The Power of Why?

When it comes to brand strategy, it’s critical to define why your organisation does what it does. One of the first questions any decent creative agency should ask their clients is WHY? We don’t mean ‘to make a profit’, we’re talking about your beliefs, your values. Why is your organisation better or different to anyone else’s?

The Golden Circle

In his revered Ted Talk, Simon Sinek explains, ‘people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.’ He refers to the ‘Golden circle’ where WHAT sits on the outside, HOW in the middle and WHY in the centre, when it comes to brand strategy.

Since WHAT is the easiest to explain, most companies start from the outside in, generally they know HOW they do it but very few companies understand WHY they actually do it. But what if we reversed the order, and started with WHY, discuss the HOW and end with WHAT?

Work from the Inside Out

Sinek uses Apple as an example of how a company can work from the inside out. Apple have access to the same technology & resources as other companies, so what sets them apart? What makes them such a success while their competitors’ products with similar technology and capabilities have failed?

First they tell us WHY; they’re here to shake things up, they have positioned themselves as innovators who aren’t afraid to challenge the status quo. Then they tell us HOW; with easy to use, beautifully designed products and finally WHAT they make; computers, phones, tablets and MP3 players.

They have 100% belief in why they do what they do and share these beliefs with their customers, why else would millions of people queue round the corner for the latest release of the new iPhone? By the time they got to their WHAT, we’d already brought into their products and are ready to support them however we can.

Something to Believe in

‘We want to be around people and organisations who are like us and share our beliefs” Sinek explains. “When companies talk about WHAT they do and how advanced their products are, they may have appeal, but they do not necessarily represent something to which we want to belong to. But when a company clearly communicates their WHY, what they believe, and we believe what they believe, then we sometimes go to extraordinary lengths to include those products or brands in our lives…

…The goal is not to do business with everybody who needs what you have. The goal is to do business with people who believe what you believe.’

Starting with WHY gives the consumer a reason to relate to your organisation on a personal level and if your WHY matches theirs then they’ll be more likely to remain loyal.

This kind of attitude doesn’t just inspire your consumers it can also inspire your employees. Who would you rather have working for you? ‘Experts in the field’ who are purely motivated by the paycheck and the bonuses or someone who needs some time to learn but has the same values and passion as you do?

Here at Fluro we are fuelled by passionate designers, developers and client services managers who all have their own ‘WHY’, we’d love to help you discover yours.