How to Set a Great Brand Vision (According to Denise Lee Yohn)

Your brand vision isn’t just a pretty statement you tuck away on your website’s "About Us" page, all though we do recommend you put it there!

It’s the long-term destination that informs everything you do and sets what we call the “North Star” — from marketing campaigns to team culture to how you design your products.

Great brands don’t happen by accident. They’re built on intention, alignment, and clarity of vision.

Recently I’ve been reading a best-sellingbrand book by Denise Lee Yohn called What Great Brands Do - The Seven Brand-Building Principles That Separate the Best from the Rest - link here if you want to read it, and she emphasises that powerful brands “start inside.”

Great brands are built from the ground up; they embed their vision into the fabric of their business, using it to drive performance, build culture, and inspire loyalty.

I’ve included some great examples of brands demonstrating their vision from the inside out, but let’s first get started clarifyig what a brand vision really is.

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First, What Is a Brand Vision?

Your brand vision is the future you want to create — not just for your business, but for your customers, your industry, and even society. It’s not about your next product drop or quarterly goals. It’s about where you’re headed in the long run.

Denise Lee Yohn would say it’s the ideology that drives your brand-led business. It’s a rallying cry. A belief about the world that you’re working to make real.

Think of it as your brand’s version of “what good looks like” in five, ten, or twenty years.

One thing we tend to see when working with brands at the beginning of the Brand Foundations phase with Creative Resort- is they muddle up their Mission, Vision and Purpose and sometimes we see a combination of all three. To keep things clear, I’ve defined this below.

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Vision vs. Mission vs. Purpose — A Quick Primer

To keep things straight:

• Vision is where you're going.
• Mission is how you're getting there.
• Purpose is why it matters.

All three should be aligned — but your vision is the most forward-looking and inspirational of the trio.

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Why a Great Vision Is a Business Essential

According to What Great Brands Do, “Great brands avoid selling products.” Instead, they sell ideals.

That’s where vision comes in. Here’s what a strong one unlocks:

1. Strategic clarity

Your brand vision becomes a decision-making lens. If an idea doesn’t move you toward that vision, it’s a no.

Example: Patagonia’s vision to “save our home planet” helps them say no to product lines or partnerships that don’t align with environmental sustainability — even if they’re profitable.

2. Internal alignment

Great brands build culture from the brand up. Your vision gives teams across departments something to believe in. In this detailed article from Table of Contents, they detail the founder - Tony Hsieh - and his quest to delivering customer happiness.

Example: At Zappos, the vision of delivering happiness shapes not just customer service but hiring, training, and internal culture — everyone, from HR to warehouse staff, knows they’re in the happiness business.

3. Deeper customer connection

People don’t connect with features. They connect with values and worldviews. A powerful vision can turn passive customers into passionate advocates.

Example: TOMS built its brand around the vision of improving lives. Customers didn’t just buy shoes — they bought into a one-for-one movement that made them feel like part of a purpose.

4. Stronger positioning

Brands with a clear vision don’t compete on price or product alone. They stand for something bigger — and that’s hard to replicate.

Example: Think what you want about Elon, but Tesla’s vision to “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy” means it’s not just a car brand. It’s a mission-led innovator — and that separates it from every other automaker.

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5 Ingredients of a Powerful Brand Vision

Drawing from both brand strategy best practice and What Great Brands Do, here’s what a compelling brand vision needs:

1. A big idea

Don’t think small. As Yohn puts it, “Great brands start with a purpose that transcends products.” Stretch beyond your current capabilities.

2. Authenticity

Your vision should feel grounded in who you really are — not just who you think you should be.

3. Emotion

Brands are built in hearts, not just minds. Make your vision something people can feel.

4. Clarity

Avoid complexity or corporate speak. Use simple, memorable language that your team and customers can rally behind.

5. Consistency with action

This is where many visions fail. Great brands live their vision every day. If you say one thing but do another, trust breaks.

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How to Craft Your Brand Vision in 4 Steps

Here’s a simple, practical process to follow:

Step 1: Reflect on your deeper purpose

Ask yourself:

• Why do we exist beyond making money?
• What positive impact do we want to have?
• How do we want people to feel because of our brand?

This aligns with Yohn’s principle: Great brands know themselves intimately.

Step 2: Zoom out to the long-term future

Think 10+ years out. What’s changed in your industry, your audience’s life, or the world — thanks to your brand?

Step 3: Write a first draft

Try formats like:

• “A world where…”
• “Our brand exists to create a future where…”
• “We envision a time when…”

Aim for 1–2 sentences, max.

Step 4: Pressure test it

Review your vision against this checklist:

• Is it inspiring?
• Is it aligned with our values and strategy?
• Can every team member explain it?
• Does it drive decisions?

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What Great Brands Do: 3 Key Vision-Related Lessons

Here are three takeaways from What Great Brands Do that can strengthen your vision even further:

🔑 1. “Great brands start inside.”

Your brand vision isn’t a marketing exercise — it’s a leadership tool. Start by embedding it into your culture. Make sure your internal teams are aligned before broadcasting it externally.

🔑 2. “Great brands don’t chase customers.”

Your vision isn’t about pleasing everyone. It’s about attracting the right people who share your worldview. That means having the courage to be specific and stand for something.

🔑 3. “Great brands never have to ‘push’ their message.”

When your brand lives its vision consistently — in your products, your customer experience, your hiring — you won’t need to shout to be heard. People will feel it.

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A great example of this is shown by Airbnb - with their vision “Create a world where anyone can belong anywhere.”

It’s emotional, human-centered, and aspirational. It’s not about bookings, technology, or price points. It’s about belonging — a deep, universal need.

What makes Airbnb such a great case study is how they’ve brought that vision to life. It’s embedded in their product design, community building, marketing, and even crisis response.

Every element of the platform is designed to foster that sense of human warmth:

• Profiles and personal storytelling: Hosts and guests create profiles with photos and bios, humanizing each interaction. You’re staying in someone’s home, not just a room.
• Reviews and mutual trust: Ratings go both ways — guests and hosts review each other, reinforcing mutual respect and accountability.
• Experiences: Beyond homes, Airbnb launched ‘Experiences’ to help travelers connect with locals — cooking classes, cultural walks, even goat yoga. Again, it’s about belonging, not just visiting.

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Avoid These Common Pitfalls

Even the best-intentioned visions can fall flat. Watch out for:

• Too much fluff: “Empowering the future of tomorrow’s solutions” sounds impressive but means nothing.
• Mismatch with actions: You can’t claim to “put customers first” if your policies (and crappy customer service) say otherwise.
• Letting it collect dust: A vision is useless if no one remembers it or uses it to guide behaviour.

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Final Thoughts: Build It, Live It

Setting a great brand vision isn’t about getting the perfect words on a page — it’s about creating a true sense of direction. One that your team can act on and your customers can believe in.

To borrow from What Great Brands Do: “Your brand can’t just be a promise—it must be a practice.” That starts with a vision that’s worth following.

So go ahead: dream big, write boldly, and make your vision the heartbeat of your brand!