MARKETING

What’s the Story? Aligning

Mission,Vision, and
Strategy with Your Brand
by William Faust

t’s often hyped as the Holy Grail in the bond between a company and its customers.
I But William Faust points out that before a brand can effectively shape the con-
sumer experience, it must first be shaped itself, and it must shape the organization, as
well. Faust tells an insider’s story through this case study—a straightforward look at
brand as it emerges from and is embodied in corporate values, long-term aspirations,
strategies, and tactics.

I think it was business guru Regis But hey, isn’t that our job, as design-
McKenna who once said, “Marketing is ers and brand builders? To make the
everything.” I suppose he might have intangible tangible? To deliver on the
been waxing philosophical about his promise that branding is everything? We
chosen profession, but I suspect he was say that it’s the brand experience that
trying to point out that marketing—as a engages a customer and creates an emo-
core discipline of all businesses— tional connection. Some call it experien-
touches every facet of the organization. William Faust, Partner and tial branding. Or the living brand.
Chief Strategic Officer,
Fair enough. I get it. I live in the trench- Ologie Turning customers into raving fans,
es where we can see, taste, smell, and loyal tribes, even fanatical zealots. Isn’t
touch the power of marketing. But I that our goal? I guess it is. But let’s face
find the concept of “everything” to be a it, unless you work for Apple, Target,
little overwhelming. So when I heard Starbucks, or one of a handful of other
one of my associates recently proclaim companies that “get it” (and live it),
that branding is everything (in front of a building a consistent and integrated
client, no less), I shuddered a little. brand experience that affects each and
Okay, a lot. “Everything” is a really big every touch-point within an organiza-
idea. I can barely get my arms around tion can be a tall order if you’re just get-
“something” on a good day, so the con- ting started. And if you’re sitting across
cept of everything is pretty intangible the table from a CEO who thinks a
and, dare I say, intimidating. brand is a logo, all the branding theory

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 What’s The Story? Aligning Mission, Vision and Strategy with Your Brand

in the world won’t make a difference. In my opin- Exhibit 1) and explore how they can work
ion, this is the last person on earth you want to be together as a simple framework for branding.
telling “branding is everything.” But before we do, I have a couple of dis-
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not giving up on the claimers. First, I’m trying to keep the word strat-
ideal. I believe in the power of branding (and egy connected to the broader organization rather
design as a fundamental brand-building tool) than simply the brand. The phrase brand strategy
just as much as you do. But not every executive tends to cause some confusion among most
or company is on the same learning curve and executives I have worked with. There are so
ready to tackle the problem holistically. many interpretations of the word strategy (and
Sometimes more progress can be made through its little brother tactics) that you can literally
a focused approach than through the completely spend weeks explaining the differences among
holistic one that we imply when we say “every- marketing strategy, business strategy, and brand
thing.” This simpler approach might be the best strategy. So brand strategy is off the bus. Second,
thing for an organization in its brand infancy. I won’t focus on customers here. I know, I know.
Just like companies, brands can and should That’s blasphemy for a branding discussion, but
evolve over time. Target was once just another my focus is on internal alignment—getting all
regional discount store chain. Its journey took the actors to follow the script before the curtain
time, experimentation, and a commitment over goes up. And in this case, those actors are an
the long term. It also took vision. Rebuilding a organization’s staff. They are the central charac-
brand with lots of messy touch-points and a ters in this brand story; the customers are really
large number of associates can be like turning a the audience.
battleship into the wind: It’s hard work. And I
worry that when we start out with the biggest Company mission and values
possible scenario or with something that’s just If the staff represent our story’s characters, a
too elusive, we make it all that much harder. As company’s mission and values are the story’s
someone smarter than me once said: If the hori- main lesson or moral: what the story sets out to
zon is our goal, we’ll never get there. teach. Ideas like do unto others as you’d have them
So how do we make this process a little less do unto you, or save the world one person at a
daunting and create alignment within a less time, or the meaning of life is to love and be loved.
brand-savvy organization? First, we have to real- These are all timeless morals and great founda-
ize that the CEO who thinks a brand is a logo tions for any story. And every company or
didn’t get his or her job through lack of intelli- organization needs a similar moral for its story,
gence or talent. This person is probably very big or small. It’s what defines an organization’s
bright, very capable, and committed to growing purpose. What do we believe in? What do we
the business. But he or she is also likely to be
more left-brained than right: quantitatively
trained and highly focused on cash flow, fixed
assets, head count, and other tangible parts of
the organization. So rather than tell the CEO
that branding is everything, let’s start by defining
the size of the branding sandbox. My suggestion
is to keep it simple and start with what CEOs are
already comfortable with: specifically, mission
and values. Any leader worth following will have
some idea about the organization’s raison d’être
and core beliefs. Once that’s established, a clear
brand vision can help to align these fundamen-
tals with concrete strategies and tactics that bring
the brand experience to life. Let’s look at each
one of these three components in turn (see
Exhibit 1: This framework was developed to help organizations organize the inspirational aspects of
their brand, such as vision and values, and link them to the corresponding brand strategy and tactics.

