Brand purpose: Lived not laminated. Lessons from 10 brands

Purpose. Love it or hate it, it’s a concept that’s become part of marketing lexicon in recent years. And for good reason. Jason Foo of creative agency BBD Perfect Storm wrote in Campaign recently that dwindling public trust and fierce competition within product categories means that brand purpose – the big why, the tip of Mazlow’s hierarchy of needs if you will -  is a much needed differentiator. I for one am a big fan – but only if it is used in a meaningful way. Only then can purpose unlock deeper customer relationships, and encourage brands to become the social activists they need to be in today’s fractured society.

So what does it mean for marketing leaders to use purpose meaningfully to unlock growth, and not just chucked about like an empty buzzword?

Business in the Community, a major business charity, has begun capturing short and snappy stories from its members that bring purpose to life. Ranging from Danone’s educational advice for mums, through to Jaguar Land Rover’s green product innovation, these brands are having a positive impact on the wider world and their bottom line. The unifying thread between these stories is these brands are living out a sense of purpose through their products, services and marketing. To become a purpose-driven brand, it’s essential to move beyond words and actually bring purpose to life for your customers.

These examples are often the product of collaboration between Commercial and Corporate Responsibility (CR) teams. After all, “great brands are made through the business, not just through the marketing department” says Pete Markey, former Post Office CMO now at Aviva. Marketing leaders must get outside of their immediate teams and engage with their CR and Strategy colleagues. B2Bs such as global caterer Sodexo and tech giant IBM are harnessing their unique commercial abilities and reach have a positive social impact, which is delighting customers and enabling growth.  Unlike traditional CR, they are making this positive impact visible to customers and even a USP. This isn’t about marketing the fact that you volunteer at a local school (partly expected anyway, but also not a clincher for customers )- this is about finding new ways to add value.

What also makes these brands purpose-driven is that the corporate behind the brand has a sense of social responsibility, with wider corporate culture and behaviours expected to live out social purpose as well – this helps to avoid the risk of being labelled ‘greenwash’.

There is still a lot to be done to make purpose an increasing and authentic part of the brand fabric - these initial 10 (we want to add more!) brands are at the start of the journey, but they are putting their head above the parapet and encouraging others to join them.

I leave you with 3 fundamentals for having a meaningful purpose:

Your purpose needs to be about driving change for the benefit of society – creating fairer communities, and a sustainable future for all

I’ve heard dubious claims from PR agencies that being purposeful is about standing for something, anything. But this is misguided. In today’s cynical age where the average citizen is blocking out boring promises from the establishment – think the surprise Brexit victory – an authentic and honest voice that genuinely puts people first, is few and far between.

Jason Foo says that brands mustn’t simply reflect the cultural agenda, but define it and tackle risky social issues over the long term. It’s only then that people will care about your brand.

Nationwide’s core purpose is “safeguarding members financial interests, helping them to save, buy their own homes, and helping them make the most of their money.” Whilst this may not appear to be radically altruistic, it mandates Nationwide put their 14 million members in the driving seat. Crucially, their purpose is brought to life through unique initiatives such as their cancer support service. 3/4s of branch staff agree that customers have a better customer experience as a result of Nationwide offering this service.

It needs to drive you to actually have a positive impact

You’re no charity – this positive impact of course needs to benefit your customers, whether that’s providing seamless customer experience, hyper-convenience, or incredible personalisation. But on top of this (think Mazlow), customers are increasingly after brands that have a positive impact on their communities and the wider world.

Waste company Veolia’s new circular-economy inspired services have helped them and their customers reduce environmental impacts – saving more carbon than they emit, and brand awareness has grown by 5% in a single year.

A way to ensure that you as marketer understand the social and environmental trends relevant for your brand is to speak with your company’s Corporate Responsibility function – find out what societal issues they see as connected to continued business success, share what customers care about and need, and find the sweet spot.

This impact needs to come from the goods you sell and through the relationships you have with customers

This means no to cause related marketing. There’s nothing inherently wrong with cause-related marketing, but it doesn’t enable innovation or deep relationships – and you can be accused of skirting around the societal problems connected to your brand. Heineken’s Moderate Drinkers Wanted campaign is bold and playful, attempting to tackle problem drinking in an aspirational way, has reached 6.3 million people so far with 3/4s surveyed saying Heineken has inspired them to moderate their drinking. A simple ‘drink responsibly’ slogan at the end of an advert wouldn’t have carried the same message – or opportunity to build customer relationships built on trust.