What is brand integrity, and why does it matter?

All around us, we are seeing and hearing the public shaming and ostracisation of companies and individuals who are being held to account over questionable actions, perceived wrongdoings and broken promises. Their lack of integrity is causing a lack of faith in what they as individuals or as a brand say and do. And, as AI’s roots reach deeper into our lives, increasing the potential for misinformation, now more than ever, whether you are a big corporate or a small, one-person craft business, brand integrity matters.

What is integrity?

The Cambridge Dictionary defines integrity as: the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles that you refuse to change.

Why does brand integrity matter?

When applied to a business (or individual), brand integrity relates to how well the business lives up to its values and upholds the promise it has made in serving its customers and other stakeholders. In other words, do your actions, words, products, and services always match what you say you are about?

The marks of brand integrity include: honesty, accountability, transparency and consistency. Together, these four marks add up to the level of trustworthiness a brand, or an individual, is seen to have. And, trust as we all know, is integral to the quality and strength of our relationships.

Brands (and individuals) that lack integrity shake their audience’s confidence in them. These brands and individuals are seen as:

• Untrustworthy
• Dishonest
• Unreliable
• Misleading

Brand integrity, therefore, is of supreme importance for any business in any sector.

When it comes to your craft business, the four marks of brand integrity will relate to:

Authenticity (Honesty)

Authenticity means being true to your values, mission and purpose by showing who you truly are in your behaviour, messaging and relationships. Authenticity calls for acting the same in public and in private. It can be tempting to want to embellish or put on a persona that we think will make us more interesting to our audiences, but at some point, the veneer will slip, revealing the real you. So, keep things simple by always being genuine.

Service (Accountability)

Service is how you treat those you connect and work with. This includes customers, collaborators, employees, suppliers, stockists, and the artisan communities you may work with. You may view these groups as being separate, but in this day and age, people talk and share in ways that bring members within these groups into contact, enabling them to compare notes about their experiences with your business and representatives.

Being of service also means admitting when you get something wrong, and taking the steps to sort it out immediately, and not later when the damage sets in and becomes irreparable.

Principles (Transparency)

Principles are your morals, the values that matter to you and are adamant you won’t compromise even when under pressure to conform. Principles require you to keep your word by doing the right thing and what you’ll say you’ll do. When you stick to your values by not going with the flow, you earn the respect and loyalty of your audience and stakeholders. Having principles also calls for transparency in how you manage your craft business in areas such as your costs, production and supply chains.

Quality (Consistency)

Inferior quality products, mixed messaging, fluctuating prices, indiscriminate sales techniques and data leaks are some of the reasons that harm a brand’s integrity. Maintaining the expected level of quality throughout your craft business requires consistency. Consistency is doing the same thing in the same way or at the same level every time you do it. Audiences notice when something is not consistent, and this leads them to question and eventually distrust the business or individual.

Brand integrity is not an option. It is the very essence of your craft business and is what will keep you consistent, accountable, honest, and transparent. If you’re interested in finding out more, brand integrity is something I cover in my Masterclass: Refine & Elevate Your Craft Business.

– Tapiwa Matsinde

[Image credits: The image shown belongs to Feyza Tuğba sourced via Pexels. If downloaded and used elsewhere, please credit accordingly.]