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Design Creativity and Market Leadership

want to achieve? These concepts need to be sim- gon-free and are meant to provide inspiration to
ply expressed and easily understood. They’re like each and every associate. But they can’t be rele-
DNA—timeless and immutable. The company’s gated to a PowerPoint presentation that is shared
mission and values should define the kind of once a year. They should be built into an overall
story we want to tell. company message that also answers the question
Throughout this example I will use the “Where is the organization going?” In the
Columbus Metropolitan Library as a case study Columbus Library’s case, these were concepts
of sorts. This organization is annually ranked by that were developed through consensus-building
its peers (namely, Hennens American Public but clarified and simplified by the library’s exec-
Library Rating Index) as the best library system utive director (a.k.a. the CEO) and his core lead-
in the United States. Yet it lacked a clear and ership team. But once an organization defines
simple articulation of what it stood for. With why it exists, what does it do next?
more than 20 branches, 800 associates, and 400
volunteers, the Columbus Library needed to The brand vision
simplify and magnify its purpose. It began by This is where the concept of a strong brand
identifying four basic beliefs or values (see comes in. A clear brand vision describes an even-
Exhibit 2): tual outcome and ideally addresses all audience
• Respect: We are open to all and honor the groups. It’s an articulation of how we want peo-
diverse nature of those we serve. ple—associates, customers, shareholders,
• Trust: We demonstrate character and trustees—to think about the organization and its
integrity to our customers, associates, and brand. And perhaps most important, it helps to
community. align the mission and vision with concrete strate-
• Excellence: We strive for the ideal outcome gies and tactics. So if the mission and vision are
in everything we do. meant to be about inspiration, the brand vision
• Passion: We do meaningful, enjoyable, and is about alignment. In the Columbus Library’s
rewarding work. case, the vision is this: A thriving community
where wisdom prevails (see Exhibit 4).
These four values serve as the foundation for the If this statement seems simple, that’s by
Library’s mission (see Exhibit 3), which is to pro- design. But beneath the simplicity are several
mote reading and guide learning in pursuit of key ideas meant to connect the brand to all its
information, knowledge, and wisdom. stakeholders. The Library doesn’t exist just to
Together, these two elements answer the archive books, media, and content. It’s there to
questions “What do we believe?” and “Why do help the community prosper by supporting
we exist?” They are intentionally simple and jar- opportunities to read, learn, and grow and to

Exhibit 2: Organizational values are strongest when presented as a single word or concept but can Exhibit 3: The mission statement must be simple, action-oriented, and somewhat near-term in its
be supported by descriptive phrases. context.

