Values….are they still important?

We are having lots of strategy discussions with our clients these days on the relevance of VALUES in the context of the new political, cultural and social media landscape.??

Most of our clients consider themselves mission based companies that operate with a culture of values based decision making. For the most part, this has proven to be a major strategic advantage for our clients and? increased the value of our portfolio. In other words: focusing on mission and values can be good for business results.??

The question is, now, in 2025, should brands change direction and reduce their focus on values when developing and implementing their strategy??

Our approach to Brand Values is very specific. It’s about identifying what is truly important to the people who lead our companies combined with what is important to the community of customers our clients want to retain or attract. It’s not about what is the current state of political ideology or what optimizes the algorithms that drive profitable ad sales on social media platforms. We’re not saying to? ignore those things; they are like the weather; constantly changing at various speeds.?

We see political entities using values as a tool to obtain and consolidate power and we see social media platforms using values as a way to identify groups with common interests to serve them ads that convert. Understanding why they are doing this is important to keeping a brand strategy on track.?

This is all pretty obvious so, why are we having this conversation??

• For the last couple of years, brands have been finding marketing messaging around sustainability and inclusivity less effective as a revenue driver. We believe this is due to too many obvious attempts at greenwashing and poorly executed superficial DEI programs. Another thing is that customers want it all today. They want great products, compelling content, value, convenience, AND they want companies that share their values.?

This takes a complete brand strategy. The development of these strategies is getting more complex and competitive.?

• Aggressive rhetoric around values like sustainability and inclusivity is being used as a political tool and there is concern that brands have to adjust to this new environment, often by de-emphasizing these aspects of their identities.

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Our position

?Now is the time to double down on your key values. Use the time to communicate with your leadership team and listen to their concerns; and then use this period to focus and motivate them to deliver incredible brand experiences and products consistent with your values. For example, the value of Inclusivity will make sure you have the right representation of your target markets on your leadership team and including underserved market segments is just good business strategy.?

The value of Sustainability can ensure the long-term viability of your business…as well as the planet. Saying you’re “green” won’t sell your product but operating with strong and effective sustainability principles will help create customer loyalty. Both of these issues are important to a significant percentage of the population. If they are your customers, then, communicating these values will help you retain them and that message will spread through their networks.?

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In Conclusion

As political and media forces continue their propaganda campaigns, some companies will abandon the values they never really held; we feel this opens up a great opportunity for our companies to solidify their position and strengthen their brand communities with a renewed focus on their values in an authentic way.?