In Defence of Purpose. You’re just doing it wrong.

For years, purpose-based brand strategies were in vogue, especially building momentum following the popularization of the Sinek “why, how, what” model.

But, the worm has officially turned. Purpose has jumped the shark. Everyone is piling on, sharing examples of really generic statements that are not only interchangeable across brands, but across entire industries.

But before we go throwing the baby out with the boring bath water, let’s get back to first principles.

1. Purpose doesn’t need to be noble. Just meaningful.

Purpose began as an answer to “why do you exist?”, with an emphasis on what role you play in the world, fuelled by your brand’s origin story and unique values.

But somewhere along the line it became the answer to “how are going to make the world a better place?” Every brand decided they need to become Tom’s of Maine or Patagonia. It became its own version of virtue signalling.

The fact is most brands do not have that in their DNA. And if it ain’t there, it ain’t there. But that does not mean they can’t play a meaningful role in the world. Not many would describe Red Bull’s purpose to “vitalize body and mind” as “noble” but it is still “meaningful” to an audience who is time starved and sleep deprived.  (Meaningful enough to sell a can for every person in the world in 2019.)

2. Purpose is not your Brand Idea. It’s your north star.

Your purpose is the marketing north star for your organization. It should act as both a springboard and a filter for everything you do, from hiring practices to product development, to the development of a Brand Idea. 

And what’s great about a purpose statement is it is not merely a “positioning” based on who and where you are today, but it on where you want to go — hence “north star”.

A Brand Idea, on the other hand, is a communications platform. Its inspiration can come from any number of ingredients, including your purpose (and the point of view which underpins it), but you also need to consider cultural trends, competitive differentiators, consumer pain points and more. 

So regardless of how noble or not your purpose is, it is still one element to consider when creating your Brand Idea (which should be comforting to the creative folk who have felt handcuffed by broad, esoteric, values-driven statements.) 

3. Purpose needs to be relevant to your category.

For those who argue that a brand’s purpose needs to “transcend” its market to turn your you into a “category of one”, that is nonsense. In some rare instances, brands accomplish this feat, but not right away. In the near term, focus on beating your competition. To do that you need to be relevant to the category/categories you compete in.

With apologies for the dated reference, consider Nike’s purpose, “to provide inspiration and innovation to every athlete in the world’. This does not overtly declare a category like “athletic apparel” but there is clear signalling that it is relevant to this category because they are in the business of providing tools for athletes.

So when writing your purpose statement, always consider how you interact with your category. This will rescue your purpose from platitudes around “fulfilling human potential” and/or “helping people live life to the fullest.”

4. Purpose must be underpinned by its point of view.

We always say that the greatest gift you can give your brand is an opinion. For us, this is the real magic behind a purpose statement. Your point of view is the core belief that informs your purpose statement.

Again, Nike is helpful because it has one of the all-time greats: “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” You can see how this fuelled brand ideas from “Just do it” to “Find your greatness.”

You point of view is, at its core, a consumer insight seen through the lens of your brand values. It takes both to create a great one because it needs to be both relevant to your audience and authentic to your brand.  When you get the point of view right, the purpose part is easy (sort of).

5. Purpose demands conflict.

The points of view which underpin the best purpose statements come from conflict. Because conflict, especially in so far that it challenges the conventional wisdom, is also the key to a strong insight.  If you are simply saying the same thing your competitors are saying in a slightly different way, and that everyone already agrees on, then it’s not an insight. 

We always say, to write a strong purpose statement, you need to get mad. Think of what is wrong with the category that needs fixing.  What are the assumptions, the dogmas that no one else is questioning?  And how is this a problem for your core audience?  Because you also have to remember that your purpose is only as good as its ability to solve a problem for your audience.

One more time, back to Nike.  “If you have a body, you are an athlete” basically throws down the gauntlet to a quite commonly held (and yet tragically flawed) belief that “some people are athletes, and some ain’t”.   Taking a stand for the democratization of athleticism not only helps the brand stand out from the pack in a way that performs a valuable role in the lives of its audience – it’s also good business.   Now that’s a purpose worth fighting for.

In Conclusion

Brand Purpose is still a very useful method to create the north star for your organization. If you do it right.  So keep the following 5 principles in mind:

1. Purpose doesn’t need to be noble. Just meaningful.

2. Purpose is not your brand idea. It’s your north star.

3. Purpose needs to be relevant to your category.

4. Purpose must be underpinned by its point of view.

5. Purpose demands conflict.

Stay tuned for future articles that drill deeper on how to find and express your point of view and purpose statement.

Dean is Founder and Principal at The Distillery Consulting Group.

Blog Post Title Two

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Three

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.

Blog Post Title Four

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.