Asian Virtues Part 2: Timeless Harmony for Modern Brand Leadership

July 14, 2025

By Christian Ponce

Mount Fuji in the distance surrounded by a harmoneus landscape.

Another timeless Asian virtue passed down for millennia is harmony. But what does harmony have to do with modern brand management? More than we might realize. If your brand drifts even slightly from a state of harmony, fragmentation follows—and with it, challenges that can sometimes be irreparable.

It’s an understatement to say it’s a competitive world, as Depeche Mode’s Dave Gahan aptly sings in “Everything Counts.”

So what exactly is harmony? The Cambridge Dictionary offers several definitions:

A situation in which people are peaceful and agree with each other, or when things seem suitable together.” “Racial harmony (= good feelings between different races)"

Domestic harmony (= good feelings in the family or home)

While useful, I prefer a more philosophical lens, specifically from Confucianism. Harmony, as a virtue, has been studied in China for millennia, even before Confucius walked the earth.

In a paper by Chenyang Li at Central Washington University, he states

In the Confucian view, harmony is by no means merely following the flow. Harmony is anchored in uprightness and is achieved through equilibrium.

And equilibrium is where harmony and branding intersect.

What Is Brand Harmony?

I define brand harmony as a brand’s ability to stay grounded in an institution’s core principles—like mission, vision, and positioning—while also aligning its many parts around a shared purpose, allowing it to express and elevate the organization’s deeper essence and support balanced, meaningful transformation.

Brand harmony isn’t just about consistency—it’s about alignment. In complex institutions like universities, true brand harmony means that departments, offices, and campuses operate with a shared sense of direction. It fosters collaboration even across competing priorities and supports transformation rooted in balance and mutual understanding.

Why Brand Harmony Matters

1. It Grounds You in Core Principles

Just as humility keeps us grounded, harmony provides balance. Confucian harmony isn’t about passive acceptance—it’s about staying anchored. Your brand must be rooted in its non-negotiables:

• Mission – what you want your brand to do and mean

• Vision – where you want it to go

• Positioning – the bridge between mission and vision, understood in the marketplace

To build a harmonious brand, you must embed these values into your standards and provide ample training opportunities for your campus communicators and even colleagues outside of marketing functions to understand those core principles well in simple and practical terms.

2. It Balances Personality and Alignment—Ying & Yang

Harmony and alignment reflect the Chinese concept of Yin and Yang—complementary forces that sustain existence. Brands, like people, have personalities. I once believed personality was mostly shaped in childhood. While partly true, we also refine who we are through life and effort. Branding is the same. Brands evolve—from idea to execution to alignment.

For years, I saw brand alignment through a marketing lens—goals, KPIs, messaging, but I was wrong.

Alignment is a Campus-Wide Endeavor

Proper alignment is a university-wide pursuit. Your brand must reflect the diverse voices and work of people across the institution—yet still speak with one voice, and these goals are not mutually exclusive.

Strong cross-functional relationships are essential. Marketing teams should use the term campus partners instead of clients. That slight shift in language signals a bigger change in mindset—and it builds trust, credibility, and stronger outcomes for the university.

Harmony as a Strategic Virtue

We can’t become so attached to our ideas that we ignore data—or the people around us. Listen to your team, your campus, and your audience. Great ideas come from everywhere. And sometimes, feedback tells you that it’s time for a change.

Like people, brands grow and change. And like the ancient Chinese philosophers who viewed harmony as a guiding virtue, we too should embrace harmony in our brand strategy allowing for flexibility rooted in core institutional values.

Harmony is, ultimately, about connection to nature, people, music, and everthing that surrounds us. And if brands are about building meaningful connections, why wouldn’t we pursue brand harmony as a strategic imperative?