Authentically grounding your marketing in what your company values is about more than just truth in advertising—it’s also about stickiness. After all, the most effective messages are those that play into an existing narrative about your company, and marketing that is rooted in your values will pick up on and repeat threads that are expressed throughout your operations, whether you realize it or not.

For example, if your company genuinely values the environment, that truth is probably expressed by your business in multiple ways. Perhaps you have a bike rack by your front entrance and employees make it a habit to commute in a carbon-neutral fashion. You probably have water fountains that refill reusable water bottles, print your collateral on recycled paper, and donate annually to funds that protect wildlife, clean water, and forests. 

For this theoretical organization, there is both moral and marketing value in investing in a promotional product that showcases this commitment to the environment. Morally, investing in an ethically sourced and eco-friendly product is the obvious choice for this company—but there are also marketing reasons to go this route.

Because this company is already communicating that it values the environment in multiple ways, a promotional product that showcases this value activates confirmation bias: the innate tendency to notice and remember facts that confirm preexisting beliefs. 

A reusable water bottle and tote reaffirms what people already believe about your company, which means that this fact will be remembered easily and filed alongside congruent information. This means that this marketing campaign has to do less work in order to be noticed and remembered—especially by people who are overloaded with sensory stimulation. 

Simply put, leveraging existing narratives gives you more bang for your buck.

Gifts That Give Back

So what does that look like? There are many options to walk the walk—and one particularly effective strategy is to purchase from suppliers that donate a percentage of proceeds to a given cause. 

For example, you might find a lighter that gives to veterans health organizations or a backpack company that donates to rainforest preservation. Some of these products are branded in such a way that indicates the partnership, meaning that every use is a reminder of the underlying value. 

Look for partnerships that:

• Fund veterans services

• Protect the environment

• Fight hunger

• Support diversity and inclusion

• Fund education and mental health initiatives 

• Protect wildlife

• Rescue shelter pets

Don’t see your initiative listed? 

Don’t worry—we can help you find a partnership that aligns with your values. And if your particular cause doesn’t have a pre-built tie-in, you can always create one of your own. For example, you might donate to the Special Olympics and order frisbees, jerseys, or sports bottles with your logo and text about supporting adaptive sports. 

Responsible Production 

Charitable partnerships aren’t the only way to showcase your values—you can also opt for products that are produced in a manner that is consistent with your values. 

This might mean apparel made from organic material, products made in the USA (or even more locally), and using recycled shipping materials and low-emissions distribution methods. 

Value in Use     

Of course, products themselves can also communicate what matters to your company. The theoretical company discussed above, for example, uses reusable products to communicate and reinforce that it values protecting the environment, as well as to support this value with products that minimize environmental harm. 

This strategy isn't only valid for environmental causes. For example, if your organization values:

• Family, you might give a board game set

• Wellness, you might give exercise bands or a yoga mat

• Creativity, you might give an interactive game or art set

All of these gifts communicate what you value and help promote those values in the lives of the recipients. 

Making the Call

So what do you value? If you don’t yet know, then another gift of embarking on a values-based marketing initiative is that it can force you to answer this question explicitly—and the resulting clarity can help inform future decisions about everything from staffing to programming to sales. 

For help translating your values into a full-scale marketing campaign, contact us.