The easiest way to write a corporate philosophy

～ Format of corporate philosophy ～

No.010｜D.Case study｜D-002

In the food and beverage industry, which continues to be forced to operate in a short time, while continuing efforts to overcome difficult situations with new normal efforts to survive with coronavirus, such as take-out support and home delivery services such as Uber Eats , we will adopt a new marketing method that looks at after-coronavirus . Society is steadily changing, with growing interest.

On the other hand, when it comes to the creative industry related to advertising and sales promotion, such as branding and sales promotion, before the coronavirus, from the so-called before coronavirus, to the cloud, remote, and online, the working style was futuristic. There is certainly an aspect of being less affected.

It depends on the copywriting business like me, but it depends on the project, but research and meetings can be done online, there is little trouble even if you do not go out or meet with people, and there is almost no work stress. increase.

However, in industries where physical physical exchanges occur, such as photography, events, things, interior and exterior design, it is difficult to just go online, so there are many stories that the number of projects has dropped sharply.

So, speaking of our project condition, this is a big ant rather than having no effect, but in reality, the order has changed drastically to a sudden increase ↑ instead of a sudden decrease ↓, as long as we are truly grateful for this time. It is.

Yes, what to hide, the field where the number of project requests has increased rapidly due to this COVID-19 pandemic. It is a matter of " Corporate Philosophy ".

But why did the number of corporate philosophy projects increase sharply? As you can imagine, there are many companies that have been forced to review all aspects of their work place, work style, products, services, systems, and communication tones inside and outside the company due to this COVID-19 pandemic. Can be mentioned.

Eventually, the subject of such a review naturally extends to the company's philosophy, and many companies have begun to realize the need for branding-first management strategies such as redesigning and optimizing the corporate philosophy based on the COVID-19 pandemic. Even if you don't think about it with blah-blah, it's probably among boss and manager at the scene.

"I've taken various measures against the COVID-19 pandemic, but I think it's okay to think in the first place, there's no good reason."

And maybe I started to feel uncomfortable with my company's philosophy and realized the need for a review.

"How should I write the corporate philosophy (I wrote it), oh. If you are a copywriter, you should write it, right?"

Some companies like this may have consulted with us, thinking that it is an issue that should be prioritized over advertising, sales promotion, marketing, development, etc., which had been spending time and budget until then. I'm guessing.

Anyway, Can copywriters write their corporate philosophy in the first place?

When I think of "corporate philosophy," I remember the term corporate philosophy.

Corporate philosophy

Clarify the individuality of the company, unify the corporate image, and make it recognized inside and outside the company. Corporate identity.

Digital Daijisen (Shogakukan)

As you can see, corporate philosophy generally refers to the overall strategy such as the image and design that "consolidates the corporate philosophy", so in this paper, the corporate philosophy is treated as "the core element of corporate philosophy". I will catch it.

Although the above is loosely premised, in general, the "corporate philosophy" is a "text", so as a copywriter, or as a copywriter, "if materials and requests are provided," The basic stance is that you must be able to write in any field.

By the way, the work of "writing" in copywriting is a part of the process in the resulting product, and the process of intention, way of thinking, logic up to that point, well, it doesn't matter what you say, but the point is "logic". It's important, and I think it's nice to call it "warding".

Just as the corporate philosophy is as important as the written text, the logic is important, and for me as a copywriter, the corporate philosophy is the essence of copywriting, the feeling that it is the most important area of ​​"wording", but when it can not be completed in-house (generally it can not be done) the become prosperous as consultation destination, agency , consulting , Judges skilled in the art is per seems the market.

It's a pity, but it doesn't mean "ask a copywriter for the corporate philosophy", and it seems that the current situation is that we don't even get into the candidates. Therefore, I have condensed the know-how and examples that I have worked on so far, and systematically organized the "how to write the corporate philosophy" that anyone can easily try from the perspective of a copywriter.

It is inevitable that it will be useful not only when writing a new corporate philosophy, but also for reviewing and correcting existing ones (probably).

* The following is our interpretation with reference to the cases and cases related to the past, and we do not conclude.

* This is just an example and one of the ideas, and does not deny various methods and interpretations of the world.

* For "those who hurry to conclude" and "those who are OK with spoilers", please refer to the slide data at the end of this article while summarizing .

Again, in this paper, I will worship the series as a "corporate philosophy" in a Last Boss like manner, but in addition to the corporate identity mentioned above, there are misleading words around this corporate philosophy. After that, "items" will be found from many times. First, let's list them briefly.

