In the world of marketing, purpose is a word often used, yet frequently misunderstood. From those who use it as an empty promise to sell more products, to those who believe it is about trying to serve everyone, the misconceptions around purpose are holding many brands back from making a positive difference in the world.

What is Purpose?

A true purpose has the power to create love, trust and connection. It is therefore the key to building a brand’s value, scale and impact. However, the opposite is also true. If brands are not genuine in their actions, consumers will call them out for purpose-washing. And that’s when brands lose the trust of their tribe.

Purpose is not CSR (corporate social responsibility) or even ESG (environmental & social governance). Purpose is born from the nature of the solutions that a brand can solve for its community. Purpose creates change for the better, contributes to the wellbeing of all stakeholders and evolves society by challenging the status quo and leading the way for others to follow. A purpose-led brand therefore contributes to a Universal Purpose that is bigger than the brand itself.

So how should brands think about their purpose?

The 4B Brand Model

For your purpose to warrant love and make a positive difference in the world, there are 4Bs to think about:

1. BIG

Does your purpose lead the way for others or is it hiding behind the status quo?

Having a BIG purpose is not about trying to solve all the world’s problems or to serve everyone. Quite the contrary. Your brand should have a purpose that contributes in a unique way to solving one of the world’s biggest challenges and is specific enough to rally a tribe.

Tony’s Chocaloney’s is a great example of a BIG purpose. Tony’s was founded with the purpose to make all chocolate 100% slave free.

Tony’s has disrupted industry supply chains currently dominated by a group of chocolate giants that profit from keeping prices as low as possible. This creates a poverty trap for farmers, leading to illegal child labor and modern slavery.

Tony’s roadmap consists of 3 pillars:

• Raising awareness of the issue: all chocolate fans should be aware of the inequality in the chocolate industry. If retailers and consumers actively demand slave-free chocolate, chocolate companies will need to listen and make that happen.
• Leading by example: Tony’s invests in long-term partnerships with farmer cooperatives and helps them professionalise. They pay cocoa farmers a higher price and invest in agricultural knowledge and training to help them improve productivity on their farms. They also make chocolate with traceable cocoa.
• Inspiring others to act: Tony’s actively seeks partners who are interested in applying their model. They also follow good examples set by others and maintain an ongoing dialogue with politicians, NGOs and academia to increase the pressure on the industry to adopt their 5 sourcing principles for slave-free cocoa.

2. BOLD

Does your brand challenge the norms of the industry or does it dilute to fit in?

Marketing tends to focus on answering consumer demand, testing and diluting to appeal to the masses. But it is by innovating beyond the existing paradigms that brands will catalyze new conversations that shift consumption habits and evolve society.

A great example of a BOLD purpose is iD Genève, an innovative watch brand that is not afraid to break the codes of the luxury industry by using 100% recycled materials.

The luxury industry remains locked behind codes that require the extraction and processing of non-regenerative raw materials. These are often energy intensive activities involving large scale interventions in ecosystems and result in air, soil and water pollution. It is no wonder, although shocking, that the top 1% of income groups contribute to almost 50% of global carbon emissions!

Within this context, iD Genève’s purpose is to shift consumers’ perception of recycled materials and put the luxury industry at the centre of the ecological transition.

3. BRAVE

Does your brand own its stand or does it modulate what it believes in?

Purpose without action is not a true purpose. Your brand must own what it believes in by leading the way and speaking up, even if it means (and it will!) upsetting those who are not your tribe.

Patagonia is the embodiment of a BRAVE purpose-led brand. Throughout every action and communication, its purpose shines through as its North Star. The brand communicates mostly on its activism to support or denounce issues that are core to its purpose. From suing former US president Donald Trump, to pulling its distribution and advertising over values misalignment and actively supporting legislation such as The Nature Restoration law, Patagonia is never afraid to stand firmly in its beliefs and share them with the world.

4. BELOVED

Does your brand rally a tribe that believes or does it compete for attention?

Having a purpose that aims to “save the world” is a great start, but no innovation, no matter how breakthrough, will make a difference without an emotional connection.

It is scientifically proven that decision-making is made with the part of the brain which is responsible for feelings and emotions such as intuition, trust, and loyalty. Connecting with your tribe is therefore not about what your brand offers (the products, services & benefits) but about why your brand does what it does.

Telling your brand story and evoking feelings and emotions behind its purpose is therefore the key to creating connection with those who believe what you believe. This is how your brand will become a brand that is BELOVED.

With its Think Different campaign, Apple captured the hearts of millions around the world by sharing what it believes and designing to serve those beliefs: “we believe that people with passion can change the world for the better”.  Steve Jobs nailed it when he presented the campaign back in 1997: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keCwRdbwNQY

He even references Nike as another great example. A brand that honours great athletes but doesn’t ever talk about their shoes.Making your brand purpose BIG, BOLD, BRAVE and BELOVED can transform your brand, building its value, scale and impact so that it can transform the world. So what are you waiting for?