Many families have a well thought out Family Charter but stop short of defining their family office brand. Perhaps this is unsurprising given the connotations of brand as a public facing entity to be promoted.
However, everybody has a brand, and everybody has a reputation
From your term sheet to the people you hire, to the types of investments and partnerships you make, it all reflects who you are and what you stand for. All of these aspects shape how you are perceived and are reflective of your brand, be it through design or default. Therefore, embedding a clear brand strategy from the offset is critical to ensure these elements are in total harmony and alignment with the values and mission detailed in the Family Charter.
The value of the brand creation process
Much like the creation of the Family Charter, the brand creation process itself is incredibly beneficial. A Family Office brand is values-driven, not visuals-driven, and exists to ensure consistency between internal governance and external identity. As such, the process is designed for families to come together and align on their wealth story and the impact they wish their wealth and legacy to have. It is a collaborative endeavour that is a living, breathing articulation of how the family’s values can be expressed both internally and externally, today and in the future.
New approaches drive next-gen engagement
What’s more, the inclusion of defining your brand in the Family Charter is increasingly valuable when it comes to engaging the rising generation. The brand creation process allows for family offices to connect and engage the next generation to ensure their input shapes how the family values are reflected today (in their investments and philanthropy) and brought into the future (as a key part of succession and legacy planning). Crucially, as with any project, the more people are able to input into the process, the more invested they are in the outcome. This is especially true for families when it comes to driving alignment across generations.
In summary, proactively crafting your brand as a part of the charter drives unity, collaboration and ensures that the family is the author of their narrative. An intentional and strategic approach to your brand can ensure that all actions both inside and out of the family office are aligned and that the family’s values are reflected across all they do.