The People Success Company
Date: 2021
Type: Brand strategy, Brand positioning
Company: Cornerstone is one of the world’s largest companies in the HR technology space helping organizations modernize their learning and development experience. Cornerstone serves over 6,000 customers and 75M users and is available in 180 countries and 50 languages.
Role: This was my last project at Cornerstone in 2021. I led all brand strategy, positioning, content strategy, and creative for Cornerstone. Read more about my role in my resume.
The brief: The business was going through major changes at the executive team level as we worked to remain relevant and fresh in the minds of our market as a 10+-year-old organization.
The solution: I co-created new brand positioning statements with the head of product marketing. Together, we aligned the business on new north star messaging. Answering these key questions: Who are we now? Why do we matter? What is our unique role and relevance in the market?
The elevator story
At Cornerstone, we are exclusively focused on people success at work because when people are extraordinary, organizations can be extraordinary. Our 20-year obsession with talent enables us to deliver experiences that are personalized and connected across the entire work journey. Our synchronized set of tools, technologies and content seamlessly connect talent experiences to help business leaders attract ideal candidates, build nurturing cultures, and amplify employee capabilities. As the People Success Company, we leverage our insights, expertise, and software to empower employees, drive business outcomes, and fuel organizational growth. Our mission is to help you be extraordinary. Let’s get started!
Positioning framework
Core DNA
Who the company is at the core personality level.
Mother
Manifesto
We believe anyone can change the world.
Purpose
Why we exist.
Help people be extraordinary at work and in the world.
Vision
A world where extraordinary is ordinary.
How the world will be different because of us.
Mission
We help organizations be extraordinary.
What we do every day in service to our purpose and vision.
Position
Cornerstone is the People Success Company creating connected talent experiences that fuel organizational growth and help people be their best at work.
Differentiated role in our industry and your ultimate customer relevance.
Category
Primary: HCM
Secondary: People Success
Group of peers in which our company belongs
Key messages
The top 3-5 messages must be understood within a specific timeframe.
We are talent-obsessed
Our 20-year legacy gives us unparalleled expertise, people insights, content and technology solutions
We provide talent experiences that are personalized and seamlessly connected across the entire work journey
It’s only when people are extraordinary, that businesses can be extraordinary too.
When talent experiences are seamlessly connected, they fuel organizational growth.
Target market
Senior business leaders at people-first organizations in HR-aware markets.
The market we wish to serve.
Target audience
Target market and the people who will influence them.
Customers (peer recommendations and reviews)
Analysts
Other people in the buying group within the org (IT, Finance, etc.)
Partners
Media, bloggers, and influencers
Top companies (Fortune 50) outside of our customer base
Employees
Consumers and end-users (a content play)
Events
Memes
Repeatable, memorable sound bites ignite the narrative.
Be Extraordinary
Good for people, smart for business.
A better you, a better world.