Farnaz on Cultures and Archetypes, New World Strategies
Beliefs, Causes and Values
I use a unique emotional and cultural framework in my consulting and speaking business that revolve around beliefs and values. I thought it’d be a good idea to share a short blog on this topic with my loyal readers.
Beliefs are the assumptions we make about ourselves and others. Convictions and concepts we hold to be true, with or without evidence. How we expect things to be, what we think is true and real. Our beliefs grow from what we see, hear, experience and think about. And beliefs manifest in what we say and do. They are the basis for decision-making and drive consumption behavior for businesses, as well as how we communicate and relate with others.
Our values stem from our beliefs. Values are about how we think things or people ought to be in terms of qualities and guiding principles that are important to us – such as honesty, integrity, loyalty, trust, openness, freedom, peace, happiness, empathy, compassion, equality, faithfulness, etc. While some values are universal in unanimous global agreement – such as honesty, integrity, peace – many values vary based on culture, religion, and beliefs that are widely shared and rarely questioned.
I’ve seen many companies post their values on their web site. Some even mark leadership, innovation and customer focus as values. And why not. They are beliefs that are widely shared and rarely questioned. But I’d ask….are your values aligned with those of your customers and relationships that are important to you?
If you have any intentions to grab a piece of the $2 trillion marketplace that is multicultural and youthful where women have become key players, you may want to consider these values as thought starters in your cultural and emotional frameworks for marketing messages :
- Multicultural: Trust, Acceptance, Respect, Understanding
- Women: Trust, Equality, Thoughtfulness, Service
- Youth: Inspiration, Creativity, Freedom, Adventure
Yes, there are more…and with commonalities. Find them, communicate them, but most importantly, be honest and authentic about them. Your fans will know the difference.
Atlanta Woman: July/August 2008: Being Authentic
Farnaz Wallace was interviewed by Lucy Soto of Atlanta Woman for her article, Being Authentic, on her successful and inspirational career and life. Farnaz’s method of and outlook on marketing Church’s Chicken is truly influential and have led to Church’s outstanding results. Farnaz explains, “At the end of the day, one of the things I’ve really discovered is in order to be successful you have to be authentic. And that state of authenticity allows you to be creative and productive. Diversity translates into numbers. Inclusion and diversity translates into bottom line profits for companies. Once you prove that and you gain the respect, love will follow.” Download the PDF.
