The Core Value Compass: visually evaluating the goodness of brands that do good

CITATION

Yoganathan, V., Mcleay, F., & Hart, D. (2018). The Core Value Compass: visually evaluating the goodness of brands that do good. Journal of Brand Management, 25(1), 68–83

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ABSTRACT
Brands that do good for the society as well as for
themselves are motivated by the core values they espouse,
which necessitates a better understanding of what qualities a
true core value must possess. The inherent tension within
brands that do good, between commercial interests to
increase competitiveness, and societal interests that are
closely linked to the brand’s authenticity, has largely been
overlooked. Hence, we develop and demonstrate a relatively
easy-to-apply visual tool for evaluating core values based on
a set of ‘goodness’ criteria derived from extant theory. The
Core Value Compass adopts a paradox-based, evolutionary
perspective by incorporating the inherent tensions within
true core values, and classifying them according to their
temporal orientation. Thus, we contribute towards a better
understanding of underlying tensions of core values and
provide a practical tool that paves the way for improved, and
indeed ethical, corporate branding strategies. Furthermore,
we demonstrate the Compass’ application using the case of a
public sector brand, which is a quintessential brand that does
good. Therefore, we also contribute to the nascent theoretical
discourse on public sector branding. This paper therefore
adds to the notable attempts to bridge the gap between theory
and practice in core values-based corporate branding.


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