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 What’s The Story? Aligning Mission, Vision and Strategy with Your Brand

reach personal or professional goals. Whether made about things like brand architecture
that goal is to learn a second language or get a (branded house or house of brands?), brand
new job, the Library supports it and thus helps essence or promise, and brand personality. These
the community to thrive. And the wisdom of are all tactics of good brand-building that are
which we speak is wisdom that ultimately generally well understood by professionals in
comes from reading and learning. It’s the wis- marketing and brand management. For the most
dom to clearly see all the options and make the part, however, they are behind-the-scenes deci-
right choices. These are the big ideas embedded sions that don’t necessarily need to be shared
in the brand vision statement. It is the story’s with a diverse associate population. Just as a
central theme or plot. It is focused on an out- good writer doesn’t need to explain all the liter-
come rather than a lesson or moral. ary techniques within a story to tell the tale, nei-
The plot is important in any story because it ther do we as branding experts always need to
pulls readers in and makes them part of that share some of these things we do with everyone
outcome. Therefore it should be somewhat aspi- we want to live that story. As attorneys like to
rational, but also grounded in reality—one part say: It’s work product. There are exceptions, of
inspiration and one part action. A thriving course, but by and large what people need to
community is something that all Library staff know is what actions we want them to take, and
and supporters can rally around, and helping how we want them to behave. Strategies and tac-
people gain wisdom is the unique way they see tics are about action. Which brings us back to
themselves contributing. This became their our case study.
brand vision. The Columbus Metropolitan Library first
identified several external strategies based on
Strategies and tactics research into its customer base conducted by
The final pieces of the puzzle are strategies and Orange Boy, a research firm. They identified
tactics. Think of these as subplots, scenes, or about eight discrete customer segments based on
chapters that move the reader along toward the perceptions, behaviors, and demographics.
final outcome or, in this case, alignment with the Although all eight were important, the Library
brand vision. It’s important to realize that within felt that three in particular stood out as being
any organization, numerous strategies and tac- central to fulfilling the brand vision:
tics will support the delivery of a brand vision. • Young minds: Children and teens, for
(That’s one reason to shy away from linking the whom the Library represents a way to dis-
“S” word to brand and brand alone.) Make no cover knowledge and experience learning
mistake: Once a clear brand vision is established • Virtual users: Adults of all ages who exhibit
and adopted, many specific decisions must be a very high degree of interest in access via

Exhibit 4: The vision statement needs to be simple but engaging; it has to convey the “big idea.” Exhibit 5: Stating specific strategies by external customer segment helps bring focus to the brand.

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Design Creativity and Market Leadership

technology but don’t always have the where- you’re forgetting that libraries are free.) These
withal to connect four core tactics address the main areas in which
• Power users: The Library’s core adult cus- the Library will take action and change behavior
tomer population, who use the Library on a to deliver on its brand vision.
regular basis for education, entertainment,
and research So what about the logo?
Okay, I admit there’s a new logo in this story.
Given these core audience groups, the Library But like any logo, it’s just a symbol—an icon to
developed strategies and tactics to address each remind people of what the organization stands
of their needs (see Exhibit 5). It’s tempting to for, where it’s going, and how it will get there. In
assume that the Library, as an organization that this case, a comprehensive new identity system
serves the general public, should be all things to was developed that included a robust new visual
all people. But even libraries need focus, and language and a stronger brand voice (see
while the Columbus Metropolitan Library is exhibits 7 and 8). The new brand language is
open to all (as its values affirm), it needed to important because it reminds customers and
create focus around its actions and correspon- associates alike that the organization is growing,
ding behaviors. Otherwise, the concept of align- evolving, and changing—that it’s not a static
ment becomes too elusive as we ask associates to
retain too many ideas and adopt too many
behaviors. Yet it’s important to note that the new
strategies were not meant to exclude any audi-
ence. On the contrary, by focusing on three
dominant segments, the organization was able to
make better decisions about the allocation of
resources like time, capital, and talent.
Added to the external strategies and tactics
were several internal ones. The Library will use
many tactics to fulfill its brand vision, but it
chose four in particular to share as part of the
overall message (see Exhibit 6). Each deals with a
core component of the organization: physical
plant and systems (place), the collections (prod-
uct), capacity (promotion), and staff (people).
(If you were expecting price to show up here, Exhibit 7: The Library’s new identity was supported by a launch campaign with a bold brand voice.

