We First Social Branding Blueprint

Brand Definition

MODULE 2 Questions:
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I) Purpose:

“Nothing seems more obvious to me that a product or

service only becomes a brand when it is imbued with
profound values that translate into fact.”
Sir Richard Branson, Chairman, Virgin

Key thought: “Our founder, Nancy Brinker, has always been clear. She
The future of profit is didn’t establish the organization to raise money for breast
purpose. cancer, but to empower women and give them a voice
around the issue of breast cancer. We mobilize individuals
to join us and be champions in their communities.”
Katrina McGee, Snr. VP, Global Business Development and
Partnership, Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

1. Why does your company exist? Who was it built to serve? In short, what is its purpose?

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2. Describe that purpose in a self-serving way (for example, [Company] is the world leader in
[Services/Products] that are [Differentiator] than anyone else).

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3. Now describe the same company purpose in a community-facing way (for example, [Company]
creates superior [Services/Products] for [Customers] to [Benefit]).

4. Select your top three internal obstacles to the articulation, execution and marketing of a clear,
consistent and community-facing brand purpose.

Lack of leadership/employee support

Competing agendas between “good” and “bad” corporate works

Budget restraints

Internal buy-off of ROI

Fear of customer scrutiny/backlash

Limited extent of corporate contribution

5. If your brand, services and products could drive a movement of social, corporate and citizen
behavior change, what would it be?

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6. Describe three - and only three - core values of your brand.

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7. Describe the mission of your brand (whom it exists to serve/transform and to what benefit).

8. If your brand’s mission came true, describe where you’d want the company to be in 5 years.

9. Identify three social causes that are in alignment with the core values of your brand (for example,
clean water, education, homelessness, the environment).

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10. If you had to distil your brand’s purpose down into one phrase or idea that you could “own” that’s
distinct from your competitors, what would it be (for example, unlocking human potential, scaling
social change, inspiring innovation)?

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11. Describe three benefits your brand would enjoy from a clearly defined purpose, mission, values
system, mantra and vision (for example, strategic clarity, employee retention, or customer
engagement)?

Additional Notes:

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II) Storytelling:

“Do you want to spend the rest of your life selling sugared
water, or do you want a chance to change the world?”
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Steve Jobs’ famous question to John Sculley,

Key thought: former Apple CEO

Customers want a better

“The vision that we had for the company was first and
world, not just better
widgets. foremost to build a different kind of company that would,
in effect, create the balance between profitability and the
integration of a social conscience.”
Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks

1. On a scale of 1-10, rate your current brand story on the following six C’s:

Community-focused

Counter-intuitive

Creative

Collaborative

Caring

Compelling

2. Between your brand and its top three competitors, which has the most compelling brand story,
and why?

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3. Without editing your thinking, write a short manifesto for your brand including what the company
does, whom it serves, its core values and its higher purpose.

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4. Identify one area in which your brand could collaborate with its customer community (for example,
crafting your brand story, developing new products and services, serving a cause)?

5. Name one way your brand could demonstrate greater authenticity to its customer community (for
example, placing its core values on the same level as its business goals such as Campbell’s Soup and
the ‘Better World Project’).

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6. Name one way your brand could demonstrate greater transparency to its customer community (for
example, demonstrating commitment to a cause in alignment with the brand’s core values such as
P&G/Pampers & UNICEF).
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7. Name one way your brand could demonstrate greater accountability to its customer community (for
example, inviting customer feedback that is both negative and positive such as Patagonia and the
‘Common Threads Project’).

8. Without editing your thinking, write three short taglines that express your brand’s key benefit
(Help: Be sure to use everyday language, keep it simple and make it unique to your brand).

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Additional Notes:

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