What is brand purpose? Brands that have achieved the greatest success have transcended the boundaries of simply being a provider of products or services. Understanding that consumers care not only about what they buy but also about the deeper message that a particular company embodies becomes a key element of business strategy. Let's explore the intricacies of brand purpose together, diving into a world where the brand becomes a guide, inspiring both its employees and customers.
Brand purpose – what is it? Examples
Brand purpose is an idea deeply rooted in the beliefs and values of a brand, going beyond mere sales of products or services. The brand purpose strategy has particular power because:
it guides the company’s actions,
shapes its relationships with customers,
influences how the brand engages in social issues, for example.
To better understand what brand purpose is, it is worth looking at specific examples of brand purpose from well-known brands:
Nike: Just do it – the brand purpose of the brand is to inspire action and push personal boundaries, regardless of skill level.
Apple: Think different – the brand purpose of the brand is to encourage thinking differently from everyone else and creating innovative solutions, as well as standing out from commonly accepted standards.
Google: Organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful – the brand purpose is to provide easy access to information for everyone, to improve the quality of life.
Dove: Real Beauty – the brand purpose is to raise self-confidence and promote beauty diversity, opposing rigid beauty standards.
Coca-Cola: to refresh the world, to inspire moments of optimism and happiness, and to create value and make a difference – the brand purpose of the brand is the desire to bring people freshness, inspiration, joy, and optimism, creating value and positively impacting the world.
As you can see, these brands not only offer products, but they also build communities around their values and beliefs, which is a key element of their brand purpose. What does this mean for business strategy? Well, these brands (as well as many other well-known brands) demonstrate how brand purpose can become an integral part of business strategy and brand communication, attracting customers with similar values and beliefs, as well as contributing to a greater social purpose.
How to create a brand purpose?
Now that you know what brand purpose is, it’s time for a recipe on how to create it. Someone once said that the brand purpose strategy should be deeper than your pocket. This means that if you want to define your business's brand purpose well, then the reason for your brand’s existence should not be about finances. The reason you operate should also not be a passion for what you do. So, how do you create a brand purpose? Read on.
Creating a brand purpose is a process that requires understanding the company's values, its goals, and how it wants to impact the world. Here are steps that will definitely help you in developing your brand's purpose:
Understand your own company. To create a brilliant brand purpose strategy, you first need to understand the company, so identify its core values. What drives it to act? What are its priorities? Why does your brand exist and where is it heading?
Define a clear goal. Think about what positive impact the company can have on society or the environment. Also, consider who you are really doing this for. Define who the company’s products/services are for and how they can improve your customers' lives.
Look at the competition. Find out what the goals and brand purpose of competing companies in the industry are. This is always a good step that will give you a broader perspective and help you know what to avoid and what to be inspired by.
Conduct internal consultations. Have conversations with employees to understand how they perceive the company’s values and how they would like to contribute to a greater goal. Involve your team in the process of creating the brand purpose. The more engaged your employees are, the more authentic the brand purpose will be. Did you know that supposedly a cleaning person at NASA headquarters, when asked what they do, once replied: “I send people to space”?
Specify the idea. Develop one concise sentence that describes the brand purpose in a simple and understandable way.
Verify alignment with your operations. Ensure that the brand purpose aligns with the company’s daily activities.
Regularly carry out marketing campaigns. Make sure that social media campaigns highlight the brand purpose. If you want to create such a campaign, get in touch with us! Brand Garden Agency always ensures that your budget is not “burned” but optimally utilized, and social media becomes for you not a source of costs but an investment.
Tip: Brand purpose should indeed be timeless, but don’t lock yourself into one goal or reason for the brand's existence forever! Brand purpose can evolve as your company grows and based on the prevailing market conditions. Let it evolve with the current needs and challenges facing the company.
Remember: creating a brand purpose is a process that requires time, deep understanding of the company, and its social impact. It is essential that it is not just empty words but a kind of guide and driving force for the company’s actions.