Items like "Corporate Philosophy"

• Existential meaning

• Mission

• philosophy

• vision

• goal

• specification

• policy

• Company motto

• Social motto

• motto

• belief

• spirit

• ethics

• Credo

How is it? All of them are confusing items. These are the troublesome items that have confused the people concerned at the site of many projects in the "Corporate Philosophy", and I can't tell the difference.

In my experience, if there is a slight discrepancy in the perceptions of these items among the parties concerned, the idea that is easily confused will become more and more chaotic with each meeting, and will definitely not come out.

In order not to get hooked on such a chaos trap, let's approach the last boss, which is our corporate philosophy, in three steps.

Step 1: Common concept

First, as a premise, we will organize and standardize the way of thinking (concept) of each item. Each of the items listed above can be grouped into kanji / katakana as synonymous items, such as "meaning of existence ≒ value", "mission ≒ mission", "philosophy ≒ philosophy", and "world view ≒ vision" .

Grouping by kanji / kana not only reduces the number of items, but also has a certain degree of literal meaning, such as "a" norm (policy) "is positioned under the" mission ". " It can be seen that it can be classified into " upper " and " lower " (each company has different circumstances, so it can be sensuous).

From a different perspective than the items classified as " upper " and " lower ", the items of business content, business scope, business target, market, and target are classified into a " medium " hierarchy (without thinking too deeply) . This is because these are important but often overlooked as items of the "Corporate Philosophy" to avoid missing or forgetting.

Then, in fact, it can be seen that the idea = concept that the upper level is " purpose " and the lower level is " policy ". In addition, so-called " strengths " such as "our features" and "our company's strong points" are often found in the lower ranks, so we will loosely consider them as " policy " (similar to).

By classifying in this way, it becomes clear that, in fact, the medium is the concept = concept of " means " (business content) and " target " (business scope, business target, market, target).

By the way, if an item that was not mentioned in the 1-2) hierarchy (upper / lower) classification mentioned above, for example, an item such as "promise" appears, and you are worried about that classification, it will be " the purpose whether such for", or "(for the purpose) policy and consider whether a no", it is easy to fall into the upper / lower.

If you apply Starbucks as an example, you can go from the bottom to the top (for a better understanding , forget about " strengths " and " targets ").

↓ With the " policy " of customer-centered Values,

↓ By the " means " of coffee

↓ Fulfill the " purpose " of enriching and energizing people's hearts

It can be seen that the structure will be.

Only when the concepts and structures up to this point can be organized are the original items used in the field of business, so-called,

・Corporate Philosophy (Corporate Value)

・Business domain (business domain)

・Corporate guidelines (corporate posture)

It turns out that the business label "High", "Medium", and "Low" are attached to each. By doing this, the " corporate philosophy " that is the last boss finally descends to the top, and the reason why it is the last boss can be understood.

In other words, if you organize

・ Higher rank　 → Corporate philosophy ⇒ Purpose

・ Medium　 → Business area ⇒ Means

・ Lower level　 → Corporate guidelines ⇒ Policy

(" Target " and " Strength " are left aside for a moment).

Based on the above, we will extract and classify our own keywords based on the simple concepts of " purpose, " " means, " and " policy ." If you have trouble extracting and classifying, expand your awareness to " targets " and " strengths " and try to extract and classify keywords again.

In addition, at the time of extraction

・ If " purpose " = " what for "

・ If " means " = " by what "

・ If " policy " = " with what "

If you add each to the end of the word, it will be easier to classify.

Furthermore, in that case, for example, when extracting the keyword of " purpose ",

・ "Smile" (for) = 1 word

・ "Children's" "smile" (for) = 2 words

・ "World", "Children's", "Smile" (for) = 3 words

As much as possible , aim for the number of words in the keyword to be within 1 to 3 words. Because, when the number of words becomes a group of 3 words or more, for example,

・ "World" "Children" "Smile" "Beautiful" "Water" (for) = 5 words

So, if you have up to 3 words of "smile the children of the world" in the first half, you can classify them as " purpose " at once, but if you include up to 2 words of "clean water" in the second half,

・ Beautiful = " policy " or " strength "

・ Water = " means " or " target "

As such, items other than " purpose " are likely to be included, so try to extract within 3 words as much as possible. By doing so, the corporate philosophy becomes easier to organize and write.

How about the seven ideas of "Step 1"? It would be long to write it out in this way, but in the actual field, a short explanation of a few pages is enough, but anyway, the way of thinking that we arrived at, " Think with the purpose , means , policy , I understand." It is easily understood by the people around me.

