Ambitious Agenda

It’s a new year, and time to get back to work. Your last meeting of the day is with the senior leadership team, and you’re starting 2023 with an ambitious agenda. The organization is planning to refocus their efforts on making a difference in the community. The consensus is that your company has aligned itself with a partner to pursue a purpose-driven marketing initiative.

What is Purpose-Driven Marketing?

According to Meltwater.com, purpose-driven marketing campaigns help brands engage and interact with their target audience through similar needs and interests. In other words, brands can strengthen the connection to their audience by aligning themselves with causes their audience is passionate about. However, to build a genuine relationship with the audience, it must be something the organization truly believes in, and tie back to its core values. In an article for the Ad Council, Khalem Charles writes that purpose-driven marketing campaigns must be part of every aspect of an organization’s business model and culture, or the audience will see through the brands intentions.

Real Beauty

In 2004, Unilever’s purpose-driven marketing campaign exposed the harmful effects social media can have on women’s perception of beauty with the “Real Beauty” campaign. The commercial begins with a young woman preparing for a photoshoot, but the real “work” starts when the photoshoot ends. The models’ photos are edited and distorted to surpass natural beauty and fit society’s unhealthy and unattainable definition. The spot ends, zooming out from a billboard just in time to catch two young girls walking by and glancing up at it. Afterwards, the copy reads, “No wonder our perception of beauty is distorted.” This campaign aimed to communicate to women, especially young women that everything you see isn’t reality.

Courage is Beautiful

In October 2022, Ogilvy UK, London unveiled the latest Unilever campaign for Dove, called “Courage is Beautiful.” This campaign took a different approach by showing the beauty in courage emerging from pain. The commercial displayed the first names of real doctors, nurses, and health practitioners alongside images of the injuries they suffered from the personal protective equipment (PPE) they wore to fight Covid 19 daily. This campaign showed us how beautiful courage is because it empowers people to put themselves at risk to help others.

The True North

Arran and Ratana Stephens converted their desire to nurture the soil, into one of North America’s largest organic breakfast and snack companies. Nature’s Path originated in Vancouver, became one of Canada’s most successful purpose-driven brands, and has remained family-owned and operated since 1985. Nature’s Path grew from Arran’s experiences on the family’s organic berry farm to echo his fathers’ words to “leave the earth better than you found it.” According to Purpose-Driven Marketing.com, Nature’s Path produces organic and non-GMO-based food products and aims to help transform farm and production practices in Canada by promoting good soil health to grow healthier food for all.

Passion and Purpose

When an organization has a purpose beyond profit, great things can happen for the communities they serve. Establishing a genuine connection with the target audience is only the beginning. The organization’s purpose must be evident in every aspect down to its roots, like at Nature’s Path. Thomas Dexter Jakes, also known as T.D. Jakes is an American bishop, author and filmmaker who may have said it best: “If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.”

 

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