For brands, purpose is about more than just marketing
Brandingmag
The independent publisher narrating the global discussion on branding and culture.
“What the world needs is degrowth. It is time to develop new myths, better stories and a sharper vision. . . .To live well, within the limits of a finite planet, we need a vision of social progress that is better than the one implicit in the growth myth. We need a post-growth narrative, one that understands that the end of growth is not the end of progress or brands.” — Irene Gil , founder @ Plázida ?
Is it possible for the purpose of a brand to align with the bigger, capital ‘P’ Purpose of our planet? This week’s contributors certainly believe it can, and argue that brands have an obligation to do so. As the role of brands continues to grow in shaping both markets and culture, so does their responsibility to consider their impact.?
First, Irene Gil offers a bold vision of the future of branding, arguing that brands must resist the dominant ‘growth over everything’ philosophy of our time, or what she calls ‘the growth myth’. Brands hold tremendous power in bringing new stories into the world, and those stories should prioritize the sustainability of our finite planet, even ‘degrowth’. (1) But aligning brand purpose with the planet’s is about more than just talk and marketing, and Brett Goldhawk has some poignant cautionary examples of the ‘smoke and mirrors’ sustainability messaging, sometimes referred to as ‘greenwashing’. Rather than rushing to signal sustainability, brands should take meaningful action first—whether in policy, packaging, or process—then take the time to develop messaging which tells the true story of their sustainability efforts. (2) Finally, MaryLee Sachs makes the case for hiring a CPO, or chief purpose officer, to put Purpose into practice in your organization. (3)?
Aligning brand purpose toward the sustainable future of the planet may seem daunting, and it certainly won’t happen overnight, but these contributors offer inspiration and insight to take action, and take it today.?
By Irene Gil?
“We live in a world obsessed with the ideology of growth. Tim Jackson calls it, ‘The myth of our time, the myth that gives meaning to our existence’. We create brands to grow and as long as they grow, we are secure. In this framework, the opposite of growth is collapse and obscurity.?
But growth can also become an untenable weight to bear. Timothée Parrique compares growth to the absurd myth of Sisyphus, a heavy stone that we are condemned to drag up the mountain again and again, and which inexorably falls, causing crisis after crisis. . . .?
Branding-as-usual perpetuates a status quo that we have long known is unsustainable.
We are living the consequences of a system dependent on the logic of relentless growth and dissatisfaction. There are figures that speak volumes. Since Steve Jobs launched the iPhone in 2007, Apple has sold more than a billion mobile phones and never seems to have enough. The growth of the brand is chasing an addiction to technology that is already known as the second pandemic of the century. The sector is also notorious for unfair labour practices and for causing a huge amount of electronic waste. The role of branding has been to hide all the nasties by offering a luxurious front end in all means of brand expression: the famous Apple shops, the communication, the customer service and the user and shopping experience, not to mention the psychological dependence on their own products that gets us hooked for life. Fortunately, we are waking up.
What the world needs is degrowth
It is time to develop new myths, better stories and a sharper vision. This is as essential as understanding the dynamics of collapse. To live well, within the limits of a finite planet, we need a vision of social progress that is better than the one implicit in the growth myth.?
We need a post-growth narrative, one that understands that the end of growth is not the end of progress or brands.
Degrowth proposes a voluntary transition to a just, participatory and ecologically sustainable society and implies a profound economic transformation. It means breaking with the logic that more is always better. We know that we have exceeded the limits of what the earth is capable of regenerating and that it is impossible to ‘decouple’ what is good for the environment from what is good for the economy. If we were to take seriously the IPCC’s warnings that we must halve emissions by 2030 if we are not to unleash Armageddon, we must see the environment and economy as inherently connected. Either we produce more or we pollute less. It is possible to achieve greater efficiency in the use of resources but there is always a rebound effect of greater consumption (Jevons paradox). Green growth is a utopia that distracts and delays the real actions that need to be taken.?
Degrowth implies a change of values, a new meaning of success. Instead of accumulating more money, the aim is to create healthier social bonds in order to reach a post-growth society in which the economy remains stable. In a post-growth society there will be income limits, universal basic services, reduced working time and democratic ownership of enterprises. Degrowth means moving away from unsustainable activities and aiming for sufficiency rather than just efficiency. . . .?
Can we imagine a brand that only wants to sell enough, that prefers to keep its commitment to sustainability rather than boast double-digit growth? Can we imagine that decision to be rewarded?
If we embrace degrowth, perhaps people, in harmony with the planet, will once again be at the centre of everything.”
By Brett Goldhawk?
“One of the biggest priorities in business is to solve, improve, and find sustainable solutions for brands and packaging, and be clear on where you stand on this with consumers.
One of the biggest risks is running before you can walk, putting marketing ‘the story’ before solving this challenge and becoming a greenwash bandwagoner.
So how do you find the balance and what lessons are in play from which to learn?. . . .?
