Here's how you can align your brand strategy with your values and mission.

As a brand strategy leader, I believe that aligning your brand strategy with your values and mission is crucial for creating a cohesive and compelling brand identity. To achieve this, I recommend: - Identify the transformative impact you want to make in the world, just like Airbnb's vision of creating a world where anyone can belong anywhere. - Ensure that your brand's tone, language, and messaging resonate with your target audience and align with your values and mission. - Ensure that your brand's visual identity, including logos, colors, and typography, reflects your values and mission, creating a cohesive brand image.

Core values are beliefs that guide behaviors. They must be internalized to guide how people naturally react to situations. But most core values aren't that. They're lists created in a boardroom. And you can't just make a list and suddenly have core values. But the biggest mistake is imposing new core values where unspoken ones already exist. Because if you create a list of core values that doesn’t accurately reflect the real core values of an organization, they won’t just take over. Because when times get tough, people will default to how they’ve always behaved—the core values that exist deep within the organization. They'll do what's comfortable. Core values must be what you’re willing to uphold in spite of any difficulty.

Aligning your brand strategy with your core values isn't just good practice—it's essential for building a brand that truly resonates. Here’s how you can ensure that your core values are at the heart of everything you do: It starts with being clear about what the brand stands for. These core values are our guides in every decision and interaction. Make sure your values are front and center in all your communications, from social media to your website. Every message needs to reflect what you believe in. Ensure that everyone on your team not only understands your values, but really lives them. This means integrating values into training and daily operations.

Aligning your brand with your values is like making sure your shoes fit, it's gotta be comfortable and true to you. I've seen brands lose their way by chasing trends instead of staying true to their core. The trick is to let your values guide your strategy. For example, if you're all about sustainability, make sure every campaign reflects that. Use tools like Canva for eye-catching visuals that match your eco-friendly message. It's about being authentic, and when you are, your audience will follow you anywhere. So, stay true to your mission, and let's make a difference together!

Your mission statement is your WHY. It is the reason beyond profit making for which your brand exists. A well-drafted mission statement clearly articulates, what your brand aims to do and how you aim to do it. It is imperative that the brand strategy is in sync with your mission statement to push it forward and that your mission is reflected in the way that your brand presents itself to its audience at various touchpoints.

A brand persona is giving a human like personality to your brand. Why? So that it is more relatable and has a set of traits that guide how to behave, talk and present itself to its audience. The brand persona is subjective based on what your ideal audience would connect to and how would you like them to perceive your brand. It is important to choose the right set of personality traits since it is not advisable to change it once it has been pushed out to your audience. Ensure, that the different elements of your branding support your brand's personality. Eg: If your brand personality is Fun and Playful, the visuals and the written communication should also align with those characteristics.

There’s one question that has given me the most revealing responses to help guide the direction of a brand and create a distinct 'persona.' If you could choose a celebrity spokesperson – someone to be your brand ambassador – who would you choose and why? What qualities do they have that you associate with your brand? For example, imagine a brand as a combination of John Legend, Daniel Craig, Zoey Saldana, and Blake Lively. You might say it’s Sophisticated, Impeccable, Smart, Sociable. When we use people we know, like celebrities, we can describe them with real distinct traits, which helps personify your brand and how you’ll communicate. For every brand touchpoint, a writer can embody this persona to communicate on behalf of the brand.

Crafting a brand persona makes values and mission relatable. For example Royal Enfield exemplifies this by embodying characteristics of adventure and rugged reliability. Their consistent communication through a nostalgic, yet modern voice resonates with their audience, creating a strong, recognizable brand identity. This alignment in voice, tone, and style across all platforms ensures consistency, making their brand persona both memorable and authentic.

En mis estrategias de #marketing nunca falta una reflexión sobre los 12 arquetipos de personalidad que existen y cuál se adapta mejor a la visión, misión y valores de mi #marca.

STRATEGY. STRATEGY. S T R A T E GY! Your messaging can often be your first impression. Make sure the message you intend to put out is the message your audience receives. By having a plan that outlines your goals for your messaging and the tone you want to have, you can choose your words and outward communication strategies to your audience better.

One thing I’ve found helpful is actively seeking feedback and involving your community in your brand’s journey. Hosting webinars, Q&A sessions, and social media polls can provide valuable insights and make your audience feel part of your mission.

Have a scheduled cadence to review your brand's performance. Messaging is a big part of performance and may sometimes need to be updated to adapt to changes. Yes, business is fast-paced; keep up with the pace by making regular reviews a priority.

In my experience, consistency in communicating your values is crucial. Whether it’s through your marketing materials, social media posts, or customer interactions, your values should be evident. For example, we consistently highlight stories of women’s empowerment and leadership across all our platforms, reinforcing our mission to inspire and uplift.