Your Vision explains why your company exists, outlining what your brand is ultimately trying to achieve – the type of world it is trying to create or the environment it is working towards. You need to think big.

Example – Alzheimer’s Association
Our vision is a world without Alzheimer’s disease.

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Your Mission is linked to your Vision and explains what your company’s role is in achieving it. (Some well-known and successful companies only have one combined Vision / Mission statement but it is worth trying to differentiate them, as it will help make your brand more precise).

Example – Alzheimer’s Association
Our mission is to eliminate Alzheimer’s disease through the advancement of research; to provide and enhance care and support for all affected; and to reduce the risk of dementia through the promotion of brain health.

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Your Values dictate how your organisation should behave – what does your company stand for, how should it operate? They will set the tone for all action – both internal and external. For example, internally the Values will help clarify important issues such as what type of recruits are required, how staff should behave and interact with each other and other stakeholders, as well as the training needs and the overall culture of the organisation.

You should limit the number of Values to five or six at most. The fewer you have, the more memorable and useful they will become.

It is tempting to spout classic words such as ‘professional’, ‘honest’ or ‘open’ but they can seem generic and may not be sufficiently motivating to help you stand out or get buy-in from your people.

If you really want to make sure that your brand Values are embedded throughout your company and drive all action, then you need to choose the very best combination that expresses your brand. This might mean thinking about more unusual expressions such as ‘constantly curious’ or ‘go the extra mile’ and it will certainly mean that you will have to explain and embed your values so that everyone understands them.

Example – Alzheimer’s Association
Integrity. Commitment to excellence. Inclusiveness. Diversity. Consumer focus. Accountability.

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A Proposition is a short statement that encapsulates your offer – it articulates the overriding benefits that your brand provides to your target audience, helping to set you apart from your competitors. It is a strategic statement, not a strapline, although it will form the basis of any marketing / straplines.
In the commercial world brand propositions (sometimes known as a customer or value proposition) are commonplace – a ubiquitous part of brand definition and building.

The John Lewis brand proposition is articulated in its well-known strapline – “Never knowingly undersold”. This expresses clearly the benefit that John Lewis offers its customers – it will always treat them honestly and openly and provide them with the best value for money.

In the world of charities and other not-for-profit organisations less weight appears to be placed on developing a brand proposition, perhaps in part because of the greater complexity of stakeholders’ needs and motivations.

However, when developing your brand, we recommend that you do try and develop a Proposition for your organisation, as it will help you crystallise the key benefits your brand offers. This is important when you come to develop marketing communications as it will provide focus, tighten your messages and ensure clarity and cohesion.

Link your Proposition back to your Vision / Mission, thinking in terms of what benefits your organisation provides to your users / beneficiaries and also your supporters / donors. What is it that you offer that is better and different from your competitors?

As propositions are not an outward facing statement, the best way to examine them is to look at straplines, which are usually a succinct articulation of the Proposition in an engaging or explanatory way – eg:

The Alzheimer’s Society: United against dementia.
Directed largely at donors and a call to action.

Parkinson’s: Change Attitudes: Find a cure. Join us.
Direct, straightforward and spells out exactly what it is trying to achieve.

Cancer Research UK: Together we will beat cancer.
Clearly articulates what it is trying to achieve and is a call to action, we need your support.

NSPCC: Every child is worth fighting for.
Expresses their commitment to help children as every single child is equally important.

Marie Curie: Care and support through terminal illness.
Articulates exactly what it does.

Age UK: Love later life.
An upbeat and positive message about dealing with older age groups.

Wiltshire Air Ambulance: Funded by you, flying for you.
Call to action, outlining how their service is for the benefit of their community and needs their funding – it is mutually beneficial.

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Essentially the Personality is the way in which the brand communicates. The simplest way to define your Personality is to ask yourself, “Given how we have defined our brand, what tone is most appropriate for us to take when communicating with our various audiences?”

For example, should we be: Authoritative? Precise? Serious? Witty? Funny? Technical? Straightforward etc? As is the case with ‘Values’, don’t list too many personality traits – typically, five to six carefully chosen characteristics should be ample.

Example – Amnesty International
Amnesty International’s personality could be expressed in four key words:
Human. Inclusive. Knowledgeable. Composed.

Which can be expanded to add meaning throughout the organisation:
Human: speak to people on the level, never condescending or distant
Inclusive: real people, not a faceless organisation
Knowledgeable: know your stuff, demonstrate your knowledge clearly
Composed: stick to the fact, never over emotional.

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These are important because they will form the basis of your list of key messages. Many ‘Reasons-to-believe’ will be existing factors that support your brand such as, ‘x number of queries dealt with within 24 hours’; ‘all our staff have xxx qualification’; ‘we won the 2018 award for xxx’; ‘xx languages spoken by our staff’ and so on.

However, other ‘Reasons-to-believe’ may relate to supporting factors that you need to introduce to make sure that your newly created Brand Definition rings true. A Brand Definition statement can (and arguably should) contain an element of aspiration (otherwise you are not moving forwards) but it must be founded in reality, both present and future.

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