Company Vision/Brand Purpose — Real Anecdote
The first step towards building a strong brand
Introduction:
The essence of brand building lies in defining the brand narrative, which starts with the pivotal question: ‘Why are we here?’
According to the book, Branding in Five and a Half Steps, this can be summarized as a simple statement that encapsulates your ‘core purpose.’ For instance, consider Starbucks’ purpose: “To inspire and nurture the human spirit — one person, one cup, and one neighborhood at a time.”
I believe in simplicity. To me, a purpose, vision, or elevator pitch are essentially the same. What’s needed is a sentence that distills the essence of the company.
As Terry O’Reilly puts in his must-read marketing book “This I Know,” the purpose is “A sharp articulation of what a company was born to change.”
The task of marketing is a never-ending exercise in reduction. For a business, it’s about summing up the company’s purpose in one crisp statement.
— Terry O’Reilly
This concept echoes Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why” philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of understanding and communicating the fundamental reason for a brand’s existence.
A Real Anecdote:
Yesterday, I was having coffee with a friend. We meet regularly, often bouncing ideas off each other. He’s been contemplating starting a parenting blog, but we hadn’t discussed it much. However, yesterday’s conversation steered towards brand building, and his blog came up. He needed help defining the purpose and vision for his content platform.
Our conversation went something like this:
Me: So it’s a parenting blog, but why are you so passionate about it?
Friend: I want to tell people that parenting isn’t as hard as they think.
Me: Ok, and why does that matter to you?
Friend: It matters because I see many of my well-educated, successful friends, who have a lot going for them, feeling confused or scared about having kids.
Me: Oh, so what?
Friend: I feel these people should be encouraged to have kids. They’re in the best position to raise a healthy and happy child. So many kids today are born into less fortunate circumstances.
Me: So your purpose is?
Friend: My purpose is to encourage these people to have kids, so we have more well-raised kids in the world.
Me: No…
Friend: Then?
Me: Your purpose is to improve the human capital of the world!
Friend: OMG! Yes. Wow.
Me: You’re welcome :)