Step 2: Document the corporate philosophy

After extracting and classifying the company's keywords for each of the three concepts, that is, " purpose, " " means, " and " policy, " perform "selection" such as merging duplicate words and narrowing down better words for each concept. Since the viewpoint of selection is already different for each company, I will omit it here, and in step 2, I will use the selected wording and try to write it.

The texting is very simple, from the bottom to the top of the hierarchy,

↓ Blah-blah a " policy of"

↓ By the " means " of blah-blah

↓ Achieve the " purpose " of blah-blah

It is written so as to fill in the three concepts of " blah-blah ". In other words, the keywords extracted and classified in step 1 are the " process for selecting the most suitable wording " that applies to this " blah-blah " .

If you can't write well by the method of 2-1), try writing in the form of "self-questioning". As a method,

Self-question: (We are … / Our … )

• What kind of things ( purposes ) do you contribute to society by achieving and achieving them?

• What is the significance of existence?

In response to one of the questions,

Self-answer: (We are … )

• Blah-blah a " policy of"

• By the " means " of blah-blah

• Achieving the " purpose " of blah-blah (contributing to society by doing so)

And, in the same way, I will try to write it so that it will be an answer that fills in each of the three concepts "blah-blah ".

Step 3: Basic syntax of corporate philosophy

Basic syntax for documenting the corporate philosophy. In other words, it includes the three concepts of " policy, " " means, " and " purpose, " but the beginning of the sentence begins with " we are …" and the end of the sentence is " contributing to society with."

we

Blah-blah policy of

By the means of shaving

By fulfilling the purpose of blah-blah

Contribute to society

It can be said that the most ideal and easy-to-understand corporate philosophy is the sentences that apply to or are close to the above syntax. Because by writing in such a syntax,

• Stakeholders such as shareholders, partner companies, employees, and local communities

• Customers and end users such as business partners, customers, and consumers

• Society, the world, the earth (sometimes even the galaxy and the universe)

For the " object "

We contribute to society by achieving the purpose of blah-blah.

The reason is that even if only the " purpose " is extracted, it will be a sentence that is established as a corporate philosophy. If we understand such a composition, we can understand that " policy " can replace (close) " strength " and that " target " (market target) is included in some cases.

Now let's conclude the definition of our corporate philosophy. It feels awkward.

What is the corporate philosophy?

What purpose does a company

contribute to society,

both inside and outside the company?

That

The basis of the company's

existence value and ideal ideas,

which have been verbalized

as pledges, declarations, and commitments.

That is the definition of our corporate philosophy. a. Of course, it is a definition that we have come up with, but in reality, this definition does not fluctuate at any project site, and the corporate philosophy that has been organized and documented based on this definition and method has been adopted. So I don't think it's a big mistake.

Factorization of corporate philosophy seen by Japanese and US companies

So, from now on , I will take the major companies that represent Japan and the United States as an example.

• Lower ＞ Policy

• Lower ＞ Strength

• Medium ＞ Means

• Medium ＞ Target

• Top ＞ Purpose

Let's factorize the "corporate philosophy" based on the concept.

* In alphabetical order.

* The quotation is a sentence or an excerpt that seems to be similar to the corporate philosophy.

* The consideration is based on our point of view and is not conclusive.

Most on earth customers the to cherish We aim to be a company

• Lower ＞ Policy : to cherish ( * 1 )

• Lower ＞ Strengths : Most on earth ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Means : ───

• Medium ＞ Target : Customers ( * 3 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : ───

* 1 : It may be regarded as a " policy " that we value above all else.

* 2 : It may be regarded as a " strength " that we are proud of above all.

* 3 : (Of course) it may be considered as an " target " in the market.

" Seller good ", " the buyer is good ," " public good "

 (omitted) 

" three-way good " is the world to create a good circulation,
 to contribute to a sustainable society ITOCHU the aim commerce of mind is.

• Lower ＞ Policy : Mind ( * 1 )

• Lower ＞ Strengths : ───

• Medium ＞ Means : Commerce ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Target : Seller / Buyer / World / Three-way / World ( * 3 )

• The upper ＞ purpose : good / create a good circulation / to contribute to a sustainable society ( ※ 4 )

* 1 : It may be regarded as a " policy" that we value above all else.

* 2 : (Of course) It may be regarded as a " means" for wholesale and trading companies in general, as represented by trading companies.

* 3 : May be regarded as the " target " of retail stores (to B), consumers (to C), and society.

* 4 : It may be regarded as a composition of "contributing to a sustainable society" ( social contribution ) by " creating a good cycle" and achieving "three-way goodness" ( corporate purpose ).

