Free brand analysis
The methods behind the analysisGuidesAnalysesActionsAssistantsMaterialExploiting competitors' weaknessesSectionsSource basis and methodology00Brand archetype01Tone-of-Voice02Brand values and purpose03Brand Identity Prism04Brand assets05Semiotic analysis06Distinctive assets07Positioning08Audience alignment09Employer brand10Narrative analysis11Digital and channel execution12Brand harmony13Brand index14
← All methods
← 020304 →

Section 03

Brand values and purpose

David Aaker · Jean-Noël Kapferer · Douglas Holt · Jim Stengel

Brand values differ from slogans in that they must manifest in concrete actions and decisions – not just in communication. Purpose is the overarching why that gives the brand direction beyond commercial goals.

Many companies have communicated values – fewer have values documented in action. Three levels: communicated (the brand says it is x, y and z), activated (the brand acts consistently with them) and culturally embedded (reproduced spontaneously by employees). Jim Stengel documented in Grow (2011) a statistical connection between purpose-driven brands and commercial growth over 10 years. brandvju explicitly identifies signs of purpose-washing: cases where the formulation is generic and not supported by actions.

What brandvju assesses

David Aaker
Brand equity and values as strategic resource – Brand Values as one of five equity dimensions.
Jean-Noël Kapferer
Culture and values as the innermost layer of the prism – the deepest identity level.
Douglas Holt
Iconic brands as carriers of cultural myths – How Brands Become Icons (2004).
Jim Stengel
Purpose-driven brands outperformed the S&P 500 by 400% over 10 years – Grow (2011).

What the analysis is based on – and what it points towards

Values and purpose can only be assessed from what is visible in communication and material. Internal culture and actual decision-making behaviour are not accessible. brandvju analyses the signals, not the reality behind them.