SHIFT FROM CALL-TO-ACTION (CTA) TO CALL-TO-PURPOSE (CTP)

Advertising today is like a white noise, a random signal having equal intensity at different frequencies, giving it a constant power spectral density. Marketing executives definition of purpose-driven marketing is: defining what a company does beyond making money — how it can make its customers’ lives better.

• Unilever’s sustainable living brands grew 46% faster than the rest of its portfolio, and are delivering 70% of its growth. But why is it restricted to a few brands and not across the entire portfolio? Because, millennial consumers don’t just want to just see brands take a stand on social issues, they want them to act on that stand — from the inside out
• The biggest mistake brands make is limiting their support of a cause platform to simply advertising. Rather, they need to show that they’re truly invested in the cause platform they’re supporting. That starts by putting their attention, energy, and resources on first addressing issues from within. This is how young people have redefined ‘authenticity.’ And make no mistake — young people are paying attention to that.
• When Gillette launched a new ad decrying toxic masculinity and celebrating gender equality, it didn’t quite get the reception it imagined because while in a cultural vacuum the sentiment was nice, too many people quickly saw the hypocrisy and contradictions between that message and the brand’s own products and past promotions–from “pink tax” razors to using scantily clad girls in event marketing, to continuing to advertise on Tucker Carlson’s TV show >> Tweet to Gillette
• Observe the pattern of some standout purpose brands: Fenty Beauty, Savage x Fenty, Dove, Thinx, Aerie, Lush, Patagonia. Many brands didn’t even show up in any significant way. In fact, only 12% of our survey respondents had top-of-mind associations between brands they said they knew and specific causes Yet, 58% still reported they were more likely to buy from brands that back a good cause — if they know about it.

The 2018 Cone/Porter Novelli Study found that 78% of consumers believe companies must do more than just make money; they must positively impact society as well. Apart from other learnings the key learnings were: • 77% feel a stronger emotional connection to Purpose-driven companies over traditional companies • 66% would switch from a product they typically buy, to a new product from a Purpose-driven company • 68% are more willing to share content with their social networks over that of traditional companies.

79% SAY THEY WOULD BE MORE LOYAL TO A PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANY

77% SAY THEY FEEL A STRONGER EMOTIONAL CONNECTION TO PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANIES

73% SAY THEY WOULD BE LIKELY TO DEFEND A PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANY IF PEOPLE SPOKE BADLY OF IT

70% SAY THEY WOULD BE PROUD TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH A PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANY (E.G., WEAR THAT COMPANY’S LOGO)

88% WOULD BUY A PRODUCT FROM THAT COMPANY

75% WOULD TRY AN ENTIRELY NEW PRODUCT LINE FROM A COMPANY THEY ALREADY SUPPORT

66% WOULD SWITCH FROM A PRODUCT THEY TYPICALLY BUY TO A NEW PRODUCT FROM THAT COMPANY

57% WOULD PAY MORE FOR A PRODUCT FROM THAT COMPANY

78% WOULD TELL OTHERS TO BUY PRODUCTS FROM THAT COMPANY

76% WOULD TELL FRIENDS AND FAMILY ABOUT THAT COMPANY

73% WOULD SHARE INFORMATION OR STORIES ABOUT THAT COMPANY

65% WOULD ADVOCATE FOR ISSUES THAT COMPANY SUPPORT

WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO WANT COMPANIES TO ADDRESS SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUES COMPARED TO THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS (85% VS. 73% MALE).

PARENTS ARE MORE WILLING TO TRY AN ENTIRELY NEW PRODUCT LINE FROM A PURPOSE-DRIVEN COMPANY THEY ALREADY SUPPORT (83% VS. 75% AVERAGE).

NEARLY 9-OUT-OF-10 PARENTS (89%) FEEL IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE FOOD AND BEVERAGE INDUSTRY TO HAVE AND COMMUNICATE A STRONG SENSE OF PURPOSE.

Brands that lead with purpose are building deeper bonds with existing consumers, expanding their consumer base and enlisting consumer advocates to further amplify the brand message.

TOP OF MIND CONSUMER PURPOSES:

• 86% PRIVACY AND INTERNET SECURITY
• 86% JOBS GROWTH
• 85% HEALTHCARE
• 83% HARASSMENT
• 80% WOMEN’S RIGHTS
• 76% COST OF HIGHER EDUCATION
• 73% CLIMATE CHANGE
• 56% FAKE NEWS

FOLLOWING INDUSTRIES MUST HAVE AND COMMUNICATE A SENSE OF PURPOSE:

• 87% HEALTH & WELLNESS
• 81% FOOD & BEVERAGE
• 81% TECHNOLOGY
• 79% MANUFACTURING
• 78% AUTOMOTIVE
• 77% FINANCIAL SERVICES
• 77% RETAIL
• 76% PROFESSIONAL SERVICES
• 76% FOOTWEAR & APPAREL

3 LEARNINGS WHICH BRANDS CAN APPLY TO SHIFT TO A CALL-TO-PURPOSE

• BACK-STORYTELLING
• Organisations uncover that ­­ one of their greatest assets to inspire loyalty from customers and employees alike can come from taking people behind the scenes of their brand and history.
• A mainstay of About Us pages and brand videos, origin stories have been hot for a while. Most likely your brand has so many more stories in its history and the potential to tell them in a way that’s unique to your brand voice.
• Find your meaning, then tell great stories about it.

Example: Watch the brand documentary Make Haste Slowly: The Kikkoman Creed, which kicks off with a spectacular origin story, using artful but simple animation to depict the company’s founding by the widow of a Shogun warlord who fled her home with a young son in fear for her life. The 25-minute documentary also traces how the 16 articles established long ago still guide the company today. It changes how one looks at soy sauce, an inexpensive grocery item, in quite the same way now after they’ve watched their story.

• BRAND STAND
• Reacting to a polarized media atmosphere, more brands feel compelled either by choice or necessity to take a stand and offer a distinct point of view about the world.
• A new study from Sprout Social finds that most consumers (66%) think it’s important for brands to take a public stand on social and political issues.

Example: https://www.socalhondadealers.com/blog/

• RISE ABOVE THE CLICKBAIT
• Before you go for the easy click prompted by outrage, shock, or fear, remember that those kinds of headlines rarely result in sustained engagement.
• Consider how you feel when you fall for a headline such as “See what (your favourite childhood star) looks like now” or other clickbait ploy. Aren’t you a little embarrassed and possibly annoyed by the 45-page slideshow you wade through to get to the star? You click through a few slides, but as you progress you feel worse and worse about your decision — and turn away quickly.

Example: https://www.patagonia.com