Based on peace of mind and trust, 
with the wings of the heart that connect the world
Contribute to a future full of dreams

• Lower ＞ Policy : Based on peace of mind and trust ( * 1 )

• Lower ＞ Strengths : Heart ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Means : With the wings ( * 3 )

• Medium ＞ Target : The world ( * 4 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : Contribute to a future full of dreams ( * 5 )

* 1 : It may be regarded as a " policy" that we value above all else.

* 2 : It may be regarded as a " strength " represented by posture and hospitality (by hanging on the "wing" immediately after).

* 3 : (Of course) It may be regarded as a " means" for the entire aviation industry represented by passengers and aviation facilities.

* 4 : (Of course) it may be considered as an " target" in the market.

* 5 : "Contributing to a future full of dreams " may be regarded as " social contribution " at the same time as " corporate purpose ".

By creative fusion of people and technology
Co-creating value that opens up the future,
Contribute to the global environment and a comfortable life.

• Lower ＞ Policy : ───

• Lower ＞ Strength : Creative fusion ( * 1 )

• Medium ＞ Means : People / Technology ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Target : Comfortable life ( * 3 ）

• Top ＞ Purpose : Co-creating value that opens up the future / contributing to the global environment ( * 4 )

* 1 : While it is a " policy " around the chemical products industry , it may be considered that " strengths " are important at the same time.

* 2 : It may be regarded as a " means" for the entire chemical product industry represented by people and technology.

* 3 : It may be regarded as a " target " in the market (for the "global environment" that is a little closer to social contribution).

* 4 : By "co-creating value that opens up the future" ( corporate purpose ), it may be regarded as a composition that "contributes to the global environment ( and comfortable life )" ( social contribution ).

Google's mission is
Organize information around the world
People all over the world
To be accessible and usable.

• Lower ＞ Policy : ───

• Lower ＞ Strengths : ───

• Medium ＞ Means : Organize ( * 1 )

• Medium ＞ Target : Information around the world / People all over the world ( * 2 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : To be accessible and usable ( * 3 )

* 1 : May be regarded as a " means " for the IT-related technology industry in general

* 2 : (Of course) it may be considered as an " target " in the market.

* 3 : It may be regarded as a composition that not only "accesses" ( corporate purpose ) but also "makes it usable" ( social contribution ).

We will continue to pursue the convenience of the all local community together with the store at any time, and realize a rich daily life.

• Lower ＞ Policy : All ( * 1 )

• Lower ＞ Strengths : ───

• Medium ＞ Means : Together ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Target : The store ( * 3 ) / Local Community ( * 4 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : to pursue the convenience / realize a rich daily life ( * 5 )

* 1 : (For the " community" that can be regarded as the " target ") It may be regarded as the " policy " that we value above all else.

* 2 : If it is a "business that develops together" (with a " shop" that can be regarded as a " target "), it may be regarded as a " means ".

* 3 : Since it is a customer in the franchise business (to B), it may be regarded as an " target ".

* 4 : May be regarded as an " target " in the market

* 5 : By pursuing "convenience" ( corporate purpose ), it may be regarded as a composition of "realizing a prosperous daily life" ( social contribution ).

Toyota aims to be a good corporate citizen trusted by the international community by contributing to the creation of a prosperous society by providing clean and safe products.

• Lower ＞ Policy : Clean and safe ( * 1 )

• Lower ＞ Strengths : ───

• Medium ＞ Means : Providing products ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Target : The international community ( * 3 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : A good corporate citizen trusted / contributing to the creation of a prosperous society ( * 4 )

* 1 : It may be considered that the " policy " is important at the same time as the " strength " that we are proud of above all.

* 2 : It may be regarded as a " means " for all mobility peripheral products such as automobiles.

* 3 : May be considered as an " target " in the market

* 4 : Aiming to be a “trusted and good corporate citizen” ( corporate purpose ) may be regarded as a composition that “contributes to the creation of a prosperous society” ( social contribution ).

A Better Life, A Better World

We at Panasonic create a better life and
The happiness of people around the world, the development of society, and
We promise to continue contributing to the future of the earth.

• Lower ＞ Policy : Better ( * 1 )

• Lower ＞ Strengths : ───

• Medium ＞ Means : Create life ( * 2 )

• Medium ＞ Target : People around the world / The earth ( * 3 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : Happiness / development of society / contributing to the future ( * 4 )

• Top of top ＞ Slogan : A Better Life, A Better World ( * 5 )

* 1 : It may be regarded as a " policy" for our products (rather than "creating a living" immediately afterwards).

