Comments on: Stop Creating Meaningless Brand Values

By: Hilton Barbour

Hilton Barbour — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 14:42:00 +0000

An excellent read. Particularly as much of the work we do is in the arena of Strategy & Culture. Differentiated or not, strong Cultures require a set of acceptable & unacceptable “behaviours” to operate efficiently & effectively. If employees aren’t aware of what is considered acceptable, then the likelihood of incongruence will run high.

Granted a lot of energy is spent on defining “desirable” values that are on-trend and little more than buzzwords high in the business vernacular of the day. It is whether the organization LIVES by those values, whether those values are aligned to delivering on the organization’s Strategy (or not) and if there is a commitment to abiding by those values. The exercise of creating them isn’t wasteful if it binds the organization together in meaningful ways.

As better examples of Values, I’d suggest looking at Netflix, Reckitt-Benkiser and Starbucks. Those are meaningful and, in many ways, actually differentiated…though I’m confident none of those companies began from a place of wanting to create differentiated values. More likely they wanted something to unify and bind the efforts of their talent.

By: Derrick Daye

Derrick Daye — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:54:53 +0000

I think it’s clear the essence of this piece is partly on the opportunity to differentiate via brand values. I think you should read the piece again Adam.

By: Martin Bishop

Martin Bishop — Thu, 15 Oct 2015 00:43:21 +0000

Adam: I wasn’t really attempting an evaluation of whether Google has/has not lived up to its “Don’t be Evil” clause–more pointing out that at least it was distinctive and well-known and, certainly in the company’s earlier years, reflective of their different approach to search.

By: Adam Gordon

Adam Gordon — Wed, 14 Oct 2015 17:12:46 +0000

Come on. Are you REALLY drinking of the Google Kool-Aid that deeply? Do you really believe that they’ve managed to keep to the “don’t be evil mantra”? Their abuse of their market power is legendary, insidious, and better known than the VW cock-up. Besides being, basically, an extension of the NSA, they throw their weight around and are, in fact, remaking the entire internet into their image of what they think it should be. Just talk to any SEO these days, and you’ll get a litany of issues where G is being incredibly unfair to where they appear to be actively evil. So, unless you think abuse of corporate power is not evil, WTF?