation and the road back. How is this effecting demand, fulfilment, changing needs? How can you prepare for movement between, forwards and backwards?

Operational limitations / decisions of your business (customise for you):

Within the government restraints there are choices to own as to how your brand shows up. These decisions send signals to your priorities and value system.

Questions for your team

  • Are we clear on our purpose and how our brand can flex in-line with the culture?
  • As you make decisions, are you validating them against your purpose and values? If they don’t reconcile, think about whether you need to adjust (for a period) and how you might bring that to life
  • Have you run through your decisions through the eyes of all the groups they impact? Team, customers, suppliers, board, business partners? Is it consistent?
  • What are the triggers you are using for each shift in the dimensions? Do you feel you have sufficient information to substantiate?
< PART 2: SET NORTH STAR