How Culture Impacts Brand Values

The Importance of Culture in Brand Values

Culture plays a significant role in shaping a company’s brand values. Brand culture is the foundation of a company’s identity. A company’s culture reflects its values, mission, and vision, and what makes it unique.

Cultural Integration in Brand Values

In today’s globalised world, companies can expand beyond their home country. They have a presence in multiple countries, and their employees and customers come from diverse cultural backgrounds. This makes it essential for companies to integrate culture into their brand values.

Cultural integration in brand values means understanding and incorporating values and beliefs of different cultures in a brand’s ethos. It involves creating a brand that resonates with people from different cultural backgrounds and reflects their values.

Building a Strong Brand Ethos

A strong brand ethos is crucial for a business’s success. A strong brand ethos is what sets a company apart from its competitors and helps it connect with its target audience.

Culture plays a significant role in building a strong brand ethos. Understanding the cultural values and beliefs of their target audience is important. A company can create a brand that resonates with this culture and build a strong emotional connection.

Quor Example

Quor formerly known as Brady Technologies has recently undertaken a rebrand. One of the main focuses of the project was to change the culture of the brand. Moving away from the ‘stuffy’ side of commodities, moving towards a modern brand, covering everything from: 

• Messaging

• Tone

• Photography 

• Iconography

• Colour palettes

• Type hierarchy

• Logo design

• Layout guidelines for both digital and print medium

Read the full case study for Quor here.

How Culture Can Impact Brand Values

Culture can have a significant impact on a company’s brand values. Here are some ways in which culture can have a positive influences on brand values:

Brand Identity

Culture can shape a company’s brand identity. If performed well, a company’s culture reflects its brand values, and it is what sets it apart from its competitors. For example, a company with a culture of innovation and creativity will have brand values that reflect these traits.

Brand Perception

Culture also influences the perception of a company’s brand to its target audience. A company’s brand values should align with the cultural values of its target audience to create a positive perception. For example, companies that value sustainability will have positive perception by those who share this belief.

Brand Messaging

Culture also impacts a company’s brand messaging. A company should tailor its brand messaging to resonate with its target audience’s cultural values and beliefs. For example, a company targeting a culture that values family should incorporate this value into its brand messaging.

Using Culture in Brand Identity

Within our Hermanos Colombian Coffee Roasters we worked with their team to understand how they can position themselves in a crowded market. The brand needed to encompass vibrancy, drawing inspiration from the natural landscape and subcultures of surrounding regions and cities. We created a colour palette and typographic style that echoed the energy of these locales, borrowing bold fonts akin to those used in street art and the pigments adorning shopfronts.

Integrating Culture into Brand Ethos

Integrating culture into a company’s brand ethos is crucial for a strong brand and connecting with its target audience. Here are some ways in which companies can integrate culture into their brand ethos:

Research and Understand Target Audience

The first step in integrating culture into a company’s brand ethos is to research and understand its target audience. This involves understanding their cultural values, beliefs, and behaviours. Companies can conduct surveys, focus groups, and market research to gain insights into their target audience’s culture.

Incorporate Cultural Values into Brand Values

Once there is a good understanding of a target audience’s culture, a brand can incorporate this in their values. This means aligning the company’s values with the values of its target audience.

Use Cultural Symbols and References

Using cultural symbols and references is an effective way to integrate culture into a company’s brand ethos. This can include using traditional clothing, music, or art in marketing campaigns or incorporating cultural references in product design. However, it is essential to use these symbols and references respectfully. Ensure there is a deep understanding of their cultural significance.

Hire a Diverse Team

A diverse team can bring different perspectives and cultural insights to a company’s brand ethos. Companies should hire employees from diverse cultural backgrounds. This allows companies to ensure that their brand values are inclusive and resonate with a global audience.

Here at Fellow we’ve seen first hand the power of adding culture into our brand:

“I would say for me, the key failure is in the earliest stages, when we really didn’t hire on culture. We hired on perceived skill and expertise alone. I think especially speaking of the team now, both of us (Anothony & Paul) are really happy with our team. This is because we started listening to our gut more when it came to how they fit culturally.”

Anthony Chapman

This has benefits outside of branding success. In fact, 35% of workers turned down the perfect job because they didn’t feel it was the right culture fit. This is according to Robert Half, a global staffing firm.

Using Culture To Build a Strong Team

Culture can often mean more than the diversity of your team’s background. Here at fellow we see culture in many forms, from how a team works together through to general effort and performance.

“I think the people that we’re looking to work with are very proactive. This is something that we see in ourselves, but also what we want to see in the people we hire to work with Fellow. Because if everyone’s willing to learn, you’re naturally going to progress in the right direction.”

Paul Crump

Real-World Examples of Cultural Integration in Brand Values

Many companies have successfully integrated culture into their brand ethos. Here are some real-world examples:

Airbnb

Airbnb is a prime example of a company that has successfully integrated culture into its brand values. The company’s mission is to create a world where anyone can belong anywhere. This aligns with the cultural values of inclusivity and diversity. Making Airbnb a popular choice for travellers from vairying backgrounds.

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola is another company that has successfully integrated culture into its brand ethos. The company’s brand values of happiness, optimism, and togetherness resonate with people from different cultural backgrounds. Coca-Cola also uses cultural symbols and references in its marketing campaigns. This includes the iconic “Holidays are Coming” seasonal ad.

Who Is Responsible for Cultural Integration in Brand Values?

Cultural integration in brand values is a collective effort that involves various departments within a company. It requires a company wide approach in order to successfully create a positive culture within a company. Without encouragement and support from all departments from branding, marketing, HR and leadership, culture will not yield the benefits mentioned in this article.

Conclusion

Culture and brand values are two essential elements that shape a company’s identity and reputation. Companies should understand how culture impacts brand values and integrate culture into their brand ethos. They can then build a strong brand and connect with their target audience. With the world becoming increasingly globalised, cultural integration in brand values is crucial for a company’s success.

Following the best practices and real-world examples mentioned in this article, companies resonate with other cultures. For more insight into the role of  culture within  brand messaging, view our brand messaging page or get in touch with our team.