Have you ever wondered how brands like Apple, Starbucks, and Netflix manage to achieve worldwide recognition and success? The secret lies in their global strategy.
Goals are established by individuals not only for their professional endeavors but also for their personal lives to boost the drive to take action toward attaining them. Pursuing a specific objective is among the most rational things you can do. Entrepreneurs know about this, which is why most companies chase their own goals and build purposeful brands. Striving to achieve something creates a more sustainable and equitable future, which goes hand in hand with intentional marketing that prioritizes what is right, ethical, and morally responsible over profits.
What is a brand purpose? To answer this and other questions, we have prepared this article with 10 best brand purpose examples.
Brand purpose
A company’s brand purpose is a higher, noble idea reflecting the brand’s dedication to a particular cause or objective – the brand exists with a genuine desire to fulfill this goal.
Typically, a brand purpose boils down to the aspects that improve the quality of customers’ life, create a better world and leave a positive impression.
Financial goals and superior products are not enough to be successful as a brand. The brand purpose accompanies and guides every action across all communication channels the company supports. Brand purpose should matter for both customers and employees and facilitate taking actions related to business strategy.
A clear brand purpose can help you gather customers with similar values. This, in turn, contributes to building a lasting, positive relationship with them, which has a deeper meaning for every company regardless of its business model.
People who believe that customers achieve goals together with the brand by purchasing goods or entering into a relationship with it are more inclined to purchase a company’s products over those of its competitors, even if the competitors offer more appealing prices. This means that a well-designed brand purpose will give you a competitive advantage.
Having a strong sense of attachment to the brand is equally important to the employees. Finding new staff and encouraging those who already work for your business to make an extra effort will be easier if they know that money does not have to be their only goal and that the company takes their personal values into account.
Being aware that we are helping others is often a better motivation than raises. In addition, a clear brand purpose statement will make your brand strategy stand out from the competition. A brand’s purpose can be an important selection criterion for customers when other brands offer similar products, quality, or even price.
How to establish a brand purpose?
When defining purpose of your brand, focus on one of two important aspects.
You can choose to take a retrospective or forward-looking approach, i.e. make decisions with the past or the future of the brand in mind. The best course of action is to combine these two approaches. While setting your brand purpose, pay attention to:
- brand story and mission statement – how and why it was created;
- brand value – how it corresponds with customer needs;
- opinions and customer experience – in private life, the opinions others have about us are not as important as in business. The customers can help you choose a brand purpose by explaining why they picked your brand.
The brand purpose is very important in the context of the relevant brand strategy and business model.
It is one of the elements of the branding questionnaire, the preparation of which is the first step in developing a business strategy. You can visit our blog to see how to fill out a branding questionnaire.
Why is brand purpose important?
Purpose-driven brands are more likely to achieve big commercial success, as opposed to brands that are not purpose-driven. They are also more likely to stand out in the market and become recognizable. People appreciate, for example, socially conscious businesses and company culture.
An increasing number of consumers are researching brands before buying and supporting their products, which makes having a good brand purpose even more important. However, keep in mind that the brand’s purpose has to be meaningful and represented in its products.
Consumers can see the difference between brands that work to fulfill their mission while building their client’s self-esteem and those that fail to meet their standards, which greatly impacts the customer experience.
Top tips on how to create your brand purpose
You are here because you want to know how to create a brand purpose. We have prepared a list of questions that will certainly help you along the way.
1. Why is your brand important?
What motivates individuals to invest in a specific company or service? Knowing the reason behind it will help you figure out what your brand needs to succeed.
2. What is your area of expertise?
What does your company do? What does it have to offer to the world?
3. How does your business stand out?
How are you different when compared to the competition? Why are you creating this particular business, what motivates you besides making money? What problems are you trying to solve? What will change thanks to your actions?
Analyze answers to these questions until you can come up with a clear idea that will make your brand valuable. Test it out, then make the maximum impact possible!
Brand purpose statement
A good brand purpose statement lays a solid foundation for the brand. It serves as inspiration for both customers and employees, as well as distinguishes the brand from the competition while making it future-proof.
