12 Principles for Purpose-Driven Brands and Culture

Brian Sooy • Jul 30, 2018

What values guide your organization to inspire, empower, and motivate people?

Does your organization’s brand personality reflect its values and its unique voice and expression?

Do your leadership declarations define how you lead yourself and your team?

These 12 principles are as effective for personal leadership as they are for brand and organizational leadership.

Clarity Helps Your Brand Find its Voice

What principles guide your organization’s behavior and give your brand its voice?

Finding clarity is a cultural imperative for brands that stand for something. When you achieve clarity of purpose and vision—it empowers leadership and your team to simplify, clarify, and transform your culture—and inspires people to listen, care, and act.

If you know there’s a gap between what your organization says it values and stands for and how it practices business, how would you feel if your leadership team shared this thought with you:

“Upholding our brand truths is everybody’s responsibility. If we’re not aware of what our brand represents and if we don’t communicate it clearly, people will fill in the gaps with what they believe—whether it’s true or not.”

What can you do about aligning values, brand, and messaging to create a culture of clarity?

Since 2013, hundreds of mission-driven companies and causes have strengthened their culture and brands with these 12 principles for communications.  The resolutions of The Clarity Credo form a strong foundation to help organizations achieve clarity of purpose, communication, relationships, and leadership.

12 Principles for Brand Clarity for Every Business


Be Strategic

Every organization needs clarity of purpose, values, communications, and vision to create alignment between culture and brand, so people care and act.

Which do you think is essential to a strategic approach to aligning your brand and culture?

Be Focused

Lack of clarity for your brand quickly becomes evident if you can't articulate your purpose, cause, and vision.  Find your focus to bring clarity to brands and culture.

Be Meaningful

Do you understand what values guide your organization's behavior and action, and what motivates and energizes your customers and supporters?

Be Insightful

I used to think insight was about the data — it's really about clarity — a clear and focused path for the mission, actions, communications, and outcomes that empower you to fulfill your purpose.

Be Inspiring

When you make people the center of their story (not your organization's), you begin to understand how branding works: People tell themselves a story about how your brand fits into their worldview.

Speak to people’s minds and touch their hearts. When you invite people into a story they feel like they're part of your mission and understand and why they should care about your brand.

Be Engaging

Listening is tough, especially if we're eager to tell our story without listening to the community we serve. Start with empathy to understand what is important to the people you serve, and what they expect of your mission.

If you spend time asking questions and inquisitively listening (listening with curiosity), your empathy for solving design and other problems will increase.

  • Be inspiring to motivate your followers

    Be Inspiring

    We will speak to the mind and appeal to the heart with stories that inspire people to listen, care, and act.

    Button
  • Be Engaging and attract more loyal customers

    Be Engaging

    We will be curious, listening closely to discover, hear, and understand what people value and expect of us.

    Button
  • Be Social

    If your organizational culture prioritizes programs over people, you miss the opportunity to engage people deeply.

    Meaningful brands understand that relationships matter more than marketing.

    Be Grateful

    The last thing you want to do is take credit for what others help you accomplish. Share the love and be grateful for what you accomplish together.

    Be Trustworthy

    Accountability and transparency are at the core of building trust with customers and supporters of your organization. It's why we spend so much on branding and marketing. Break the trust you work to build, and you may not regain what you lose.

  • Be grateful to those who empower you to create impact

    Be Grateful

    We will acknowledge the people who share our values, believe in our vision, and help us make a difference.

    Button
  • Be Trustworthy and be accountable

    Be Trustworthy

    We will be accountable and transparent, speaking and acting true to our purpose, character, culture, and voice.

    Button
  • Be Positive

    Being positive is about more than design and communications.

    Being positive greatly impacts customer engagement, directly impacts the experience people have, and ultimately impacts your audience’s perception of the brand.

    Be Powerful

    You can never stop believing and acting in the belief that your brand has the power to change the world. If you don’t believe, then who will?

    To be powerful is to be a leader who influences followers and peers.

    Be Courageous

    Do you understand that your brand is not about your organization?

    Your brand must be about the success of your tribe and how your brand makes their life better. Pursue their loyalty fearlessly and confidently!

  • Be grateful to those who empower you to create impact

    Be Powerful

    We will act boldly and speak confidently because our  purpose and vision  has the power to  change people’s lives.

    Button
  • Be courageous to achieve your vision

    Be Courageous

    We will be fearless and resilient, overcoming every challenge as we lead the movement to achieve our vision.

    Button

  • Do you have a hard time explaining what your company does or why your brand matters to people?

    If you struggle to grow your business, you’re not alone. Aespire can help you create a clear message and brand that helps you grow your business. Contact us today for a consultation with a StoryBrand Certified Marketing Guide.


    Get a Free Comprehensive Marketing Assessment

    Take the Free Assessment

    Stop hoping your marketing will sort itself out.

    1. Complete this free assessment in 15 minutes.
    2. Review your custom report (and schedule a 30-minute review) to diagnose what’s happening.
    3. Create an action plan to get your marketing back on track.
    A laptop is open to a map of the united states
    24 Mar, 2024
    Why do you need a cookie consent popup, a privacy policy, and an accessibility widget on your website? It’s simple. Protect your visitors’ privacy and your business.
    a flyer that says
    By Brian Sooy 14 Mar, 2024
    The publisher challenged me to take content marketing to a new level, with timeless content for intelligent readers published in book form
    shift book design by Aespire for Sean Doyle
    By Brian Sooy 11 Jan, 2024
    Many experts and advisors need a guide to help them turn their publishing ideas into a profitable business asset. Aespire collaborates with business authors and publishers to design, produce, and promote books that position them as experts, expand their influence, and help them grow their brands.
    Show More
    Share by: