Values inherent in the vision of the corporate brand

 

It is rare for organizations to not have a statement of their corporate values. However frequently these are not that dissimilar between competing firms and are more akin to “motherhood statements” rather than uniquely motivating values. Part of the problem is managers’ inability to differentiate between category values that any corporate brand needs to have in order to compete, rather than unique brand values which make people want a particular brand. One way to surface unique visionary values is through the “Mars group method”. The senior management teams are asked to imagine they are able to re-create the very best of their corporate brand on planet Mars, where civilization can be supported.

However, only five seats are available on the rocket, so the team must select those who are exemplars of the brand’s values. With a facilitator, this small group explores questions such as Read more about corporate branding

Since actions are mediated by values, the team would then be asked to draw inferences about their corporate values from each of the historical actions. The advantage of this technique is that the Mars group method surfaces values which specify beliefs about desirable behavior, while the second technique identifies internalized, actual values