The Social Employee: How Great Companies Make Social Media Work

CHAPTER 16The Blue Focus Marketing 10 Commandments of Brand Soul

During the many interviews we conducted for this book, one idea that was continuously shared with us was the concept of DNA. This term, as we came to understand it, indicates practices and mindsets that lie at the very core of a brand’s values. The elements that make up a brand’s DNA come as naturally to a company as breathing, and they are just as valuable to a brand’s existence.

A recent WARC article took this concept a step further by establishing the concept of a brand’s “soul.”¹ This idea captured our imaginations, as it sounded to us that a brand’s soul would be a natural extension of its DNA. If DNA represented the essential components that make up what we are at our core, ...