Purpose is one of the most powerful and emotional elements of a brand. It’s one thing to hit the right message at the right level. But to truly resonate, you want to articulate it in a way that strikes a nerve. And that means making some bold, emotional word choices.
Too many purpose statements feel like they’re written by a committee. (Many are.) But a purpose is not the place for “optimizing efficiency” and “maximizing shareholder value,” or for a laundry list of your top five priorities for this year.
Rather, a purpose is more like a song than a memo. In the best of cases it is something simple and emotional that appeals to the reptilian brain. Like Spotify’s “unlock the potential of human creativity.” Harley-Davidson’s “freedom for the soul.” Walgreens’ “champion everyone’s right to be happy and healthy.” Patagonia’s “we’re in business to save our home planet.” They serve different audiences and hit at different altitudes, but terms like champion and freedom and everyone’s right and save our home transcend industries to speak to raw human desires.
Language that makes everyone feel fine rarely makes anyone feel amazing.
So when drafting some purpose language—whether it’s a simple sentence or an epic manifesto—try running it through an emotional litmus test:
Does your brand purpose get you excited?
Your purpose captures the motivation of your company and its people. Some describe it as “the reason we exist” or “why we get out of bed in the morning.”
So does it get your pulse racing? Does it have a little rah rah in substance and style? And does it pass the swag test: if it appeared on a mug or t-shirt or desk item, would you want one yourself?
Does your purpose make you nervous?
Here’s the flip side. Is there something about your purpose that you’re a little uncomfortable with? The verb that’s a bit too aspirational and ambitious? The adjective that’s less who you are and more who you strive to be?
That may be ok or even desirable—language that makes everyone feel fine rarely makes anyone feel amazing. (The same goes for brand values.)
Does it play inside and out?
Your purpose may address multiple audiences, but they’re not all created equal. First and foremost, write it for your internal audience—employees at all levels, from leadership down, including stakeholders, partners, vendors, customers, recruits and more.
A good purpose has heart, a great purpose also has legs.
Does it jibe with reality?
The actual statement doesn’t need to get into the nuts and bolts. Though ideally it easily connects with measurable and actionable aspects of your business like hiring practices, corporate behavior, strategic decisions, marketing and communications, and employee culture. This can help fend off any skepticism while summoning inspiration.
So give your brand purpose a little copywriting love to make it pop. Because even if the core sentiment stays the same, infusing some humanity and energy can give it new life.
