If brands are to succeed there needs to be a vision to give a sense of direction. Not only does this enable staff to appreciate what role they should play but when unforeseen challenges appear, it helps managers identify strategies that will help them stay true to their long-term intent. This section addresses the three components of a brand vision:

• values characterising the brand
• future environment
• purpose for the brand

Brand values
The word ‘values’ is frequently used in marketing, yet there is sometimes confusion about its meaning. A value is an enduring belief that a specific mode of conduct or end-state of existence is personally or socially preferable to an opposite or converse mode of conduct or end-state of existence.

In the context of brands, values represent the behaviours and end-states to which a brand adheres as important guiding principles. A brand’s values effectively say ‘This is what we believe in and this is how we think our business should be conducted’. A brand’s values should not be confused with the concept of added value, which refers to the augmentation of an offering to differentiate it from competitors (that is, to elevate it to the level of a brand rather than a commodity that is indistinguishable from other offerings).

In the case of service brands, where staff are the brand, by understanding their brand’s values, staff have a better feel for the types of behaviour they should adopt to reinforce the brand if they understand the brand values. Brand values offer an opportunity for brand differentiation and attract people whose values match those being projected by their chosen brand. These people are employees who are proud to align themselves with these values, as well as consumers.

One of the principles of effective branding is that there should be a low number of core values, typically no more than five. As the number of values rises it becomes more difficult for staff to recall them all and the task of devising and sustaining a clear unique promise becomes more difficult. A further advantage of majoring on a few core values is that as they encourage specific types of staff behaviour, there is less scope for internal confusion and thus there is a greater likelihood of behavioural consistency amongst staff.

For example, when Midland Bank (as it was then) set up a team to develop a new approach to banking – telephone banking through First Direct – one of the team’s early actions was to define the brand’s values. These were chosen as being: respect, openness, energy, thinking and getting it right. When they then recruited their telephone bank representatives they were less concerned with applicants’ banking skills, which they argued could be taught, and put emphasis on whether the applicants’ values reflected the desired brand values.

For established brands, by auditing staff throughout the firm, managers can evaluate what staff think are the values of the brand, and thus identify gaps between the espoused and the perceived values. By working together to identify why gaps have occurred between the espoused and the perceived values, organisations are in a much stronger position to take pan-company action to ensure greater consistency in delivering the brand promise.

To thrive, brands need to have a clearly defined set of core values, which staff should understand and be committed to, and which should appeal to the target market. We would stress the need to ensure everyone inside the organisation is behind the brand, otherwise internal tensions can damage the brand. After all, if two people are in a boat heading towards a rapid, they should not be arguing about how they got there but they should row together.

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