Arc’teryx asked us to uncover what made them unique, then translate that into a strategic, emotional, and authentic brand story to engage employees, customers, and partners alike. For several months, we embedded one of our award-winning outdoor writers and brand story consultants at Arc’teryx head office to observe their rare culture in action. At the same time we were interviewing a broad range of people on their turf, we analyzed their competition to determine where they stood out. As their brand story took shape, it yielded a beautiful purpose statement — The Code of the Collective. We also helped them name four core values and hunt down the examples that would prove them, as well as a gripping genesis story that tied the brand’s heritage to its enduring mission, a statement we worked on until everyone could agree: We build tools to enable and inspire. That statement resonated so well that they ended up painting it onto the wall above the front door of their headquarters. Consensus didn’t come quickly, but that’s okay: we’re believers in “iterate until you get it right” so we bounced versions back and forth with their senior management team and global culture committee until every single one of them loved it. But the real trial? We truth-tested it with employees at all levels of the company. A few more versions and we knew without a doubt that we’d nailed it.