Do It On Purpose
Do It On Purpose
"Purpose-Washing": to present your brand as if it operates according to a larger purpose, when in reality it only operates to serve itself.
"We're all in this together." I'm sure we remember these half-hearted words from many large companies, who declared that they would be here for us during the pandemic. Before it became trendy for brands to express their thoughts and prayers during the pandemic, many customers were skeptical when brands claimed to have a higher purpose beyond selling coffee, soft drinks, or gas.
It's easy to find studies that prove that having a brand purpose drives or doesn't drive profit, but it mostly depends on the category. Most customers think that companies sell "X" and can see past inauthentic attempts by global brands to be purpose-driven. If a brand were true to its purpose, it would come down to "we sell X and want you to continue buying X". As management consultant Peter Drucker said, a business's goal is "to create and keep a customer".
Nowadays, it's better for brands "to give people the ability to do more in the world" (as Verizon says). During the Covid pandemic, brands jumped at the opportunity to show customers that they were there for us with purpose-driven advertisements. Mark Ritson summarizes it well:
"There are lots of companies claiming to be purpose-driven, but tax shows most companies to be entirely purposeless when it comes to behaving in line with their stated promises...brands are not big things. Nobody really cares about our brands or our purpose and more often than not, I believe purpose takes us in the wrong direction."
However, there are legitimate businesses founded (note the word "founded") on a real, tangible, and genuine purpose. Patagonia is a good example. As their website says, "We're In Business To Save Our Home Planet", and its founder recently gifted the company to fight the climate crisis.
But we also see brands trying to reverse-engineer mission and purpose statements to secure more profit. BP is an example. They claim "to be an energy company with purpose; one that is trusted by society, valued by shareholders, and motivating for everyone who works at BP". However, behind the communications of "sustainability" and imagery of green pastures, industrial and global disasters like the Deepwater Horizon oil spill occur.
If you have a brand idea that is differentiated enough to help consumers know that it's distinctly you relative to your competition, great! If it happens to be a legitimate purpose that the customer wants, the company can deliver, and the company can do it better than the competition, then you're on the right track of having a brand purpose that solves a real problem that matters to your customers. But if you own a car wash and your purpose is to "cleanse the spirit of humanity", maybe try bringing it down to the customer's point of view and give them what they want: a good product at a price they can pay.
N.G.