What do companies share about their beliefs and objectives?
In 2016, I did a study of 100+ About Us web pages looking for patterns in how global brands share their story online. The research revealed several trends in how brands were or were not taking advantage of this precious online real estate.
My colleague Helen Nie and I are now completing a massive revamp to that work. In comparing 75+ company sites among lists generated by Forbes, Fortune and Fast Company, we’re looking for patterns, archetypes and actionable takeaways for the ways brands showcase their DNA digitally.
Everyone is doing it
Some brands may be uncomfortable sharing too much or thinking this type of material wouldn't mean much to outsiders. There is, however, a trend toward corporate transparency and overt sharing. People are hungry for it — and nowadays, expect it.
The research we've done across categories backs it up. Interestingly, the numbers are higher among traditional big brands than I had expected:
- 43 of the Fortune 50 (86%) and 45 of the Fast Company 50 "Most Innovative Companies" (90%) put their company mission, vision or commensurate, on their public web site (usually in the About section). There’s a bit of overlap among the lists for companies like Apple and CVS Health, but the Fast Company 50 includes many enviable forward-behaving companies transforming industries, including Tencent, Patagonia and Sephora.
- 37 of the Fortune 50 (74%) and 29 of the Fast Company 50 (58%) put their company values or commensurate, on their public web site (also often in About, but also in Careers).
Why the overwhelming numbers? Investors, employers and customers want to know with whom they’re doing business. Journalists may want the messages for accountability. And from corporate culture shifts and an era of inclusion and diversity to the proliferation of social media, it’s easier than ever to peek inside the enterprise anyway. While the sheer numbers are not distinct between the lists, the about us pages for recognized innovative companies tend to be, well, more innovative — more creative in the way they tell their brand stories.
Examples to learn from
- UnitedHealth puts its mission and values out there simply and sincerely, albeit a bit generically. Contrast it with CVS Health, who shares its purpose, strategy and values with a little more flair, visualizing with a heart right down to the browser icon (nice touch).
- Google’s Alphabet captures its narrative as a single letter from Larry Page. With this creative format, its beliefs, rationales and objectives are woven in, which is immersive, sounds thoughtful and feels authentic.
- AT&T provides an entire section on its values, with a video from its employees. Interestingly and disappointingly, this takes you offsite to Youtube which might explain the low number of views.
- General Motors asserts its mission for the future prominently although buries its purpose and values inside a PDF for investors, versus on the main site
- General Electric has different pages for investors and employees. Ironically, the home page features a search field up to help guide users, but try searching for “company mission" or "GE purpose and values" and you won’t get much in results.
- Slack's About page fights blandness, by inserting some color into its statement: "Make work life simpler, more pleasant and more productive"
- Amazon has a dedicated site to About Amazon and puts sustainability in prime position, a signal to investors, stakeholders and consumers alike
- Berkshire Hathaway maintains its no-frills web site that most of us would probably offer to redesign for free. I feel like its (perhaps) frugality and (intentional?) defiance to design reinforces the spirit of its master brand.
Clearly, it's not a question if you should share your mission and even your values. The challenge is how you might do it.
