Branding with positive impact

Talking about branding means discussing brand creation and brand management. In branding, the strategy of the organization or project is defined, not just its visual identity. Branding is about brand identity. But it also involves the relationships we establish, the actions we take as a brand, and the products and services we offer.

Moreover, branding is a strategic asset for organizations of all kinds, from small startups to large corporations, including associations, NGOs, and public entities.

How can we build and manage sustainable brands?

The ecosystem of a sustainable brand: strategic relationships and CSR

“Tell me who you walk with, and I’ll tell you who you are.”

The first thing we need to consider when building and managing a brand is its context. We study the issues in our environment, the trends, what is happening, and what could happen in the future. We also study the ecosystem: what other brands, organizations, and people are in our context. By studying all of this, we can better identify what our role as a brand could and should be in our context.

Several authors closely link branding with CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility), and it’s no coincidence. The truth is, building and maintaining a brand requires considering relationships with stakeholders. These stakeholders (also called ‘actors’, ‘interest groups’, or ‘interested parties’) can be internal (e.g., employees) or external (e.g., customers, suppliers, local communities, and even natural ecosystems). This is why we talk about internal branding and external branding: how we manage relationships and communication both internally and externally.

These relationships inside and outside the organization are important because they determine the impact our brand has. Moreover, a brand’s identity is built collectively. The meanings associated with a brand are not something we decide unilaterally. It’s something that’s built through the perceptions of our stakeholders. Therefore, brands have a social role: they mean things to people and organizations. What they mean depends on what we do and how we interact as a brand.

To help with all this, the tools from the “EXPLORE” level of our Creative Regeneration Methodology can help. They can assist you in studying your context and ecosystem, identifying strategic stakeholders, and finding opportunities to improve your relationships as a brand or even create new ones.

Sustainable actions and how we communicate them

The communication part is often associated with the concept of branding. However, a sustainable brand identity must be based on truly sustainable actions. These actions should be supported by a philosophy and purpose that are also aligned with sustainability.

Let’s start with the issue of purpose. We can consider that purpose is at the core of successful sustainable branding. Certainly, it can serve to transform an organization. But it can also empower stakeholders (e.g., employees or customers) to be part of that transformation. The question is, how do we translate our purpose into concrete actions? And how do we communicate all of this?

To build a brand in the minds of our stakeholders, it’s not enough to state our purpose in one sentence. It must be reflected in everything we do. For example, let’s say our purpose is “to make homes accessible and pleasant for people while taking care of the planet.” This needs to be reflected continuously and consistently in our actions. Our products must be affordable, but they also need to consider broader accessibility (e.g., people with vision or mobility issues). Also, if we’re talking about “caring for the planet,” it should be clear that we are making ongoing efforts to reduce the environmental impact of our products. We’ll gain credibility with our stakeholders if we measure and assess these impacts and communicate them strategically.

Based on our purpose and knowledge of our target audiences, we will define our value proposition. This means identifying the special solution we offer as a brand. Our value proposition should bring us closer to our purpose while allowing us to generate income by offering it to our customers. Let’s continue with the previous example, where our purpose was “to make homes accessible and pleasant for people while taking care of the planet.” In this case, our value proposition might be something like: “offering adaptable and accessible furniture for homes, with minimal environmental impact.”

We need to communicate our value proposition strategically and effectively. To do this, we must create a coherent and consistent narrative. We create a story (hence the concept of storytelling) that connects with our stakeholders. We need to clearly define the messages we are going to send. When we are a brand with a sustainability and positive impact purpose, there’s a common mistake to avoid. This is focusing our story and messages on the positive impact we make in the world, without connecting with the concrete needs of those who will use our solutions. To avoid this, one tip is to clearly differentiate the social and environmental issues we address from the needs we solve for our customers.

Let’s stick with the same example. There’s a global issue in our context, which is the challenges that some people face in homes, such as due to vision or mobility problems. There’s another even more global issue, which is the climate crisis and how we contribute to it through our production. But, more specifically, there are the concrete needs of our users, such as “having my home furnished in a way that’s easy, affordable, and hassle-free.” Our potential customers will appreciate that we address these global issues, but they will buy from us because of the concrete needs we solve. Therefore, with our messages, we should clearly differentiate what we offer our audiences from the global issues we’re trying to address. We’ll need to identify when it’s best to communicate both things at once, and when it’s better to focus on just one with our message.

To help with all of this, the tools from the “ACTIVATE” level of our Creative Regeneration Methodology can be useful. They can help you define your purpose, your value proposition, and how to communicate all of this to your stakeholders. One example of a tool is the ‘brand promise,’ which emphasizes how to differentiate the global issues we address from the concrete needs we solve.

Products and services as part of a sustainable brand

“Today, it is basically the product-service system offering that gives a company its identity and distinguishes it from its competitors” (Meroni, A. 2008).

As Meroni rightly says, an organization’s ‘product-service system’ is a mix of products, services, communication, and people. When we organize this mix to respond to a specific need, we are designing a solution. In fact, this is at the heart of our value proposition, which we mentioned earlier.

In reality, the solutions we offer our audiences and how we offer them are a crucial part of brand creation. How that solution (product or service) is perceived by our audiences will largely determine the experience they have with our brand. As a result, it will determine the perception they have of our brand, the image they form of it, and what they think and feel about it.

Let’s continue with the same example. Our purpose was “to make homes accessible and pleasant for people while taking care of the planet.” To achieve this, we offered “adaptable and accessible furniture for homes, with minimal environmental impact.”

Within this value proposition, one clear product is the piece of furniture itself. But, besides the product ‘furniture,’ there are other aspects to consider. We could offer a subscription service for furniture. We could also provide additional services: maintenance, repair, or even customization or adaptation of the furniture.

In addition to the product and service, we must also consider communication. For example, what information we provide about the furniture or the process of contracting the service. We could offer information on how to make the furniture more durable and sustainable. Furthermore, we can present this information in a way that is accessible to everyone, regardless of whether they have vision issues or reading comprehension difficulties.

There are also the people involved in delivering the service. We could ensure that some of the employees have some form of functional diversity, to promote inclusive hiring. We should also make sure that the people offering the service are trained to address any accessibility issues users may have. They should be educated on the sustainability topics related to our product and know how to communicate it appropriately. And the environment our brand generates should be one that fosters smooth and pleasant interactions among everyone while delivering the service.

All of this, when defined well and consistently, can form a solution. It is what constitutes our product-service system.

How can we apply our strategy and brand identity to the products and services we offer, in a sustainable way that creates the best possible impact? We will discuss this in future posts.

To help with all of this, the tools from the “DRIVE” level of our Creative Regeneration Methodology can be useful. They can help you define your product and service portfolio, as well as the brand experience for your stakeholders, down to the details.

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As we’ve seen, building and managing a sustainable brand involves considering many factors. From the stakeholders we relate to and how we do so (linked to CSR), to every last detail of our products and services. Considering the economic, social, and environmental impacts in all of this will help us move forward on the path to becoming brands with a positive impact.