Ballet Dancer Misty Copeland Shows the Will and Why

Great brands emerge from clear purpose and strong organizational culture. A great brand starts with a strong company culture. As a marketing company, it’s our job to connect the client branding and marketing work we do for them, to their company culture.

So often marketing campaigns are battlegrounds for corporate egos. And when a business fails to perform as highly as expected, marketing becomes the scapegoat. In our view, the brand and the marketing initiatives will follow an organization’s purpose and culture. When those are strong, the marketing is done well, the brand promise is delivered, and customers develop trust.

That takes passion. Our own brand purpose is to do great work, while helping others be their best—this is our roadmap.

Underarmour is a great example of a brand that has a strong internal company culture and clear focus which carries through into their branding and marketing. On their website, they lay out the company’s vision, values (formerly called: “Pillars of Greatness”). It’s clear, actionable and impassioned—it’s very nicely done.

These then translate into their four Wills, which are action statements and commitments to be Citizens, Entrepreneurs, Innovators and Teammates.

Explaining these company beliefs clearly is a great first step, but the sparks really fly when Underarmour expresses its purpose through media with their campaign I WILL WHAT I WANT and this video of ballet dancer Misty Copeland expressing her personal story is breathtaking. And so are 9+MM views. Underarmor is opening 200 new stores in 2016.