Why Brands Need a Purpose Driven Marketing Strategy

Why we’re all in on performance branding – and how it can transform your growth.

Why Brands Need a Purpose Driven Marketing Strategy

Bryan Karas

August 15, 2018

When over a billion people use your “product” everyday there comes a point when a company should take responsibility and be conscious of how they influence and impact the world.

That’s why Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods brand, implemented a purpose driven marketing strategy that took a hard stance against stereotyping in advertising. Aline Santos, Global Executive VP of Marketing at Unilever stated that a company using non-stereotypical ads yielded 25 percent more brand impact…

“If you have a brand that does not have a purpose, people are not going to be interested in talking about stain removal for long—you have to have something behind stain removal to talk about. Purpose is the biggest enabler for us to create content that people seek out.”

I guess it all depends on what kind of “stains” she’s talking about…

Smooth as a baby’s bottom…

P&G and Johnson and Johnson are producing more than just diapers and baby oil – along with Unilever, the three teamed up with a few other brands to create the UnStereotype Alliance…

The goal of the alliance is to “unite leaders across business, technology and creative industries to tackle the widespread prevalence of stereotypes that are often perpetuated through advertising and content.”

Cause marketing and a company’s “purpose” are two things younger audiences consider when making a purchase and becoming brand loyal. According to a report, 67 percent of teens are more likely to purchase from a company that supported a cause than one that doesn’t. And prejudice and racism is one of the top five issues teens care about…

Sorry, I’m not sorry…

Mattel, an UnStereotype Alliance member, created a Barbie Vlog where Barbie talks about her life, inspirations and favorite things – it’s super popular with over 4 million YouTube subscribers and millions of views on Facebook…

The first vlog I came across was on the topic of the “Sorry Reflex.” It talked about how girls shouldn’t say sorry when someone bumps into them or when they ask a server to reheat their food when it comes out cold. It was a perfectly crafted piece of content that empowers women – and probably some men too…

As a business trying to compete in today’s society it is essential to find something – a cause, an issue..whatever – to stand behind. Yes, people want you to solve their problems…and that’s what any successful business does – solve problems. But people also want to know that you care about something bigger than yourself.

Throw a diverse group of people on the next marketing campaign you create – the more diverse the group the better the ideas.

How India’s Tata Tea Generated over 300 million impressions on Facebook with Cause Marketing

Tea in India is like coffee in the U.S. and Tata Tea wanted to figure out a way to break through the advertising clutter with a cause marketing campaign. The results were astonishing – 7.7 million engaged users on Facebook and 8.1 million total impressions on Twitter.