The simple 'Why' test for crafting your company's mission and emotion

How to craft your company's mission and find the emotion behind your brand - based on Airbnb 'Why test'.

Hey there 👋,

Hope that you had a great week, and welcome to Startup Growth Diaries! 🚀

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Crafting Your Mission Statement and emotion: Lessons from Obsessed by Emily Heyward

If you’re looking to create a brand that resonates deeply with your customers, this one’s for you. One of my favorite recent reads, Obsessed by Emily Heyward (co-founder of the iconic Red Antler agency), breaks down the essentials of building a great brand—and it starts with answering one critical question: WHY?

The WHY Test: Getting to the Core

The WHY test is one of the most effective tools for uncovering your true value proposition. It’s about peeling back the layers until you get to the heart of your brand’s purpose and the benefit you bring to your customers.

🤔 Why Is the WHY Test Important?

In Emily Heyward’s words, “great brands aren’t just built on what they do, but why they do it.” Here’s why this matters:

1. Clarity of Purpose: A clear mission and value proposition anchor your company’s messaging, decision-making, and direction.

2. Customer Connection: People don’t just buy products; they buy into the benefit they gain and the values they align with.

3. Differentiation: Your WHY is what sets you apart in crowded markets.

🧭 Building Your Brand on the WHY

If you want to create a truly great brand:

• Focus on the true value your company provides.

• Think about what your customer will gain by choosing you.

• Craft a mission statement that answers: Why does my company exist, and what role do we play in our customers’ lives?

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⭐️ Let’s take Colgate as an example. They could promote themselves as making your mouth clean so you won’t need to go to the doctor and have bad teeth.

But, they chose to go with one simple thing - your smile, and basically how you look.

They took the positive of using their product, and the end result that their costumers would want from using it.

The same goes for all the big brand names you know, for example - Nike who sell you motivation and not shoes, Tesla that sells you the future and not cars, or Lego that sells you creativity and not toys.

⭐️ They all sell an emotion not a product. ⭐️

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So, let’s dive in—how do you uncover the core benefit you provide to your customers?

To explore this, we’ll apply the "WHY" test using Airbnb as an example. Ready? Let’s begin! 🎬

We all know what Airbnb does: they revolutionized the hospitality industry by offering people the opportunity to stay in someone else’s home instead of relying on expensive, impersonal hotels. They didn’t just disrupt the market—they redefined how we think about travel and connection.

👉 Start with Why Airbnb?

Not only that hotels are overprices, but they are un special and not tailored to the experience that you want to have.

👉 But, why does that matter?

People don’t want to feel like tourists when they visit a new place, they want to see it like the locals do.

👉 Why does that matter?

Because they want to have authentic experiences, not manufactured ones. They want to feel they’re genuinely experiencing a place from within, not as an outsider.

👉 Why does that matter?

Because they travel to make their lives richer.

👉 Why does that matter?

Because the moments we remember are not the mundane ones in front of a computer or doing laundry, but the ones when we truly feel a part of something, where we belong to something bigger.

👉 Why does that matter?

until you have nothing to say anymore - or until you got to the basis of - because we all going to die (jokingly of course).

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To summarize, Airbnb’s mission is all about fostering a sense of belonging and creating a world where anyone can feel at home, anywhere.

Notice what they don’t emphasize:

• They don’t focus on cheap prices.

• They don’t criticize hotels for being cold or impersonal.

• They don’t just say, “We have an amazing product with an incredible interface.”

Instead, Airbnb focuses on how their product makes you feel. Their mission is at the heart of their messaging, guiding everything from their marketing campaigns to user experience. It’s not about the features—it’s about the feeling of belonging they create for their customers. And that’s the power of a mission-driven brand.

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Here’s a good example of how they implement this emotion in their ads:

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💡 Pro Tip

When you know your WHY, every part of your brand—from your logo to your customer experience—becomes more cohesive, impactful, and memorable.

So, what’s your company’s WHY? Let’s discuss how to define it and build something your customers will be obsessed with.

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And that’s it for this week’s Startup Growth Diaries! 🎉 I hope you found these examples inspiring and that they spark some fresh ideas for your own startup growth journey.

If you enjoyed this newsletter, don’t forget to hit the Like or Share buttons below ♥️.

Catch you next week with more pages from the diary!

Until then, keep growing 🚀

Idan

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