The magic powers behind Brand Purpose

The debates about the need of a purpose are still in full progress. It seems as if this buzzword of the last years never gets old – and rightly so. The fact is that the creation of meaning becomes more and more a game changer in the world of brands and for companies in the war for talent. Today a meaningful and authentic purpose is almost a must-have for a modern brand. Why? Because purely economic objectives are not enough any more for present and future generations. Purpose-driven brands additionally want to make a positive contribution for society. This “higher meaning” can lead to intrinsic motivation of the employees to participate on sustainable commitment or foster projects with a positive social impact. Even high potential employees choose to work more and more for companies who follow a meaningful purpose. Therefore the purpose needs not necessarily be directly connected to economic success. The symbolic significance can create added value by means of intangible assets or positively inspire the corporate culture.

As I am living in Herzogenaurach, Germany, one of my favorite examples for a purpose-driven brand is right at my front door: adidas. Their core believe is that “Through sport, we have the power to change lives.” This is what drives adidas day by day and reflects their authentic corporate culture, which is deeply rooted in sports. You can see it and feel it wherever you walk over their campus or through the buildings of their headquarters in Herzogenaurach. Their purpose is written on the walls and on the floor in big letters and lived by employees on the sports facilities all over their campus and in their projects. I had the pleasure to work for adidas on agency side for many years and I could always identify with this purpose for one hundred percent. Through sport a former overweight person can find a new healthy way of living, through sport new perspectives will open up for kids and their future life and through sport people like me just have a daily highlight for a positive feeling that always keeps my life in balance, frees my mind and puts a smile on my face – no matter if it is mountainbiking, skiing, stand up paddling, running, CrossFit or tennis. This shared purpose unites people behind the company, motivates and inspires them. The famous British-American author Simon Sinek put it in a nutshell: It’s not about what companies do, it’s about why they do it. Your "why" provides employees with vision and gives everybody a chance to create real impact that is bigger than just creating products. In employee recruitment the purpose is of central importance now and being a purpose-driven brand can also promote a strong employer brand. Especially employees from generation Y and Z want to work for a company that provides a sense of purpose. It can be the driving force that unites, motivates and propels an organization behind a common, idealistic idea.

The Purpose can influence the purchase decision

The purpose of a brand can directly be connected to your business and to your products. Volvo is a good example for that as they want to build the safest cars of the world. The purpose of uvex is “protecting people” while doing sports and at work – with their helmets, eyewear and other safety equipment. The food company Dole promises “to make the world a healthier place” with the most nutritious of fresh fruits with the lowest environmental impact.

But a purpose can also stand for an additional and higher meaning. Something that is bigger than your main business and has a value for society in general. If this value is relevant enough for consumers, it can influence their purchase decision. This is why adidas partnered up with the environmental organization Parley for the Oceans as part of their ambition to end plastic waste. More and more they are using recycled polyester for their products that comes from plastic bottles collected at beaches, coastal communities and shorelines or own recycled products. So consumers buy these products aware of doing something good for the environment. The ambitious goal of adidas is to replace all virgin polyester with recycled polyester in all products by 2024 and this might be a critical factor for being the consumer's first choice. This is another great example of how the purpose “through sport, we have the power to change lives” is implemented by adidas.?

One of the very first brands that made a difference with a purpose contributing to a greater good is Patagonia. It simply says “We're in business to save our home planet“. When I heard this for the first time it sounded a bit overdone to me. But they really take it seriously and this is the only thing that matters. Every year Patagonia gives one percent of their sales for the planet to support grassroots environmental organizations. They just call it their "earth tax". By linking sports with activism, Patagonia employees and their sponsored athletes are using their roles in the sport community to drive positive social and environmental change. They really lead by example and that is why many consumers prefer buying Patagonia products over the products of other outdoor companies with the background of these good deeds.?

How to find your purpose

First of all it is important to create your purpose from within the organization and together with it. It can not be invented. It must be rooted in the origin of the company and the lived corporate culture. Only then it can be authentic and develop its driving force. Once again everything starts with the famous question of "why". Why does the organization exist and how do they make a difference? A good purpose statement should be formulated as concretely as possible without restricting yourself too much, combines the own strengths with a clear attitude, is based on a relevant customer benefit and reflects social responsibility. The wording just has to feel right and win people over to provide guidance and motivation. A brand purpose is not a slogan or a commercial message, therefore you may use a few more words for it. Of course, it should also not be too long as employees should be able to remember it well. Last but not least, you have to put words into actions to proof the sincerity of your good intentions in everyday business. Otherwise your brand purpose is just another bullshit bingo!

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