What is a brand manifesto and why your company needs one

What if someone asked you why your company exists, beyond making a profit? Would you be able to answer the question? What is the “why” behind your organization, the unique set of values that inspire you and your team, making this about more than “just” business? 

And most importantly, why should someone care? 

Even if you might be able to answer this for yourself, not every customer will. Visitors to your landing page, especially those unfamiliar with your company, have no idea why you set out to do what you do. That’s why it’s so important to include a brand manifesto, a statement that captures what your company stands for and believes in. 

The manifesto serves a twofold purpose. Not only does it help to foster loyalty and emotional connection with both new and existing customers, but also attracts employees who resonate with your mission and values. The benefits of publishing a manifesto for your company are endless. If you’re serious about your business, you should be writing one - like, yesterday.

But how do you start creating your manifesto? 

What is a manifesto? 

Before we delve into the specifics of crafting one, let’s first establish what we mean by the term brand manifesto.

A manifesto is not merely a statement. It is more than just your company’s vision and mission, even though it explicitly relates to both. While a mission statement details what your business does, a brand manifesto focuses on the why behind it. 

Think of it as the mother concept behind all your marketing slogans that captures the essence and ethos of your brand in memorable language. The word “memorable” is key here: an effective manifesto is concise and compelling. It reads like a narrative, offering emotional resonance with your audience by appealing to their own set of beliefs and values.

You might be familiar with Simon Sinek’s concept of the golden circle, an approach that prioritizes asking the question “why” before “how” and “what”. No matter how hard it might be, answering this question will help you in every area of your life, not only business leadership. Knowing why you get out of bed every morning helps you define priorities and set a clear long-term vision, which is invaluable for strategic decisions. 

So, eager to write a manifesto but still unsure how to start? Let’s look at how others did it.

Successful brand manifestos

One of the most well-known examples is Nike’s brand manifesto. As a part of their revolutionary Just Do It marketing campaign, Nike encouraged everyone to embrace their strength, no matter their fitness level: “If you have a body, you are an athlete”. They decided the company’s key value would be empowering people, which proved wildly successful, making them one of the most ubiquitous brands in the sports apparel industry today.

Similarly, Apple’s “Think Different” campaign was groundbreaking thanks to its narrative-like structure and concise, memorable language. Instead of focusing on the product’s technical properties, the campaign positioned the tech company’s customers as heroes - dreamers, innovators and misfits who challenge the status quo. By tapping into universal emotions like creativity and individuality, it succeeded in resonating with larger audiences, establishing innovation and subversiveness as Apple’s key values. 

A more recent example is the outdoor clothing brand Patagonia. While the company does not have an official manifesto as such, its mission statement reads: “We’re in business to save our home planet.” Their “reason for being” - the “why” behind the company - underpins their core value, which is environmental responsibility. Patagonia shows how businesses can be a force for positive change in the world, empowering customers to join the movement - creating a community of like-minded individuals who care deeply about the environment. 

Creating a brand manifesto 

There are no rules as such when writing a manifesto. If anything, a brand manifesto is supposed to break rules in order to sound original - that’s why it can be so challenging to write one. However, there are a couple of best practices or creative guidelines. 

In order to emotionally resonate with your audience, a manifesto needs to be written in accessible language. Second- or third-person pronouns work best (“we”, “you”, “them”) to place the audience into the story. The tone depends entirely on your brand identity - you can opt for a more professional-sounding manifesto or an informal one if you want to emphasize the human side of your business.

As for the content, there are truly no rules. If the text comes from a place of introspection and honesty and you feel it embodies the true values behind your company, it works. 

Three simple steps to create a brand manifesto

1. Brainstorm: Uncover the “why” behind your company.
2. Write: Use the output to craft a short narrative in second or third person.
3. Publish: Include it on your website and social media. 

Brainstorming

This is arguably the hardest step, but it is also the most rewarding. Sit down with a pen and paper and identify the key questions that can help you understand the “why” behind your company. Some examples:

• Why did you start the company?
• What problem were you trying to solve? 
• Did your focus stay the same, or has it shifted over the years? 
• What is your ideal client like? 
• What emotions does your brand want to evoke? 
• What social/environmental causes does your company align with? 
• How does your business improve people’s lives? 

First, formulate the questions, then provide your own answers. At this stage, it’s valuable to get the input from other employees or stakeholders. You may either organize individual interview rounds or a joint workshop where these questions are discussed - turn it into a fun teambuilding activity!

The wealth of information you will have amassed during brainstorming will serve many purposes. Not only will you uncover some valuable insights about your organization, you will also have material for future marketing copy. Remember, treat the brand manifesto as the mother concept behind all your marketing materials and slogans. This builds trust and creates consistency in your brand messaging.

Writing

Read the answers produced during the brainstorming stage. Which answers resonate with you the most? Which ones overlap? It can be helpful to organize the findings into a structured document. After that, ask your copywriting team to produce a second or third-person text that encapsulates the purpose behind your company and the key values you wish to transmit to others. 

Don’t make your brand manifesto too long. It should be long enough to clearly convey your company’s mission, values and vision, but concise enough to maintain the reader’s attention. The general recommendation is 200-500 words, but if it’s for a website or social media, keep it under 300 words. 

Be sure to use short paragraphs, strong statements and employ a conversational tone. Don’t include lengthy details about processes or company history - these belong in supplementary documents. Avoid complex or overly technical vocabulary as you want to keep the manifesto as relatable as possible to achieve maximum impact. 

Publication

After your manifesto is completed to your satisfaction, publish it on your website! Be sure to start a social media campaign which draws attention to the new manifesto and attracts traffic. Use eye-catching design that reinforces your message and/or imagery that aligns with the manifesto’s content. 

If you’re still in doubt, here are some more examples we like: 

IBM iX Manifesto

We are IBM iX, your global business design partner. A combination of business consultancy, digital agency and platform integrator, we work at the intersection of progressive strategy, human-centered design, and transformational technology. We are a collection of renegades and realists focused on the single biggest business challenge: tomorrow. Nothing we do is hypothetical. Everything we do has a measurable impact. We imagine the businesses and experiences that will shape the world for years to come, and then we help our clients make them real.

The HubSpot Culture Code

1. We are as maniacal about our metrics as our mission. 
2. We obsess over customers, not competitors. 
3. We are radically and uncomfortably transparent. 
4. We give ourselves the autonomy to be awesome. 
5. We are unreasonably selective about our peers. 
6. We invest in individual mastery and market value. 
7. We defy conventional “wisdom” as it’s often unwise. 
8. We speak the truth and face the facts. 
9. We believe in work+life, not work vs. life. 
10. We are a perpetual work in progress.

Start writing your manifesto today!

Hopefully, by now, the process of writing a manifesto is clear to you. Whether you are starting a new business or looking to refine your existing brand, crafting a manifesto is a step you should not skip. It is incredibly useful and can be a lot of fun. Not only does it allow you to clarify your values and vision, but it can also help you uncover insights about your company that you might have overlooked before: it is the guiding narrative for the present and future of your company. 

Remember that a manifesto doesn’t need to be perfect from the start. It’s a living document and as your company evolves, so should your manifesto - update it when necessary and allow it to grow with you. 

So, what are you waiting for? Grab a pen, gather your team, and start creating your manifesto today!