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05.10.23 - Marketing

How to Digitally Communicate Your Company Values

An illustration of a person sitting at a computer surrounded with floating icons that represent company values

When Aramark placed large touchscreens in its new headquarters, it could have settled for simple wayfinding functions or a calendar of upcoming events.

Instead, the provider of specialty food, facilities, and uniform services took the opportunity to engage visitors with powerful brand storytelling.

Aramark’s particular expertise may seem transactional on the surface. But, as with any strong relationship between a brand and its customers, Aramark’s customer relationships come down to human connections.

It goes to show that digital tools are more than just a way to sell products and services or provide actionable information; you can use touchscreens, microsites, campaigns and gamification to communicate your brand values.

Digital tools are more than just a way to sell products and services or provide actionable information.

1. Touchscreens

Aramark sought a digital tool that would create a more visually interactive experience for presentations and tours.

In partnership with WD Partners, Makeway developed touchscreens to do just that.

Aramark’s finished HQ features interactive content that showcases brand values and culture, including commitments to employee engagement, ethical sourcing, and consumer empowerment toward healthy choices. One of the interactive, ADA-compliant touchscreens details the history of Aramark and its customers.

brown haired woman smiling and using touch screen application on large monitor

You can read more here about Aramark’s headquarters touchscreen project.

But don’t just take our word for it. The market for touchscreen displays is projected to grow from under $67 billion in 2022 to more than $166 billion by 2029, according to Fortune Business Insights.

It’s a rapidly growing segment for good reason; a nicely executed touchscreen can communicate company values in a fresh, interactive way that fuses digital and analog experiences.

2. Microsites

Patagonia is in the business of selling outdoor gear but it stands for so much more.

The company’s whole personality, its very existence, is wrapped up in protecting nature. (The founder last year famously donated the entire company, valued at $3 billion, to fight climate change).

Microsites are a secret weapon of sorts for master storyteller Patagonia. Instead of selling products, its Blue Heart microsite focuses on protecting Europe’s wild rivers. There’s no effort to direct visitors to the Patagonia website. Just visually stunning experiences like a short film and interactive map. It’s simply a place to educate—and subtly share Patagonia’s values.

a detail shot of the hero of a website for the Columbus Blue Jackets  

At Makeway, we collaborated with the Columbus Blue Jackets on a microsite to honor team legend Rick Nash ahead of his retirement ceremony on March 5th, 2022.

The microsite encourages users to buy tickets to the event, explore his legacy with an interactive timeline, write him a congratulatory note, and upload photos of their experiences as Blue Jackets fans. The microsite brings the 2021-2022 season’s brand elements to life while encouraging fans to engage in a unique way that only a microsite can accomplish.

Microsites are great for connecting with your audience on a whole different level. It’s a separate experience from a brand’s primary website and, sometimes, a totally separate domain.

It’s an opportunity to have a more nuanced display of your brand, where you can tell a story or experiment with new types of content and information your audience is not accustomed to seeing. A microsite can help promote a specific product, service, or event, and it’s a superb way to communicate company values.

Microsites are great for connecting with your audience on a whole different level. It’s a separate experience from a brand’s primary website and, sometimes, a totally separate domain.

3. Campaigns

How do you create an emotional connection with a basic commodity like a water bottle? A campaign is one great option.

Screenshot of Nalgene Water Fund Microsite

The Nalgene Water Fund (NWF) was created to help communities struggling with access to clean water. Makeway helped launch the NWF campaign with a logo, landing page, and exclusive Nalgene bottle, along with an email marketing initiative and other promotional materials.

We designed a landing page for Nalgene to sell limited edition bottles benefitting Flint, Michigan, and Navajo Nation-based communities.

That’s when a water bottle becomes more than just a water bottle.

Brands tend to use campaigns to push sales and discounts or new products. But, sometimes, it’s nice to hear about a company’s values and what they’re doing to make the world a better place.

 

4. Gamification

When Makeway was hired to create a new brand and website for the organization now known as UDig NY, we knew education would be a big part of the project.

That’s why we created an extension of the brand called UDig NY Kids Zone, an interactive tool to educate grade schoolers about safe digging.

The microsite features games, videos, and coloring books. It’s vibrant but simple to navigate, making it a great tool for kids to use inside or outside the classroom.

With this effort, UDig NY communicates the value of safety to kids while further establishing trust with parents. It’s a loud-and-clear message: we care about your safety.

If you have the Starbucks app, you’re probably aware that gamification works across a variety of industries, audiences, and intentions.

Starbucks has successfully gamified brand loyalty while communicating company values like inclusion. Incredibly, Starbucks’ membership program accounted for more than half of U.S. sales in 2021, according to QSR Magazine. Duolingo, another familiar example, gamified education with daily reminders and minigames that live within the app.

Using gamification, your brand can educate, entertain, sell, and share details about a cause all through website games, loyalty programs, and virtual badges.

Communicating Authentically

Every digital touchpoint is an opportunity to convey your brand values.

Touchscreens, microsites, campaigns, and gamification support engaging experiences, compelling stories, and authentic connections with customers.

The best brands use these tools to forge deeper connections, and it’s only becoming more important as younger people seek out brands that authentically align with their values.

To find out how your brand can communicate values digitally, reach us at [email protected].