Are Your Company Values Bullshit?
Before you read the rest of this, go over to your website or your company profile and see what you have listed under ‘Company Values.’ Read them out loud. Then come back here and let’s talk.
If you have any of these listed, I hate to be that bitch (just kidding, I don’t), but those aren’t company values:
- Honesty
- Integrity
- Trust
- Service
- Reliability
- Excellence
- Accountability
- Customer Satisfaction
- Respect
They are the baseline requirements to stay in business and out of jail. You don’t get a Noddy badge for not bullshitting your customers and just being a responsible business owner.
Your Real Company Values are the reason your business exists (aside from making money). They are the WHY of your business and the filter through which every marketing decision should be made.
Check out these 4 South African Brand Value Case Studies to Show You How the Pros do it
Great company values aren’t just for the big guys, though. I’m using these household examples because they demonstrate how a value translates into a Marketing Voice and a Business Boundary.
1. Nando’s: Courage as a Competitive Advantage
Values: Pride, Passion, Courage, Integrity, and Family.
Action: Nando’s is the world’s largest collector of contemporary South African art.
Voice: Their values of Courage and Passion drive those famous adverts that poke fun at politics when other brands are too kak scared to speak up.
2. Woolworths: The Good Business Journey
Values: Inclusive Justice and Sustainability.
Action: Their Farming for the Future program is science-backed and built into their supply chain.
Voice: They don’t just say they’re green. They tell you that your support helped them save 10 million litres of water. They make the customer the hero of their sustainability story.
3. Ocean Basket: Setting the Boundaries
Values: Responsible Ocean Citizenship and The Family Table.
Action: Through their partnership with WWF SASSI, they refuse to serve red-listed fish.
Boundary: Even if a fish is popular and profitable, if it’s endangered, it’s off the menu. That is a Sustainability value that costs them short-term sales but builds massive long-term brand trust.
4. Momentum Health: Empowered Ownership
Values: Advice for Success, Empowered Ownership, and Inclusivity.
Action: Instead of just giving points, they put actual money into your HealthSaver account.
Voice: Their slogan ‘Own your health. Own your future’ is direct and gritty. It puts the power, and the tools, directly in the client’s hands.
My Cosmic Value Calculator: 5 Questions to Help Define Your Brand Values
If you’re ready to get real about your company values, these 5 questions will help you work out what actually defines your brand’s place in the world.
1. Beyond making money, what is one specific ‘wrong’ in the world or our industry that we exist to fix?
2. If our company disappeared tomorrow, who would miss us most (outside of our staff/clients) and why?
3. What is the one thing we will NEVER do, even if it’s common practice or highly profitable?
4. How do we measure the metrics of this value in a way that isn’t just a ‘vibe’?
5. If this value were a person, how would they speak to a friend?
The No-BS Value Statement Formula
Once you’ve answered those, plug them into this formula. Try to keep it clear, actionable, and 100% unique to you.
We believe in [Value], which is why we [Measurable Action], and you’ll hear us talk about [Topic] because of it.
For example, here is my own Cosmic Value Statement:
I believe in No-BS Functional Design, which is why I tell it how it is (even if it’s not what you want to hear), and you’ll hear me talk about ways to empower yourself in business because of it.
Values Aren’t Static
Values change as you grow. Come back in a year and revisit this statement. If your company has evolved, your values should too.
What’s your Value Statement? I’d love to hear what you came up with. Shoot it over to me at hello@cosmic-creations.co.za and let’s see if it passes the bullshit test!