Brand purpose statements should primarily highlight what a brand can help consumers do while highlighting its superior products. It needs to be an inspiration that motivates clients to interact with the brand.
In today’s world, customers need authentic brands that understand and embody their clients’ personal beliefs. For this reason, brands must remember to fulfill a specific role in the world and pay attention to social issues. Brand purpose statements allow you to determine your brand’s role in the market. Why does your business exist and what is its purpose? Brand purpose statements must align with both brand’s mission and vision. Customers need honesty and trust, so emphasis should be placed not only on social but also on business needs.
Here are some brand purpose examples:
- giving a sense of comfort and security;
- providing access to information and knowledge;
- assistance in leading a healthy lifestyle;
- support in achieving success in sports and other areas;
- increasing clients’ financial freedom;
- investing in communities;
- supporting domestic production and economy through inspiring innovation;
- advertising the importance of personal development;
- ethical manufacturing and labor practices;
- ensuring sustainable practices for the environment (recycling, minimizing pollution, etc.);
- promoting education;
A brand purpose statement should make a connection between what the brand sells and why it sells it. Remember, however, to tread carefully, as a poorly chosen brand’s purpose can contradict the brand values or make the product less desirable.
For example, a confectionery or beverage brand may aim to promote healthier eating habits through products with less or no added sugar. But will customers appreciate such a substitute for typical sweets? How many people will stop using products made by such a brand? This needs to be thought through before you set that goal and create a full brand strategy, as it may cause unnecessary harm – both to the brand image and profits.
A good brand purpose should be compelling and unique to differentiate the brand from others. Long-term profitability should also be taken into consideration. Some products may become less attractive to customers over time, so it is worth creating a brand purpose statement that will make sense in the long run. Brand purpose statements provide a strategic foundation for brands to navigate and leverage current branding trends.
Every brand can build its reputation through products, but it should not mention them in its brand purpose statement. Remember, selling an idea will enable you to achieve something meaningful and make a lasting impression on your clients, whereas selling just your products will only make you money for a short time. This is precisely why you should create products with your goals in mind.
10 best brand purpose examples
The best way to understand a topic is to go through some examples. In the following section, we will focus on analyzing examples of brand purpose used by well-known companies – you might have already read about some of them in our article about brand strategy examples.
The list includes some of the world’s largest brands that make huge sums of money every year while consistently raising their popularity. Does setting a clear goal have anything to do with that success? Definitely!
1. Nike brand purpose
Nike is a global giant producing sportswear. In 2019, the company won an Emmy Award for its “Dream Crazy” commercial starring Colin Kaepernick. This ad clearly showed its brand purpose to promote equality of opportunities and help people overcome their shortcomings and weaknesses to achieve their dreams. What is more, by featuring former NFL player, Kaepernick, in the main role, who gained notoriety for kneeling during the national anthem to protest police brutality and systemic racism in America, the company demonstrated its stance on the Black Lives Matter movement and police violence. This, and other marketing campaigns, also increased the value of the brand by $6 billion.
2. P&G brand purpose
Procter & Gamble is a global giant supplying household and hygiene products. The company has decided to support equality and oppose racism – as many brands do. In 2020, the company audited all communication channels to check if any of them contained content that was defamatory, discriminatory, or hateful to anyone.
The brand has also committed to paying more attention to the contents of its advertising campaigns to ensure that its standards are met and has promised to withhold advertising funds if advertisers fail to comply with said standards. This was a very bold move that emphasized the importance of putting brand purpose and mission statement above profits and highlighted the company culture. It was risky because it forced not only clients but also agencies, media, and advertising networks to evaluate their approach to equality.
3. Amazon brand purpose
Amazon is a retail industry giant. Its brand purpose is customer satisfaction and convenience. It is expressed in the company’s mission statement: “to be Earth’s most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online.” Amazon strives to provide customers with the best shopping experience from product prices to delivery. The company also creates products that are universally accessible and provide value to customers, such as voice assistants and Amazon Prime.
