Bite-size Case Study

Brand purpose

Published on November 30, 2020 Originally recorded 2014   2 min
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0:04
The concept of brand purpose. Can you reduce the purpose of your brand to statements like these? Walmart, "We save people money so they can live better." Fidelity, "We help people create better lives for themselves and their families." Sherwin-Williams, paint for goodness sake. Commodity product? No. "We help people use color to brighten their lives." So you see the perspective that's in place? It ain't, "We sell paint." What is your company's brand purpose? Can you reduce it to a statement as short and tight and purposeful as these?
0:48
One company that has done a very good job with their brand positioning in recent months is Emerson. If you've flown through the Chicago Airport, you've noticed that every pillar has on it this reposition of Emerson that has been done within the last couple of years. This is what they say. "It's never been done before." I don't even know what Emerson makes, but I know that they are problem-solvers. I know that what they really want is a challenge. Give me your best challenge and we will do something that's never been done before. What a positioning for a company that makes, I don't know, rollers and controls or whatever. I'm not even sure what Emerson makes. But I know what kind of a company they are. I know how they're oriented.
1:35
Here's one. Look at this. Help a Russian oil terminal overcome minus 44-degree temperatures, 1.7 meters of ice, and 5 meters of waves to safely keep crude oil flowing 365 days a year. Look at that. It's not about Emerson. It's about their customers and the challenges their customers have that Emerson will help solve. Consider it solved. Now, there is the brand purpose.