Activating Brand Purpose is Easier Said Than Done

Indeed bringing a purpose program to life across an organization can be a monumental challenge no matter how seamless the most purposeful brands make it look The multidimensional process does not come with an end date nor can it be automated by some fancy piece of software Further it cannot be delegated to a few interested individuals or be designed to impact one specific part of the business or a specific audienceActing on an authentic and wellaligned purpose is an allin proposition from the CEO on down and it must be deeply embedded into the culture and core to the entire business operation and experience But even the best laid plans often get sidetracked when purpose is not made a priority A study by the strategic brand consultancy BrandPie found that while 80 percent of purposeled CEOs agree that business leaders need to be more focused on longterm value creation rather than shortterm profit delivery only 28 percent are integrating purpose into their decisionmaking and strategyThis is a chronic issue regardless of industry or business sector In the B2B space 86 percent of companies said they embrace purpose as important to growth but only 24 percent said they embed purpose in their business to the point of influencing innovation operations and their engagement with society according to a study by the ANA Carol Cone ON PURPOSE and the Harris PollThere is a litany of factors that hinder businesses from fully integrating purpose They run the gamut from lack of Csuite involvement to failing to make purpose a business strategy to mistaking corporate values for purpose to the inability to measure successBut successfully activating purpose can have brandaltering consequences A new study by the global communications agency Porter Novelli found that when a brand leads with purpose it changes the entire perception of the company with consumers Not only are they more trusting of and loyal to a brand they often associate it with words like quotcaringquot quotcharitablequot quotethicalquot quotresponsiblequot and quottransparentquot That emotional connection runs deep 78 percent of consumers are more likely to remember a company with a strong purpose and 71 percent would purchase from a purposedriven company over the alternative when cost and quality are equalWhile there is no standard approach to activating purpose a new playbook from the ANA Center for Brand Purpose Activating a Purpose Program provides guidance from a range of chief marketers and industry experts on how to drive and participate in the purpose process make purpose a priority and ensure purposeled initiatives endureWith contributions from leaders at Johnson ampamp Johnson Orvis Company Ally Financial Mars Petcare Caterpillar and other companies the fivechapter playbook offers many valuable lessons includingOne of the biggest mistakes any organization can make when looking to infuse purpose into its narrative is to assume it39s only a marketing initiative If the first time that sales or HR hears about company purpose is during the rollout there is a significant problemCompany culture plays a significant role in driving purpose Perhaps more specifically purpose39s strength is that it embodies in just a few words the essence of cultureAsk employees what matters to them Their stories tell key truths about the company and their expectations of a changing world as well as their personal desires to succeed within an organization make a difference and even leave some legacyInvolving customers in the purpose process is important It allows brands to build stronger customer relationships by providing opportunities for meaningful contributions that matterWhen purposeled an organization has a big opportunity to leverage its purpose in a way that lasts a lifetimeWhile marketers must consider the metrics behind their campaigns the story is what will drive recommendations and brand loyalty In the long run it produces a brand that endures purposefullyConsider Johnson ampamp Johnson The 135yearold company updated its brand purpose quotto change the trajectory of health for all humanityquot said Sarah Colamarino vice president of corporate equity The development of a singledose COVID19 vaccine is one great example of how the company is delivering on its purpose But as JampampJ and other companies are learning becoming purposeful is a journey and not a sprintquotWe have spent 18 months integrating this idea into our organizationquot Colamarino related in Activating a Purpose Program quotWe have had to reorient people39s mindsets which is a difficult taskquotClick the social buttons to share this story with colleagues and friendsThe opinions expressed here are the author39s views and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNetamp160

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Activating Brand Purpose is Easier Said Than Done

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Ken Beaulieu

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Activating Brand Purpose is Easier Said Than Done

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