Brands’ moral, social, and political values are now a core issue for most customers and employees. Unfortunately, companies lack a systematic values strategy, leading to high-profile flubs.

My new report, “Interactive Tool: Determine Your Company’s Strategy For Values-Based Customers,” features a Q&A tool that helps firms make conscious decisions about how much to bring moral, social, and political values into their business models — and, just as crucially, how intensely they’ll depict those values. Users who complete these questions will find out which of the nine approaches in our values-based experience framework is best for their business. The tool asks:

  • Why your company is considering a systematic approach to values. Companies typically approach values from one of two directions. Some firms are primarily interested in doing business in ways that they consider morally right. Other companies are evaluating their approach to values mainly as part of a business strategy, such as driving growth, stemming customer loss, or avoiding scandal.
  • Whether values drive loyalty for your customers or employees. Firms that address values as part of a business strategy need to know if their most important target customers or their employees are values-based and if the two groups agree on any values.
  • What risks, advantages, and commitments your company must consider. These questions determine how intensely your company should express values.

My report also offers many examples and shows how to use our values-based experience framework and decision tool as the centerpiece of a systematic, five-step approach to values. Please check out “Interactive Tool: Determine Your Company’s Strategy For Values-Based Customers” for more!