“We don’t have a corporate identity.” I hear this a lot. I always respond, “Yes you do.” Whenever human beings come together for a specific purpose, or even without any stated purpose, that gathering — that corporate entity — will form a personality, a system of beliefs and values. It has an identity. And so does your company.
Whether this is the identity the corporate body and its leadership wants is another question.
This week the producer of a well-renowned Japanese animation studio confessed that his studio lacked an identity. As evidence, he put forward that his studio lacked a slick logo or a world famous image. I assured him that corporate identity is not a fancy logo, although it is true that most companies with a well-articulated identity have one. The logo is but a symbol for the collection of values, purpose and other elements of a company’s identity. It is not a substitute for one.
I think he should first distinguish what his company’s current identity is, discuss that identity with his fellow producers and leadership, and only after this review, decide, if at all, what modifications to make to that identity. He will want to find it, map it and then articulate it internally. After internal affirmation, this identity will form a natural foundation or subtext for all of their communication with their customers, suppliers and investors, so it is worth the effort to know what it is and affirmatively mold it to the needs and interests of the company.