Clear brand purpose and credibility key to marketing success

Purpose-driven brands have become a beacon of our times and a powerful driver of growth.

However, the word “purpose” is still ambiguous to marketers. There are those who believe brand purpose is nothing more than fluffy marketing “stuff”, while others believe it’s about advocating for activism. 

Eighty percent of over-performing companies link everything they do to a clear brand purpose. There have been some impressive brand-building efforts in the past 15 years that we can learn from. 

An example are Unilever’s sustainable living brands, which are growing 69% faster than the rest of the business and delivering 75% of the company’s growth. These brands are tapping into the desire of today’s generation — for meaning and contribution. 

Purpose-driven brands are forging new paths for business growth by advocating for cultural ideas and helping solve societal tensions. They do not just serve the individual, but rather a social and cultural group in calling for collaborative action and participation.

Societal issues interest people at scale and have social currency; they create opportunities for talk-ability, share-ability, and engagement. Most importantly, purposeful brands call for measurable social impact — not greenwashing with sexy slogans or “bandwagoning”.

These brands understand this isn’t a tick-box task on the brand-positioning blueprint. Brands that do purpose well respond to social challenges and inspire people to participate in a meaningful way. 

Purposeful positioning is as alluring as it is daunting. Many of the mixed feelings it elicits are the result of it being misunderstood, abused or poorly executed. 

Here’s a closer look at what purposeful positioning is and isn't:

More than two decades of Kantar BrandZ data gives us excellent and actionable insight into the main drivers of purposeful impact:

• Build from your core. Brands must have credibility. Their right to play should be based on their core values with a clear link to their product and positioning.

• Mobilise people to participate. Purpose is not a well-crafted PowerPoint slide or a framework: it needs to inspire everyone in the brand ecosystem to participate in something bigger than themselves. 

• Execute through action and experience. Purpose must have tangible proof points and be experienced across all brand touchpoints. It should live and breathe and be less about talking, and more about doing. 

This combination of evidence and inspiration proves that purpose is about the magic that happens when we bridge the gap between the business and the meaningful role we play in society. There is no need to sit on the sidelines. 

As a business and brand community, we can go beyond the products we sell and create the positive impact the world so desperately needs. Click here to learn more about creating purposeful positioning with Kantar. 

This article was first published in the 2022 Kantar BrandZ Most Valuable South African Brands report. Click here for more information. 

This article was paid for by Kantar.