Brand Purpose Meets Brand Relevance

Note: Image From Neutron LLC Steal This Idea

I love this diagram created by Marty Neumeier as it illustrates how an organization's brand impacts a community of stakeholders in a, kind of, perpetual domino effect.

So, in essence, the brand purpose motivates & focuses the efforts of the organization (management & employees in this diagram) - so then the organization, through branded initiatives, engages with customers stimulating trust & loyalty, which motivates investors because they see the demand for the brand. The investment, then, allows the organization to continue to pursue its brand purpose - perpetuating the cycle.

The key element I want to draw from this are the customers! Without them there would be no revenue and no way for the organization to continue what it has set out to accomplish!

A few weeks back, I was chatting with a colleague of mine, and he was saying that a brand's success cannot solely rely on brand purpose - there has to be something else! This got me thinking - I soon realized that I have forgotten to mention the importance of BRAND RELEVANCE! Your brand is only successful if you are able to satisfy an unmet need!

Before I delve into brand relevance, let's chat about the purpose of brand purpose!

Brand Purpose:

Is the reason you want your organization to exist long after you perish - because if it ever disappeared, it would no longer be able to provide the world with change, hope, etc. - This gives your brand greater value and meaning to customers (and maybe society as a whole).

In addition, brand purpose provides the organization with a guiding beacon. It helps give management & employees motivation to do amazing things - because they have a higher purpose and sense of pride in what they do!

This is all well and good - you can dream to change the world and make it a better place, but if you don't provide a benefit that is relevant to customers' needs and wants, you are not going to be able to draw in enough revenue to keep your doors open and continue to pursue you brand purpose!

A good example of this would be a fashion designer - the designer may have this incredible and elaborate collection & style in mind (brand purpose), but if no one can wear it in an environment beyond the runway (brand relevance), no one will buy from the collection, causing the designer's dream to never become fully realized!

So now there's brand relevance:

Essentially, this means that organization offers a brand promise that satisfies a customer's unmet need, and is relevant to their lifestyle, technology, etc.

People inevitably change over time, based on trends, technology, cultural shifts, etc. And because great brands often outlive their customers, they need to make sure their purpose adapts (without jeopardizing its core essence and reason for existing).

Your organization may begin to satisfy an unmet need (creating brand relevance), or it may begin because you have a dream to make the world better in some way (pursuing brand purpose), but in order to have longevity, and survive the ages, you must eventually acquire both brand purpose & brand relevance!