* 2 : May be regarded as a " means" as a "our product that creates a living " ( rather than an " target " )

* 3 : May be considered as an " target " in the market

* 4 : Three stages : fulfilling "happiness" (of people all over the world) ( corporate purpose ), aiming for "social development" ( social contribution ), and "contributing to the future" (of the earth) ( future contribution ) It may be regarded as a typical composition

* 5 : It may be regarded as a so-called " corporate slogan " that simply expresses the corporate philosophy.

Supporting community building,
We will realize a world where people are closer to each other.

• Lower ＞ Policy : ───

• Lower ＞ Strengths : ───

• Medium ＞ Means : Supporting ( * 1 )

• Medium ＞ Target : Community building / People ( * 2 )

• Top ＞ Purpose : closer ( * 3 )

* 1 : May be regarded as a " means " for SNS (social networking service) and its peripheral tools

* 2 : May be considered as an " target " in the market

* 3 : Realizing a "world where people become closer to each other" is a " corporate purpose " and at the same time can be regarded as a " social contribution ".

Why is a corporate philosophy necessary?

As I mentioned earlier that the ratio of consultations in our most recent projects is increasing rapidly (albeit in a narrow range) , there may be quite a few companies that are reconsidering their " corporate philosophy " due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nonetheless, I dare try to ask the need here, in the first place "corporate philosophy" is what you need , and. It's a little irritating, but I'll replace it with "jogging" (running) without permission.

• A person cannot finish running without a " goal ".

• A person cannot continue to run without " significance ".

For example, " goal ". If it is 100 meters and 100 kilometers, the method, distribution, and feelings will change, and if it is the latter, you may decline, especially if you do not know the destination such as "direction".

For example, " significance ". Health, challenge, reward, support, selection, honor, whatever, but a person who keeps running without any meaning (well, "no reward or compensation") is a drunkard.

The " purpose " is the image of this " goal " and " meaning " .

• " Goal " indicates the point / time point of achievement / achievement, that is, the viewpoint of " point "

• " Meaning " is the viewpoint of " line ", which indicates motivation / motivation, which indicates sustainability / permanence.

If you compare this to the " corporate philosophy ", you can think of it as a breakdown.

• The " goal " in the corporate philosophy is "to achieve and achieve as a company".

• The " significance " in our corporate philosophy is "to achieve and achieve as a company" and "to continue to contribute to society".

In short, from the viewpoint of " point " of " goal " and the viewpoint of " line " of " significance " , the clarified " purpose = corporate philosophy " is the basis, and the direction, distance, and speed to go are determined ( goal ) and the motivation to continue the activity are obtained ( significance ), the corporation, which is a corporation, can "run" and "continue".

If the " corporate philosophy " is not clear, the direction, distance, and speed of the company will not be determined, and there will be no motivation to continue the activity, and the company will not be able to run, that is, continue the activity. In other words, if the corporate philosophy is clear,

• In-house: Sharing judgments, evaluations, and values, such as being able to act and act in the same direction, distance, and speed.

• Outside: Uniform brand value, such as support, evaluation, and existence value for the significance that drives activities.

In other words, it is possible to carry out consistent governance as a company. A source for companies to keep running permanently. The "soul" that dwells in the company. That is the "corporate philosophy," and I think it is indispensable.

When in doubt. When it is unclear. When in doubt. The really useful "corporate philosophy" is the criterion for everyone to move in the same direction with confidence, and it can be said that it has not changed before and after the Corona disaster.

And, if the series of ideas of the corporate philosophy described endlessly up to this point are applied to all of people ( corporations / stores / individuals), things (products / goods), and events (services / places), we believe.

Format for correction of corporate philosophy

Finally, let's review.

we

What policy ( strengths ) of

What means in

(For any target )

What purpose is to play a

Contribute to society.

How about the sentences similar to the " Corporate Philosophy " that your company (your ministry, your store, you) advocates, is it close to the above syntax? Correction is a bit awkward, but I would be more than happy if you could read and compare it with your company's corporate philosophy and help with something. Because it is,

Did the word arrive?
If you have a determination to convey.
If there is a future you want to go to.
I want to wake it up in words.
All words are kind to people. Easy to read.
Please let us know.
Make sure it reaches the person you want to deliver
Seriously verbalize your determination and your future.
(Contributing to society by fulfilling the purpose)

In this way, sharing a series of knowledge including the corporate philosophy in the subsection is part of the very natural activities in accordance with the individual (business owner) philosophy that I declare.

At the end, I will paste the slide data that summarizes the main points of this article "How to write the corporate philosophy", so if you want to take a quick look, please refer to this.

（End）