An alternative to R.I.P. ⋅ EV#005

The branding industry has an old and bulletproof way to uncover a company's true brand mission and purpose — an Obituary, or R.I.P. exercise.

In this exercise, a founder is asked to imagine that in 5, 10, or 20 years their company shuts down, so they need to write a one-line obituary for it.

What's wrong here?

Right from the beginning, you are asked to envision the saddest moment of your dream — its death. Nobody mourns an acquisition or merger. Those are rather celebrated.

With all good intentions (and proven effectiveness), the R.I.P. narrative is negative. It brings to the surface all the risk-related doubts in the founder’s mind, and it also affects the energy in the workshop room when an entire team is involved.

Does this mean you should ditch a highly effective exercise?

No. But you can shift the narrative angle.

Here is how I changed it for my workshops:

“Imagine it is the beginning of the 30th century. Humanity survived all the troubles it created, but unfortunately, we lost the planet. People left the Earth searching for a new home. Before the departure, they built a Monument Forest — a country-sized territory covered with obelisks and statues celebrating humanity’s greatest achievements of the past centuries.

Your company has its monument there, too. What is written in the inscription?”

If your product had an obelisk in that Monument Forest, what would you have written in the inscription?

If you already have your mission written, check if it fits there. If it does not fit, your mission may need an iteration.

Try this exercise next time you assemble a pitch deck or when you redesign your website.

Yours,
Ira