5 Inspiring brand values examples from leading wellness brands
Growth through strong brand values
A few weeks ago, we published a blog article called, "Aligning Brand Values with Holistic Marketing: A Guide for Healthcare Entrepreneurs," about how aligning your brand values with your marketing efforts can be the secret sauce to attracting more clients and succeeding in health and wellness marketing. The article reviewed the nuts and bolts of brand values and provided some real-world examples of how they come into play, too.
Today, we’re going to take it a step further.
In this blog, we’ll start by giving you some ideas about concrete brand values you might want to consider to help define your business… Or not! If some of these feel ridiculous to you, that’s good data for you to think about as you triangulate what does feel meaningful to you. On that note, we’re also going to talk about how to choose brand values, and if that feels too nebulous, give you some ideas on what opposing brand values look like. The latter can be a fun exercise to force you into a “is my business more this or that?” mindset, which can help you get crisp about what’s most important.
We’ll wrap up today’s blog with five additional real-world examples - all of which will be at least somewhat related to the wellness industry. I intentionally picked some controversial ones for this blog, so we can have a bit of fun with this one.
“When your values are clear to you, making decisions becomes easier.”
With this in mind, let’s get started.
Brand values for healthcare and wellness entrepreneurs to consider
When defining your brand values, it’s important to choose principles that resonate with your mission and your audience. Here are a few sample brand values examples healthcare and wellness entrepreneurs can consider:
Sustainability: Commitment to environmental stewardship and sustainable practices. This value can attract eco-conscious customers and differentiate your brand in a crowded market.
Transparency: Being open and honest about your products, processes, and business practices. Transparency builds trust and credibility with your audience.
Innovation: Focusing on continuous improvement and innovation in products and services. This can position your brand as a leader in the wellness industry.
Empowerment: Encouraging and empowering your customers to take charge of their health and well-being. This value fosters a supportive and motivating brand community.
Inclusivity: Promoting diversity and inclusivity in all aspects of your business. Inclusivity can broaden your customer base and create a more welcoming brand environment.
Integrity: Adhering to ethical principles and maintaining high standards of integrity. This value enhances your brand's reputation and fosters long-term loyalty.
Compassion: Showing empathy and understanding towards your customers’ needs and concerns. Compassionate brands build strong emotional connections with their audience.
Community: Fostering a sense of community and belonging among your customers. This value helps create a loyal and engaged customer base.
Quality: Committing to delivering high-quality products and services. Quality assurance can set your brand apart in a competitive market.
Well-being: Prioritizing the overall well-being of your customers. This value emphasizes a holistic approach to health, addressing physical, mental, and emotional wellness.
How to pick your brand values
Choosing the right brand values involves understanding what aligns with your business goals and what resonates with your audience. Here’s how to differentiate and narrow down your brand values:
Strength comes when you know your values.
Identify your core mission: What is the primary purpose of your business? Your brand values should align closely with your mission.
Understand your audience: What are the values and priorities of your target audience? Choose values that will resonate with them.
Differentiate your values: Not all values will fit every brand. For example, if sustainability is a core value, then practices that heavily rely on non-renewable resources might not align with your brand. Conversely, a brand focused on cutting-edge technology and innovation might prioritize values such as innovation and efficiency over traditional craftsmanship.
Reflect on your business practices: Ensure that your chosen values are reflected in your daily operations and long-term strategies. Authenticity is key—your values should be more than just words.
Opposing brand values: making the right choice
While it’s important to have a set of core brand values, it’s equally important to recognize that some values may conflict with others, causing your brand to feel imbalanced. While there are ways of marrying most concepts together in a cohesive way, understanding these conflicts can help you make more intentional and strategic decisions about your brand’s identity. Here are a few examples:
Choosing the right path for your brand.
Sustainability vs. Cost Efficiency: If sustainability is a key brand value, prioritizing cost efficiency at the expense of sustainable practices might not align with your brand’s identity. On the other hand, a brand focused on affordability might find it challenging to implement costly sustainable practices.
Innovation vs. Tradition: Brands that prioritize innovation may focus on cutting-edge technologies and new methodologies, which can conflict with values centered around tradition and heritage. Deciding where your brand stands on this spectrum can help clarify your brand’s direction.
Exclusivity vs. Inclusivity: A brand that prides itself on exclusivity and luxury might find it difficult to simultaneously promote inclusivity and accessibility to all. It’s important to determine which value aligns more closely with your brand’s mission and target audience.
