A list of 400 brand values that aren’t honesty or integrity

What are brand values?

Your brand values are what your brand stands for.

They represent what you care about as a business and what’s most important to you.

Most brands have around 5-10 different values.

They’re not something you tell your audience directly — like, ‘here’s a list of our brand values’ — because that would be weird.

Rather, you show them through your actions and communications.

How to show your brand values

Here are some examples of how you might show rather than tell your brand values.

❌ Telling: We’re adaptable.

✅ Showing: We’ll check your website is still working properly whenever a new Google update comes out.

❌ Telling: Our brand values include Charity and Mental Health.

✅ Showing: This year, we’ve donated £3,000 to Mind and run 12 Mental Health First Aid courses in our branches.

❌ Telling: We stand for Customer Satisfaction.

✅ Showing: If you’re not completely satisfied with your purchase, return it within 30 days and we’ll provide a full refund — no questions asked.

What’s wrong with honesty and integrity?

In the title of this post, I mentioned I was giving a list of brand values that aren’t honesty or integrity.

So what’s wrong with being honest and having integrity?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing. In fact, many of the businesses I talk to tell me their brand values are honesty and integrity.

But, as no business would aspire to be at the other end of the scale (deceitful or immoral) this makes these values kinda redundant. They should almost be a given.

The exception to that would be, if you’re thinking of Integrity in terms of strength and robustness. Because that would actually work.

Which brings me onto my next point…

Context and definition are everything

The list I’ve created here gives 200 opposite pairings where both values are valid in different contexts. And context is everything, because it’s not just about the words you choose, it’s how you define them.

For example, you might think being Approachable should also be a given. But, on this list, the opposite of Approachable is Aloof — and this is a great value for brands that are more exclusive, mysterious and/or high-status.

You’ll also notice, the opposite of Professional is not unprofessional, but Personable. In this context, Professional is about professional distance vs. empathy and warmth.

If you’re thinking of Honesty in terms of being blunt or truthful, Candour would be a better word.

A list of 400 brand values to inspire you

I’m sure you and your business already have values. This list comprises 400 brand values at either end of the scale — and it should help you put them into words.

The list is categorised, so you can take values from each category to get a more rounded selection. None of the pairs are duplicated, but some can apply to more than one category

Audience and community

Brand values focusing on who you serve and how you relate to your customers.

Brand strategy and positioning

Brand values focusing on how you position yourself in the market.

Creativity and expression

Brand values focusing on how you bring your ideas to life, through artistry, emotion or innovation.

Design and aesthetics

Brand values focusing on your approach to visuals and styling.

Emotional tone

Brand values focusing on your emotional style.

Functionality and feeling

Brand values focusing on the product or service experience you give.

Innovation and change

Brand values focusing on evolution, flexibility and disruption.

Thinking and decision-making

Brand values focusing on your ideas, decisions and reasoning.

What now?

Refine your list

As I said in the opening, most businesses have around 5-10 brand values they identify and focus on. This is a manageable number for you, and any creative partners you might be working with, to manage.

You can, and probably will, have more than 5-10, so try and refine your list down to the 5-10 that are most important and applicable to your business.

Define each value

Some values can have more than one meaning, so you need to be clear what each value means to you.

As an example, you can take each value and say what you mean by it, then what you don’t mean by it — so there’s no ambiguity or room for misinterpretation.

The brand values you’ve chosen will help shape your messaging and brand voice, so it’s always clear and consistent.

If you need some help with that, allow me to introduce myself…

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Need some help with your brand messaging and tone of voice?

I’m Jenny Lucas, a freelance copywriter and content writer based in Leicester, UK.

With some wordy wizardry, I can help you clarify your brand values, define your messaging and create a brand voice that brings everything together.

You can learn more about me and the other services I offer here:

My main website >>

About me >>

My copywriting portfolio >>

My copywriting blog >>

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