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Carl Pei, co-founder of OnePlus and founder of Nothing, offers a compelling perspective on building a brand. He emphasizes that a brand shouldn't be an afterthought, a mere story tacked on at the end of the company's processes. Instead, it should be an integral part of everything a company does.
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Pei believes that separating the brand from the core functions of the company—like product development, engineering, sales, and marketing—simply doesn't work. A successful brand is built through unity and a clear purpose that guides every action and decision within the company.
"The way in which you shouldn't build a brand is to view the brand as just a story you tack on to your company at the end of the day. Let the product guys do whatever they do, let the engineers do their work, let the sales and marketing team figure out what the brand is. That doesn't really work, I think."
To illustrate his point, Pei references Nike, a company that sells commodity products but is highly valued and loved by consumers. A few years ago, Nike ran a controversial ad featuring Colin Kaepernick, a move that sparked significant debate. However, the decision was guided by Nike's clear purpose: to inspire people and uphold the belief that everyone is an athlete. This clarity made the decision straightforward—if the ad aligned with their purpose of inspiring people to become athletes, it was a go.
Steve Jobs, co-founder of Apple, once said,
"Marketing is about values. This is a very complicated world, it's a very noisy world, and we're not going to get a chance to get people to remember much about us. No company is. So we have to be really clear about what we want them to know about us."
Jobs’ philosophy aligns with Pei’s idea that a brand is not just about advertising, but about the core values and purpose that guide the company.
Pei argues that the best way to build a brand is to unite all teams under a higher purpose, vision, or mission. When every team, from engineering to customer service, executes against this shared purpose, the brand becomes a cohesive and powerful entity. This means that every interaction a consumer has with the company, whether it's through advertising, the product itself, or customer service, should reflect the brand's core purpose.
"A brand is every single touchpoint a consumer has with a company, not just their advertising material, but also the product, but also the service, but also interacting or bumping into an employee."
A real-world example of this approach is the way Patagonia, an outdoor clothing company, builds its brand around environmental sustainability. Patagonia's mission is to "save our home planet." This purpose drives all aspects of their business, from product design to their marketing campaigns. They even ran an ad titled "Don't Buy This Jacket" to encourage customers to think about the environmental impact of their purchases. This strong, purpose-driven approach has made Patagonia a beloved brand with a loyal customer base.
In conclusion, Carl Pei’s insights on building a brand highlight the importance of integrating the brand’s purpose into every aspect of the company. By uniting all teams around a clear vision and ensuring that every action supports this vision, companies can create a brand that is authentic, cohesive, and powerful. This strategy, supported by examples from companies like Nike and Patagonia, shows that a brand is much more than just a story—it's the essence of everything a company does.
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