Develop Your Brand’s Core Purpose Statement
The aspirational reason why your company exists. It lives beyond financial goals and doesn’t include any methods, means, or specific approaches or executions.
How To Define Your Core Purpose Statement
Your Brand’s “Forever”
We label Core Purpose as “Forever” because it represents a driving force that’s always present regardless of what your business achieves or how long it’s around.
It acts as a north star to focus everything you do. It should be a source of inspiration and guidance that outlasts any ups, downs, shifts, or pivots.
Questions:
Separate from any financial aspirations, what was the driving force for creating your company?
Was it connected to a passion, area of expertise, particular technological / product breakthrough, or simply an emotional drive to create a new path?
What is your company’s founding story?
How has the business changed since then?
Exercises:
Distill the essence of what you wrote above into a single sentence (try it a few times):
Further distill that idea into a 5 word (or less) sentence (try this a few times, too):
Core Purpose Statement Examples
3M
Solve unsolved problems innovatively
Merck
Preserve and improve human life
Nike
Experience the emotion of competition, winning, and crushing competitors
Sony
Experience the sheer joy of advancing and applying technology for the benefit of the public
Walt Disney
Make people happy
Mary Kay
Give unlimited opportunity to women
Patagonia
Be a role model and tool for social change
(Core Purpose Statement examples via Jim Collins)
Map & Fire’s Core Purpose
“Empower and elevate business leaders to achieve their goals.”
Note: Map & Fire’s Core Purpose isn’t just to do great work for clients. We want to provide new outlooks and insights on how they see their business so they can succeed on their own.
Get Help Developing The Big Picture Strategy Of Your Brand
Free Brand & Marketing Workbook
Get immediate access to our 10 page workbook to help you define your Core Purpose, Vision, and Core Values, along with resources for Brand Archetypes, Tone of Voice, Messaging, and more!
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