How To Communicate Them in a Way That Wins

Welcome to Creator columnswhere we bring an expert Creator of HubSpot votes to blogs that inspire you and help you grow better.

Like an inclusive marketing strategist and consultant, one of the things I talk to my clients about all the time is brand values.

Many of them want to acquire a larger and more diverse customer base, but I must state clearly that these efforts will not be successful or sustainable if they do not practice what they preach because brand values ​​are now an important part of consumer purchasing strategies.

Actually, HubSpot’s Consumer Trends Report found that 82% of consumers want to engage with and buy from brands that share their values. I’ve even found myself using my credit card as a form of activism and intentionally buying from brands whose values ​​are ones I believe in and want to reward.

My hot opinion is that despite their importance, most brands don’t do a very good job of representing their values, but those that do do it well good. Read on to find some high-quality examples of brands that stand out.

How smart brands demonstrate their values ​​to consumers

Brand values ​​are usually developed when leaders build the brand and define the mission, vision and/or purpose. When I work with clients on this, we often do it in the context of rethinking and revising their mission, vision and brand values ​​to make them more inclusive.

In this episode of the Inclusion and Marketing podcast, I go into detail about why values ​​are so important to building an inclusive brand, but the bottom line is that consumers care deeply about brand values ​​because it signals whether or not the brand cares about the things they do.

A recent survey even showed that ¾ of customers stopped buying from the brand based on a conflict of values.

So given its importance, how can brands clearly articulate their values ​​and speak to customers who share their beliefs?

My main advice is to show, not just tell. Consumers can read your mission statement, but those words are just words if you don’t show how those values ​​are lived. I recommend that you focus most of your efforts on highlighting how your brand practices its values

Brands that do this well do it with content on their websites and social media channels. Below, I’ll go through some examples of brands that I think are doing a great job of communicating their values ​​to consumers.

1. Ben & Jerry’s lives values ​​through activism.

Ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s makes it clear from the first look at its website that it cares about much more than just selling ice cream. The brand relies heavily on activism and sees it as key to achieving its mission of connected prosperity.

From its hero image, to its ‘Activism’ highlight on its Instagram profile and its TikTok playlist, the brand makes it clear to everyone who engages with its assets that it’s very involved in the causes it cares about. It also encourages its customers to get involved in supporting these causes as well.

Ben & Jerry’s Values: human rights and dignity, social and economic justice for historically marginalized communities and environmental protection, restoration and regeneration.

2. Patagonia lives values ​​through large donations.

Since 1985, outerwear manufacturer Patagonia has pledged to donate 1% of sales to the preservation and restoration of the natural environment.

In 2022, Patagonia founder Yvon Chouinard “surrendered” the company by donating his majority stake (worth millions in profits each year) to an environmental charity, sticking to his values ​​by boasting that Planet Earth is its sole shareholder.

It also has an “Activism” section in the main navigation of its website, which highlights how it is going about achieving its “Save Our Planet” mission.

Patagonia’s core values ​​are: quality, integrity, environmental protection, fairness and non-binding to conventions.

3. Seer Interactives makes consumers aware that B Corp.

AND B Certification of the corporation is a label that indicates that the brand supports standards of high social and economic impact, responsibility and transparency about important factors (such as fostering an inclusive, fair and regenerative economy) related to the company’s social and environmental impact.

Seer Interactive is a marketing agency that leads with messages about its B Corp status right in the description in search engine results.

The brand goes deeper by sharing its B Corp status with a page that is clearly visible in the main navigation of the “About Us” page.

The brand also highlights some of the charity work they do as part of their values ​​on their social channels.

Seer Interactive Company Values: lift others up, follow the truth and strive to be better than yesterday.

4. Home Depot and Tory Burch highlight their support for communities.

Supporting the customer communities they serve is important to many brands.

Home Depot has a long history of investing in the black community as part of its work to live its values. For example, its Retool Your School program has been providing grants to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) for the past 15 years.

The program is featured on its brand website (shown above) and with content on the YouTube channel (image below).

Home Depot Values: creating shareholder value, entrepreneurial spirit, caring about our people, respecting all people, doing the right thing, building strong relationships, giving back and excellent customer service.

Fashion brand Tory Burch is focused on community and support through the Tory Burch Foundation, which has a number of programs designed to empower women entrepreneurs, including through a scholarship program, which provides access to capital, education and other online resources.

On his Instagram account in the description you will find a direct link to the account of the Tory Burch Foundation, where you will find a lot of details about all the work the brand does.

Tory Burch values: to empower women (expressed as a company purpose).

5. Warby Parker has built its value of giving back into its business model.

If you buy a pair of glasses from Warby Parker, a pair of glasses is given to someone in need. Since this aspect is at the core of its business model, it is something the brand does not hesitate to communicate, which is why it is highlighted on its homepage.

He also makes this clear on his social media profiles, especially on Instagram, as shown in the image below.

Warby Parker Values: bring fun and quirkiness to everything we do, treat others as you want to be treated, pursue new and creative ideas, do good, take action, assume positive intentions, lead with integrity and learn, develop and repeat.

6. Michael Graves Design has championed accessibility and inclusion in its product offering.

Michael Graves Design is known as the most accessible design brand, with its focus on design for all and improving life, regardless of age or physical ability.

Thus, the mission and purpose of the brand is fulfilled by the actual product that the brand produces. As such, with every product launch, collaboration and promotion, it shows how it lives its values ​​and purpose because they are intertwined.

The brand itself doesn’t necessarily say much about inclusion on its website and social channels, because consumers know it because it’s built into the product. For many, this is what drew them to the brand in the first place.

In this interview on the Inclusion & Marketing podcast, I spoke with Ben Wintner, CEO of Michael Graves Design. During our conversation, we delve deeper into how the brand is meticulous in living its values.

Values ​​of Michael Graves Design: wonderful, purposeful, pioneering and extraordinary.

Tell your customers how you live by your brand values

Customers won’t know what you stand for or the good you do if you don’t. It’s not about being performative. Instead, it’s about highlighting the positive impact you have in a way that inspires others and helps clients who share your values ​​find you.