“Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything”.
When Nike used this slogan in a 2018 TV advert, it put its own brand equity on the line.
The commercial was widely regarded as a political statement since it lionised Colin Kaepernick, a football player who had divided American opinion by kneeling during the US national anthem to protest racial injustice. Some consumers hated the advert so much, they burned their Nike gear. However, many more flocked to the sportswear brand, which had long championed racial equality. Online sales surged by 31% in the campaign’s debut weekend and Nike went on to win an Emmy award.
So, should businesses believe in something? If so, how can they develop a brand point of view without sacrificing sales and reputation? Here’s our opinion.
Should brands have a distinctive point of view?
Yes, because people buy beliefs as well as expertise.
Sharing a point of view is an intimate thing, like inviting someone into your home. They may love or hate your tastes, but they will know you better. That recognition matters in a crowded marketplace.
Many clients we work with are nervous about expressing views that go beyond the safely generic, especially if their offering revolves around impartial data-informed expertise. Why take a position that could alienate part of their audience?
But we know from numerous studies that people don’t base decisions on facts and figures alone. Emotions and gut feeling play a huge role. In fact, one recent study found that consumers feel happier when they base a choice not on careful analysis but on intuition – applying beliefs they have built over their lifetime.
A point of view gives people something to connect with emotionally. They don’t just learn what the brand knows. They learn how the brand filters knowledge through its experiences to derive an expert judgement.
What makes an effective brand point of view?
Relevant, genuine and justified perspectives that are novel yet familiar.
People love a fresh perspective. But they’re more likely to remember one if it connects to beliefs they already hold, researchers at Leiden University recently concluded. A study in Nature echoed this with its finding that people are more likely to share a narrative that’s consistent with their existing beliefs.
So, a brand point of view doesn’t need to be revolutionary or ultra-provocative. It’s better to nudge thinking forward with views that feel novel to audiences but also intuitively right. In our view, you’ll hit the sweet spot if your point of view is:
- Relevant – useful to your audiences and rooted in something true about your organisation, such as the problems it solves, the people it serves and its impact on society
- Genuine – reflecting values and behaviours shown by the organisation over time, not unilaterally adopted as a kneejerk response to an event or trend
- Justified – grounded in your brand’s expertise and experience (ideally backed up by verifiable data) and not overly promotional.
On the flipside, a distinctive viewpoint can backfire if it’s perceived to be inflammatory, overly promotional or disingenuous. Bold and political viewpoints can also age badly. Our own Never say DEI study found that many companies once eager to “champion” diversity, equity and inclusion as the “right thing to do” have backtracked to a neutral position in the current political climate, exposing them to accusations of inauthenticity.
Research published in 2025 by Vrije University in the Netherlands suggests it’s better to adopt a neutral stance in the first place than be caught acting at odds with your stated values or apparently losing the courage of your conviction. But there’s a balance to be found. Take the middle ground, and the viewpoint won’t differentiate you from your competitors.
How do we develop an impactful and distinctive brand point of view?
Ask questions that draw out the value of your knowledge, find the faultlines in your wisdom and crystallise your thinking.
Developing a brand point of view should be an ongoing, whole-organisation effort. We recommend you:
1. Reflect
Ask your people to brainstorm what they’ve learned through their work at your organisation. How could you fight your clients’ corner better? How could your clients better help themselves? What should third parties such as the government be doing for your clients? What are your predictions based on the current environment, emerging trends and forthcoming events?
Self-reflection like this is useful as a one-off, but also as a regular exercise at the end of each project or in response to new data, government decisions and global trends.
Identify not only ‘what’ your experts have learned, but the ‘what next?’ – what they think should or will happen.
It could look something like this:
What: Just one in 10 small and medium-sized businesses is ready for new rules about to come into force.
You believe: Your clients are likely to be hit by damaging delays and higher costs caused by non-compliant SME suppliers.
You believe your clients should: Urgently identify their most at-risk suppliers and check if they are ready for the new rules or consider a switch.
You believe the government should: Delay financial penalties for first-time offenders, simplify its language and set up an advisory helpline.
2. Challenge
Compare your communications with those of your peers. Are you all saying the same thing? Are you stating the obvious? If so, dig deeper into your assumptions to find faultlines.
What are the nuances that others aren’t bringing to light? What is the flawed received wisdom that you should be debunking? How can you make your stance sharper, clearer and more helpful?
If you don’t know, this could be the perfect opportunity to carry out your own research to generate proprietary data. From this you can build a defensible point of view that can’t easily be copied.
3. Crystallise
When you hit on a solid differentiating point of view, try to distil it into two or three words. Your point of view may be complex and nuanced, but a snappier version could appear in headings and expert quotes to captivate your audiences. Imagine what you would say in a heated discussion with friends to make them stop and listen.
For inspiration, consider some of catchy terms that have taken the public lexicon by storm in recent years – such as ‘AI slop’, ‘greenwashing’, ‘brain rot’, ‘greedflation’ and ‘mansplaining’. These are more than neutral descriptions. They are crystallised points of view that have sparked debate and ignited action around the world.
4. Refine and revisit
To remain relevant, genuine and justified, your points of view may need to evolve as your business reality changes. By building a bank of your views over time, you may see patterns emerge that help you refine your overall stance and value proposition over time.
For help developing and articulating a durable, defensible and genuinely differentiating brand point of view, talk to us about our messaging and tone of voice services.