4. Unilever brand purpose
Unilever is a super corporation that owns a lot of brands that are more famous than the company itself. This giant has outlined the importance of its brand purpose on several occasions. The company CEO, Alan Jope, wants each brand to provide value to its customers and has even announced that brands that do not have a purpose will be sold, which is a testament to the company culture. The brands governed by Unilever have distinct goals that vary significantly from one another. One example is the contrast between the Dove and Ben&Jerry’s brand’s purpose. The former aims to boost women’s self-esteem and promote body positivity, while the latter wants to fight climate change and racism.
5. Apple brand purpose
Apple is a brand that does not need any introduction. Being a leader in technology and design, the company is a giant in the electronics industry. It consistently creates the highest quality products that improve the customer experience. Its brand purpose is to offer the best possible brand experience and implement solutions based on modern technologies while retaining the highest quality of services. Apple’s main goal is to create products that improve the quality of life.
6. Adidas brand purpose
Adidas, just like Nike, is among the most recognizable sportswear and footwear brands. It remains committed to its brand purpose statement, which reads: “Through sport, we have the power to change lives. We will always strive to expand the limits of human possibilities.” Adidas focuses on creating products of the highest quality and the greatest possible durability. It is a compelling purpose that keeps the brand at the forefront and makes it hard to be overtaken by the competition. Adidas believes it has the power to change lives through excellence, performance, and innovation.
7. Starbucks brand purpose
This brand has become, at least in the US, synonymous with coffee. Through the years it has secured its position as one of the most famous purpose-driven companies. The brand purpose of Starbucks is to bring inspiration, make the world a better place and allow its customers to share great coffee with their friends.
The company is focused on providing customers with a pleasant experience and inspiring moments through both store design and customer service. It is also important for the brand to create a sense of community by sponsoring events or participating in charity actions. In addition, the brand reduces waste and uses recyclable packaging to have a positive impact on sustainable development.
8. Microsoft brand purpose
Microsoft is a major player in the IT industry. It started with the development of various software and operating systems, and eventually expanded into hardware and various services. Microsoft’s brand purpose statement reads: “Our mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.” The company focuses on providing customers with solutions that improve productivity, efficiency, and collaboration. Microsoft spares no effort to make technology more accessible to everyone.
9. Ford brand purpose
This car brand focuses mainly on improving the travel experience. Ford wants to “help build a better world, where every person is free to move and pursue their dreams.” Their brand purpose is to remove obstacles, connect people and enable them to pursue their passions. In other words, this brand concentrates on providing innovative solutions designed to make life easier for its customers. Through its products, Ford wants to inspire and advance solutions to issues like sustainability and safety. The brand is also committed to creating economic opportunities for under-resourced and underrepresented communities around the world, such as job training programs.
10. Google brand purpose
Google is associated mainly with the search engine, but it is also the creator of numerous other services and software that make life easier for both ordinary people and companies. Google’s brand purpose is to: “organize the world’s information and make it universally accessible and useful.” This goal also implies the need to promote a constructive influence on the world through different initiatives or engaging in philanthropic endeavors that address issues like poverty and human rights on a global scale. Google is also committed to environmental sustainability by investing in renewable energy sources and working to minimize its carbon footprint.
Brand purpose – summary
Brand purpose is a tool that enables companies to connect with their customers on an emotional level. It is used not only to create the brand’s mission statement but also its story. You should put a lot of thought into it if you want to start making money and boost your brand’s development. The brand purpose needs to match the values and ambitions of the brand audience. It should demonstrate a sincere desire of the company to have a positive impact on society.
Brand purpose not only helps define brand strategy but also provides a sense of identity, direction, and emotional connection with customers. It inspires clients, employees, and contractors, generates positive publicity, drives social responsibility, and gives you a competitive advantage. Do not forget to ensure that your company sells goods or services of the highest quality, otherwise, you will eventually stop making money – even with the most noble purpose.
With our extensive experience in providing branding services to a diverse range of brands, we have gained deep insights into purpose-driven initiatives. We hope that our examples of brand purpose will empower your creative exploration and inspire you to choose the best purpose for your brand that will inspire present and future generations.
Set your goals and follow them to create products, and customers will truly value your business.
