Brand purpose should be unearthed, not manufactured
by Shachar Meron
An authentic purpose can make a brand more relevant to key audiences and more resilient in times of change. But where does brand purpose come from? And how do you know which one is right for your organization?
A Zeno Group study found global consumers are 4-6x more likely to trust, buy, champion and protect companies with a strong purpose over those with a weaker one.
But landing on the right purpose can be tricky. Because your purpose (aka your mission, aka your Why) is all about what drives your people, this is one of the few areas of branding not derived from analyzing customers, internal capabilities or competitive landscape.
Rather, your brand purpose should come from within: talking to employees, revisiting your past, exploring genuine motivations and root causes. It’s something that should be uncovered through introspective conversation, not engineered by strategy consultants or marketing creatives. (Even though I’m both of those things.)
Here are three ways to unearth the most powerful version of your purpose:
1. Ask your people why they do what they do
Uncovering brand purpose often begins by listening to employees and other key stakeholders. Often the most valuable gems are found when you dig deeper.
One approach I enjoy is the Five Whys—an iterative research technique that involves a series of why-led follow ups to your initial questions, e.g. why do you feel that way? Why does that matter? This helps go beyond the surface for insight into root motivations.
2. Find the right altitude for desired impact
Are you striving to improve things for the customer, company, community, industry, planet?
Intuit’s aim to “profoundly improve customers’ financial lives” or Southwest’s “dedication to the highest quality of service” focuses on the individuals they serve. That differs from Cisco’s “shape the future of the internet” or Tesla’s “accelerate the world’s transition to sustainable energy.”
A quick altitude exercise with your team can determine what strikes the right balance of aspirational and attainable.
3. Draw your brand purpose from your history
Some companies are born with a brand purpose in their founding story. Others derive it later—after some time wandering the desert.
To uncover an authentic purpose, it may help to look back and ask what has driven our people all this time? What guided our big decisions? With all that’s changed, what’s stayed consistent?
Sometimes your purpose is a prominent part of your narrative; other times it’s been in the background the whole time, quietly guiding your journey.
When transforming your brand purpose, do so with care
A powerful brand purpose can serve as your north star: the center of gravity that other elements revolve around without the whole ecosystem spinning out of control.
But if you’re looking to evolve your purpose, be careful to avoid a completely new concept or seismic shift in direction—that may risk confusing people or appearing disingenuous, which turns people off. Instead, you can find a more compelling angle by changing the depth or altitude or POV.