Exhibit 6: Stating strategies for internal audiences helps to solidify alignment. Exhibit 8: Aligning brand touch-points in a consistent way reinforces the same behavior we want
from associates.

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 What’s The Story? Aligning Mission, Vision and Strategy with Your Brand

thing, as so many other public institutions seem Library’s CEO understood branding at a deeper
to be. The new identity system will be applied level than most, and the marketing department
across the Library’s network to all touch-points, played a key role in championing the process
from signage to publications and the website, in and making it as inclusive and participatory as
a consistent yet flexible way. It’s also worth not- possible. Together, they tirelessly educated staff,
ing that the core symbol was developed to trustees, and other stakeholders to the value of a
abstractly reflect pages from a book that are in strong brand and to the fact that (you guessed
constant motion and appear as if they are about it) there is more to the story than a logo. But a
to take flight. This represents the organization’s critical step was to link the brand vision to the
desire to celebrate its past but look toward the organization’s mission and values. The Library’s
future. Customers may never get that, but it real- marketers understood that and never wavered in
ly doesn’t matter because the associates will— their commitment.
another reminder that a brand and its identity So what’s the bottom line? Keep it simple,
aren’t just about customers and that they can make it relevant, and make sure everyone is on
serve as a powerful alignment tool by reminding the same page. In the end, these things will help
associates of an overall vision. to tell a great story.
Beyond the core identity, the new visual lan-
guage will also help to reinforce the organiza- Suggested Reading
tion’s values. It was designed to embody diversity Burlingham, Bo. Small Giants: Companies that
and passion through a vibrant color palette and Choose to Be Great Instead of Big (New York:
a dynamic approach to imagery. Trust and excel- Penguin Group, 2005).
lence are expressed more through the brand Davis, Scott M., and Michael Dunn. Building the
voice, which emphasizes the value of the Library Brand-Driven Business: Operationalize Your
to its customers. Brand to Drive Profitable Growth (San Francisco:
Jossey-Bass, 2002).
Lessons learned
The moral of this story—the Library’s story—is Holt, Douglas. How Brands Become Icons: The
that even an organization with little experience Principles of Cultural Branding (Boston: Harvard
or acumen when it comes to branding can suc- Business School Press, 2004).
cessfully rebrand and create alignment between Keller, George. Transforming a College: The Story
what it says (mission, vision, and values) and of a Little-Known College’s Strategic Climb to
what it does (strategies and tactics). It may, how- National Distinction (Baltimore: The John
ever, require a simpler and more straightforward Hopkins University Press, 2004).
process—one that yields incremental results Moll, Cameron. “Good Designers Redesign,
rather than epic change. It’s also wise to relate Great Designers Realign.” A List Apart, 24
brand issues to other elements of the business October 2005 (http://www.alistapart.com/arti-
that may already exist and be serving the organi- cles/redesignrealign/).
zation well, like its mission and values—two
things that are often familiar and well under- Simmons, Annette. The Story Factor: Inspiration,
Influence, and Persuasion Through the Art of
Storytelling (New York: Basic Books, 2006).

stood by management.
The Columbus Library is not alone here. In
fact, many such organizations struggle with even Reprint #07181FAU76
the most basic marketing concepts. But despite
that, the need for a stronger brand was critical to
ensure the vitality of the organization as it faces
the question of relevancy that all libraries face in
the era of Google and Yahoo. And the simplified
and approachable process described here was
necessary to gain the support of management
and all levels of associates. Fortunately, the

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