When we talk about “brand,” the conversation often starts with visuals: logos, colors, fonts. But those are just the packaging. The real brand, the one that earns loyalty and drives decision-making, lives deeper. It’s the values a company stands for and the purpose that fuels its existence.
And yet, when we begin work with clients at Young Marketing Consulting, one of the most common challenges we see is this: they’re not sure what their brand truly stands for.
That’s not a knock on them. It’s hard work. Brand values and purpose aren’t something you can fake or outsource. They require reflection, a clear-eyed look at your audience, and sometimes, tough decisions about who you are not going to be.
Why Core Values Matter (Beyond the Wall Poster)
Too often, core values are treated as a box to check. They’re developed during a leadership offsite or brand refresh and then forgotten—published to the “About” page or printed on an office wall. But that approach misses the point.
“Your brand is what other people say about you when you’re not in the room.”
– Jeff Bezos
This quote cuts to the heart of why values matter. They’re not what you say they are. They’re what your customers, employees, and stakeholders experience day to day.
Research backs this up. A 2022 report from Edelman found that 63% of consumers choose, switch, avoid, or boycott a brand based on its stand on social issues. And among Gen Z, that number rises even higher. Your values aren’t peripheral. They’re increasingly central to consumer decision-making.
More importantly, values create consistency. They give teams a shared lens through which to make decisions, from customer service to product development to hiring. In a time when audiences expect transparency and authenticity, your values are how you stay grounded.
Purpose Isn’t a Slogan. It’s Your North Star
A brand’s purpose is its “why.” Not why you make money, but why you exist in the first place. What change are you trying to create? What need are you here to meet? This goes beyond selling products or offering services. It’s about impact.
“People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
– Simon Sinek
While the quote has become almost cliché in marketing circles, it endures because it captures a deeper truth. Purpose builds trust and connection. In a 2023 Deloitte study, 73% of employees who say they work for a purpose-driven company report higher engagement and loyalty.
Think of some of the most admired modern brands:
- Patagonia: “We’re in business to save our home planet.”
- Nike: “To bring inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world.”
- Mailchimp: “Empowering the underdog.”
Each of these goes far beyond a product pitch. They stake a claim on something bigger and rally people around it.
For smaller or emerging brands, purpose doesn’t have to be world-changing. But it does have to be real. It’s the compass you turn to when navigating change, growth, or challenge.
Our Process: Helping Clients Find Their Core
At Young Marketing Consulting, helping organizations define their brand values and purpose is often the starting point for much deeper transformation. Once you articulate who you are, you can align everything else—voice, design, messaging, and strategy.
We ask foundational questions:
- What do you want to be known for?
- What behaviors reflect your culture when things get difficult?
- Who are your people, and what do they care about?
- What differentiates you beyond products or pricing?
We also pressure-test these answers against audience expectations, competitor claims, and internal feedback. The goal isn’t to invent values. It’s to reveal the ones that are already driving your best work.
Often, clients have a strong internal culture but struggle to articulate it externally. In those cases, our role becomes translation. We turn beliefs and instincts into brand guidelines, website copy, and messaging frameworks that everyone can use.
If you’re in the middle of a rebrand or about to start one, a resource I recommend often is Conquer Your Rebrand by Bill Kenney. It’s practical, approachable, and packed with the kind of insights that can keep you aligned from discovery through execution.
Bringing Values and Purpose to Life
The final, and arguably most difficult, step is activation.
It’s one thing to write down your values and purpose. It’s another to live them through your operations, marketing, and behavior. That means embedding them in:
- Internal training and onboarding
- Web content and design choices
- Sales conversations and service delivery
- Partnerships and hiring practices
Consider Ben & Jerry’s, whose commitment to social justice is expressed not only in their messaging but in the organizations they support, the campaigns they run, and even the flavors they create.
Or look at Zappos, where “Deliver WOW Through Service” isn’t just a slogan. It’s embedded in their famously generous customer support policies.
At a more practical level, this might mean:
- Creating a tone of voice guide rooted in your values
- Designing site experiences that emphasize transparency or accessibility
- Choosing vendors or partners that align with your purpose
Because at the end of the day, your brand isn’t built in the boardroom. It’s built in every interaction, at every touchpoint.
Your Brand Isn’t What You Say, It’s What You Show
Defining your brand’s values and purpose is more than an exercise in marketing. It’s a commitment to clarity, consistency, and authenticity — the foundation for everything else your organization communicates and creates.
Whether you’re building a brand from scratch or realigning an established one, the work is worth it. Because when your values are clear and your purpose is real, people feel it. They connect. They trust. And they stick around.
If you’re looking to dive deeper, here are a few resources we often recommend:
- Conquer Your Rebrand by Bill Kenney
- The Brand Gap by Marty Neumeier
- Start With Why by Simon Sinek
- How Brands Grow by Byron Sharp
Need a second opinion on your brand? We’d love to help.
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With over a decade of agency and in-house experience, Ben Huizinga is a creative and brand strategist focused on building brands that endure—crafting identities that make meaningful connections and stand the test of time. As Director of Brand and Creative at Young Marketing Consulting, Ben blends hands-on execution with high-level strategic thinking, helping organizations align their vision with the right voice, visuals, and experiences. He is also an experienced website architect, specializing in the development of beautiful, easy-to-use WordPress, Drupal, and Webflow sites that bring brands to life online. His work has shaped leading brands across the sustainability, technology, and nonprofit sectors—including Geothermal Rising, Echo Communications, and Bonterra, one of the world’s largest social good technology companies.
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