Brands are risking turning fans into cynics, or worse, feeding their inner social demons with name and shame currency to run with if they feel ‘their brands’ are failing the authenticity test. Hell has no fury as a fanbase scorned.
And that anti-brand perspective can come less from being slow but on the right path on the change process and more from blagging and bragging about approaches that aren’t all they purport to be.
As a marketing professional, talking on a marketing world website, to an audience of marketing professionals, it’s fair to say we all know where those issues can be borne from. Yep, our minds and souls.
Our desire to win listings, to show retail partners we are doing the right thing, and to drive our commercial success can win headspace over the strategic route. But, tortoise vs. hare. Icarus and the sun. Plenty of old-but-gold parables tell us what the way forward should and shouldn’t be.
The UK’s Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has, in the last few months, been keeping busy separating the marketing claims from reality. Whether this is Oatly taking a pop at rivals by claiming “the dairy and meat industries emit more CO2 than all the world’s planes, trains, cars, boats etc combined” (ASA rejected the claim as way too vague and unsubstantiated); or Innocent Drinks’ recycling-focused messaging, despite having single-use plastic products, being claimed as misleading for implying that ‘purchasing Innocent products was a choice that would have a positive environmental impact when that was not the case’ (ASA rejected campaign as too smoke and mirrors).
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Starbucks famously axed their plastic straws in light of hot topic discussion but the replacement lids contained more plastics than the straws. An effort was being made but less speed and more focus on biodegradable alternatives would have had more of a long-term, genuine benefit than the short-term, potentially marketing-led ‘win’ of topicality.
Which means some lessons are, in theory, not complicated:
But if that’s the watch-out, what should you be doing?
Packaging design, materials choices, accurate message craft and storytelling. PR – explaining what you are doing and why you are doing it is good, and in the best cases educational and beneficial for many audiences. The key differential is in the sequencing. Talk about what you have done, why that is important, and the rationale for the choices made. And mistakes learned from, things tried, and the realities of the journey that haven’t been easy.
Because that’s human, it shows hard graft in a hard space, and is helpful for the big picture to which all brands need to be contributing. It’s marketing-supported, not marketing-led. Values linked, not buzzword-driven. And part of your new long-term DNA, not as a sales-led and potentially short-term initiative.”
By MaryLee Sachs?
“The need for purpose is undeniable. The question now is how to make it happen?
How do you find and shape a motivating purpose and then how to embed it throughout an organization, consistently and effectively???
For an increasing number of organizations a crucial step is to appoint a dedicated C-suite leader overseeing purpose. Hasbro, Cisco, PwC, Intrepid Group, and mental wellness business Calm are just some who have appointed chief purpose officers.??
It is a major decision for any CEO. Do we need one? What should their remit be? What are the qualities of a successful chief purpose officer? How do we make the role work?
Defining the role
Defining your chief purpose officer’s remit starts with knowing your purpose – why you exist beyond just making money. Then, clarify how the position will sync with others across the C-suite to ensure purpose does not become silo-ed. At Deloitte, a working group consisting of 25 different parts of the company come together to debate how to embed its purpose into its policies.?
It will also be important to decide whether the chief purpose officer will have a voice on important social and political issues. Employees expect employers to take a stance on the social issues that matter to them. Gartner found that 68% of employees would consider leaving their current employer for one that has a stronger viewpoint on societal and cultural issues.?
These are tough decisions to make, even tougher to navigate practically at local and global scale. Taking a stand takes courage and conviction but appointing a chief purpose officer can take the burden off your shoulders. Once you’ve decided which topics you want to take a view on, this person can play a key role in staking your position to the world. . . .??
The best advice for chief purpose officers is: don’t overcomplicate the role.
You can’t have purpose, or its impact, limited to a single day. So, among the initiatives Mitchell introduced is an evolution of its once annual day of volunteering. Now, the organization encourages its people to engage in year-round volunteerism, providing opportunities to put their passions and skills to use in their local communities throughout the year.
One colleague may help a social enterprise with developing its strategic business plan. Another may lead a lesson on business ethics and values at a school. Whatever contribution people choose to make, the goal is to bring consistent depth and meaning to their work and to achieve an organization-wide ambition to deliver ‘impact every day’. . . .
When purpose is embedded in the business, it becomes your north star and jump-off point for strategy and direction. Much as with measuring marketing performance, the metrics of purpose should be multi-dimensional and take a long-term view of its impact on the business.?
Ultimately, it’s down to leadership at individual organizations to select the right data sets and to ask the right questions to assess how a chief purpose officer is impacting the business. Do this in the way that makes the most sense for your business, the people you serve, and the world in which you operate.??
Put purpose into practice
Without CEO approval and demonstrable backing, even the most qualified chief purpose officer will struggle to reach their potential.
If you’re heavily questioning whether your company is ready to commit to a purpose-driven transformation, it probably isn’t.
But for many organizations, the appointment of a chief purpose officer has been the catalyst that brings their purpose to life and delivers step change.”
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