When you thoughtfully select your brand values and recognize potential conflicts, you’ll create a strong foundation for your brand identity, build deeper connections with your audience, and drive long-term success.
Examples from leading wellness brands
Here are some inspiring examples from leading wellness brands demonstrating how they effectively integrate their core brand values into their marketing strategies and business operations. Love these brands or hate them, they still serve as prominent examples in the wellness industry. Their approaches can offer valuable insights into how brand values can shape and drive success. Please note we’ve taken a few liberties in how we’ve summarized values/mission/campaigns/overall reputation across these for the sake of brevity.
Example 1: Fitbit - Health Empowerment
Empowering health with data and community.
Overview: Fitbit, now a part of Google, focuses on empowering individuals to lead fitter, healthier lives through data and technology. Their products are designed to help users track their fitness progress and make informed health decisions.
Implementation: Fitbit’s marketing emphasizes personal empowerment and the importance of staying active. They provide comprehensive data analytics and community features, fostering a sense of support and motivation among users.
Example 2: Lululemon - Be Human, Be Well, and Be Planet
Innovative, quality athletic wear.
Overview: Despite its controversial founder, Lululemon has become a brand many aspire to due to its commitment to quality and innovation in athletic wear. They focus on creating high-performance, stylish products that enhance the athletic experience.
Implementation: Lululemon’s marketing highlights their innovative fabric technologies and the high standards of quality they maintain. They also engage with their community through events and ambassador programs, promoting an active and mindful lifestyle.
Example 3: Calm - Mental Well-being
Mental wellness through mindfulness.
Overview: Calm’s mission is to make the world happier and healthier. Launched in 2012, Calm is a meditation, sleep, and relaxation app available in both the App Store and Google Play store. It is dedicated to introducing its worldwide community to the benefits of mindfulness. Calm creates unique audio content that strengthens mental fitness and tackles mental health challenges like stress, anxiety, insomnia, and depression.
Implementation: Calm’s marketing strategy includes a blend of educational content, user testimonials, and collaborations with mental health experts. The most popular feature is 'The Daily Calm,' a 10-minute meditation that explores a fresh mindful theme each day. Calm also offers 250+ Sleep Stories, sleep music, meditation lessons, nature sounds, Calm Masterclasses, and more. The app is free to download with some free content available, but a paid subscription unlocks access to Calm's entire content library. Calm is expanding offline with initiatives like the Calm Book and natural sleep aid Sleep Mist.
Example 4: Goop - Holistic Beauty/Wellness
Holistic beauty redefined.
Overview: Goop, famously founded by Gwyneth Paltrow, is a highly controversial lifestyle/wellness brand. Despite the controversy around many of its products and advice, Goop has a strong following due to its celebrity endorsement and comprehensive approach to health.
Implementation: Goop’s marketing leverages celebrity influence and a strong editorial voice to promote wellness products and experiences. They emphasize a holistic approach to health, encompassing physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. If you’re interested in learning more about becoming a wellness influencer yourself? We wrote a blog about that: “Cultivating a compelling personal brand as a wellness influencer.”
Example 5: Athleta - People and Planet
Inclusive, sustainable, women-focused.
Overview: Athleta is a certified B Corp that uses business as a force for good, emphasizing that the wellness of the planet and the community are interconnected. Their values center around creating positive change for people and the planet, fostering an inclusive community, and celebrating the power of women and girls.
Implementation: Athleta’s marketing campaigns highlight their commitment to sustainability and social responsibility. They promote inclusivity by featuring women of all ages, races, ethnicities, identities, sizes, and abilities. Their products are designed by a team of athletes, designers, and innovators dedicated to celebrating the strength and diversity of women. Athleta’s community engagement includes partnerships, events, and initiatives that support both people and the planet.
Conclusion
The examples of Fitbit, Lululemon, Calm, Goop, and Athleta illustrate how brand values can be effectively integrated into a wellness brand's identity and even further into its marketing operations. By staying true to their missions, core principles, and value pillars, these brands have built strong, loyal customer bases and set themselves apart in a crowded market. Even when they’re not perfect.
For wellness entrepreneurs, understanding and defining your brand values will help enable your business's success because when your messaging resonates deeply with your audience, they will come back for more. Integrating these brand values into your health and wellness branding will help you create an authentic and compelling narrative that stands out from the crowd.
Now its time to reflect on your own brand values and consider how they align with your business practices and marketing strategies!
WHen you’re ready to put some of this into practice, check out the free guide we put together to help you define your own brand voice. Check it out: “Crafting your unique brand voice in healthcare: a practical guide.”