Meet Lisa. Lisa runs a local law firm – but not just any law firm. Her’s prides itself on slick legal expertise and brand values like “client-first advocacy” and “delivering results that matter,” featured front and centre on her website.
Life’s great for Lisa. She’s winning cases, keeping her clients happy, and running her growing firm – until one day, a high-profile case goes completely sideways.
A long-term client comes in for a big legal battle, with Lisa’s team promising top-notch strategy and clear communication. But when the case file is finally presented, it’s a mess of confusing jargon and missed deadlines. Before Lisa can even apologise, the client pulls up her website and says, “I thought you promised ‘client-first advocacy’? I’m not seeing much advocacy here!”
Lisa is left staring at the case file, wishing she’d spent more time ensuring her brand values were driving her team’s work, rather than just displaying them for show.
Brand Values: They’re Not Just for Show
Here’s the thing: a lot of businesses think slapping their brand values on a website will make them look good, like a shiny badge of honour. But guess what? No one really cares about your values… until something goes wrong. The moment you fail to deliver on them, those fancy words become a stick for people to beat you with.
At Amplify, we see brand values a little differently. Instead of using them as window dressing, we believe in letting those values drive behaviours and actions that create a positive brand experience. This is what shapes your culture, and in turn, becomes your real competitive advantage.
Why Sticking Values on Your Website Can Backfire
We’ve all seen it – “honesty, innovation, professional, care” – proudly displayed on corporate homepages. But here’s the kicker: if those values don’t guide your every decision, interaction, and response, they’re just words. And words, as we know, can be twisted against you when the case file doesn’t perfectly match with what your client was expecting.
Imagine claiming “honesty” as a brand value, only for a PR disaster to hit. Suddenly, customers are waving that honesty flag in your face, demanding, “Where’s that honesty now?” Brand values are only meaningful if they’re reflected in your daily actions. If not, they become a weapon.
Live Your Values, Don’t Just Display Them
Values aren’t there to sit on a wall or website, looking pretty. They’re there to be lived – in every decision, interaction, and email. Whether it’s how you treat your staff, respond to a customer complaint, or even how you handle a day when everything goes wrong (looking at you, Lisa), values should inform how you do business at all levels. When they do, people don’t need to see them on a website – they’ll feel them in every interaction with your brand.
Common Mistakes with Brand Values
Let’s be real for a minute – most brand values out there are painfully generic. “Integrity, innovation, honesty.” It’s like businesses went shopping for them at a corporate value clearance sale. If everyone’s shouting the same words, where’s the distinction?
Here’s the deal: values should be unique to your brand. They should be aligned with your purpose and vision, not just thrown together because they sound good. If your values don’t resonate with your actual brand personality, you’re wasting everyone’s time. Worse yet, having too many values can dilute the message. Keep it simple – five or six is enough to drive meaningful action.
Creating Brand Values That Deliver Real Value
So, how do you create values that actually do something? It’s simple: make them clear, actionable, and specific. Values shouldn’t be high-level, fluffy statements that no one can remember, let alone live by. They should be guiding principles that everyone in your organisation can use to shape their behaviour.
And here’s a pro tip: stop broadcasting your values everywhere. Show them through your actions, not just your words. Enable your team to live them, and your customers will feel them. It’s that simple.
Brand values aren’t just a marketing tool – they’re a blueprint for building culture, trust, and credibility. At Amplify, we believe values should guide behaviours, not just sit on a webpage collecting dust. Because when you truly live your values, you won’t need to shout about them – your customers, team, and stakeholders will see them in everything you do.
Contact the team at Amplify today to build brand values that don’t make you fall.
