CEOs, Make Meaningful Brands Work for You

Once there was a time when a CEO was deemed to be all-knowing. When his word was law. He infallibly showed the way, the rest just had to follow. CEO I The Almighty, as it were. Sometimes this worked out well, sometimes it didn’t. 

Today, a successful CEO is above all a bridge builder. Someone who brings people together behind a shared vision to shape the future. Someone who realises that everyone has to be fully convinced of the mission, if it is to have any chance of success. But also someone who is committed to building and upholding a brand that captivates everyone.

Meaningful brands make a mark 

Successful captains of industry know that you can only set things in motion with a brand that everyone truly believes in. After all, people are always looking for a goal, for an identity, for that feeling of belonging. In short: they are looking for meaning. And that is exactly what meaningful brands offer them. These kinds of brands express a coherent and convincing idea. Something that you believe to be important – to others, to society and to yourself.

Is it that simple? Yes and no: your brand must not only be consistent, it must also be truthful. It has to coincide with who you really are. As Richard Branson rightly puts it: “Too many companies want their brands to reflect some idealised, perfected image of themselves. As a consequence, their brands acquire no texture, no character and no public trust.” And so it is: many companies promise too much, and then more of the same. 

It’s time to discover who you really are

To be truly convincing and differentiating, your brand must above all coincide with your real self. It is therefore crucial to do some soul searching as a company. At Duval Branding, we’re there to discover together with you what makes you unique and what unique value you offer to your employees, customers and partners. We uncover the core of your company, so it becomes clear how you, in your very own way, make a difference in people’s lives. This way, we lay the foundations for a brand that is meaningfully different.

Because only with a brand that is meaningfully different will you, as a business leader, set people in motion. In one of our next blog posts, we will discuss how we further develop such a brand, so that it will form the basis for connecting conversations and long-term engagement. But one thing’s for sure: a meaningful brand creates change in people today and shows an enthralling vision of what tomorrow may bring. And that is exactly what every successful CEO signs up for.