Eric Van de Valle

 

What is the "meaning" of a company or a brand?​

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It is its contribution to the evolution of the people who drive it, to society, in harmony with the environment.

 

This contribution includes and goes beyond the profit motive.

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The "meaning" of a company or a brand is not first and foremost the expression of the supposed expectations of its audiences. It comes from the initial impetus given by the founders, then carried more or less well by its successors.

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In some cases, the source is forgotten, in any case, it must be constantly restored and revived.

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It is expressed by a path of shared reflection and by the formulation of a philosophy of action, also reflecting the angle through which one fits into a competitive context.

 

 

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Help you find your source of meaning

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My advice in "positioning of meaning" makes it possible to bring out, clarify and update this "source of meaning", which irrigates your organization.

 

My process combines individual interviews with managers, analysis of the history, culture of the company and its brands, perspective in the competitive context.

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At its end, we will share a reflection around 3 fundamental articulations of

what I call your "source of meaning":

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Why? the inspiring ideal

How? the philosophy of your actions

What? the spirit of the good you bring
 

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These articulations are located upstream of the usual formulations of brand platforms, too often centered on the offer, the products, or expressed in a vague way with imprecise terms (Vision/Mission/Ambition).

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Finding the true inspirational strength of an organization's meaning requires engaging in a demanding journey, which can look like a real philosophical "trekking"...

You have to want to ask yourself questions, to cross a pass, then another...

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Words materialize something, but you have to include all the nuances, the intuitions, the sensations, the images that came to us to get there.

As Bodhidharma, the legendary transmitter of Buddhism in China, said, "To see the fish well, you have to look at the water".

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The search for the "source of meaning" of a company is a journey and a sharing.

It can take place at a given moment in the life of an organization, but it will require being "embodied" by the leaders and key employees.

It will also be necessary to revisit them regularly, to confront them with contextual developments so that the force of their meaning does not disperse.

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Once discovered and appropriated with your teams, your meaning engine can begin to inspire all areas of business strategy, including communication.

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More than a "positioning", which is a fixed notion, it is a real active and creative principle.

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I accompany you for:

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Discover your source of meaning Why / How / What and its strategic applications

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Your "raison d'être" if you wish to become a "company with a mission"

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The generation of content axes in communication