Raise your hand if you can鈥檛 wait for the onslaught of ads this holiday season imploring you to join your favourite soaps, sodas and sundries on their mission to reunite humanity and restore peace, love and understanding to the planet.
And raise your other hand if you can write the copy yourself in your head right now, because aren鈥檛 we 鈥渁ll connected鈥 to 鈥渨hat matters most鈥 when we realise that 鈥渨e are stronger together鈥?
As 2020 comes crashing 鈥 at long last 鈥 to an end, it leaves most brands panicked with uncertainty about how (and who) to be in a moment like this. And when brands scramble, their expressions are predictably inauthentic, pandering or grossly opportunistic.
It doesn鈥檛 have to be that way.
For brands that have lost their sense of purpose (or never had one), now鈥檚 one helluva time to be trying to figure it out. But is there a choice? In a world where brands are suddenly expected to have an opinion about everything from gun safety to LGBT+ rights, immigration to universal healthcare, where is there to hide?
Compassionate action
Our racial reckoning is intensifying, the climate crisis is spiralling, economic uncertainty persists and the pandemic, while unrelenting, has begun to show signs of hope in the form of a vaccine. And yet, 10 months into the dystopia, there鈥檚 still no shortage of brands settling for good old-fashioned virtue signalling鈥 and little else.
It鈥檚 what do brands do now 鈥 for their customers, employees, partners and communities 鈥 that matters more than what they say, if they say anything at all.
In March, my agency, Known, deployed our team of PhD data scientists, researchers and scientists to conduct what is now the largest ongoing study of the pandemic鈥檚 impact on our lives.
The study, ,聽shows that brands now have the most meaningful opportunity in decades to both say and show their commitment to their values through 鈥渃ompassionate action鈥.
For brands that were born with purpose from the start, whose belief systems inform and inspire all the ways they operate in business, this is the moment they鈥檝e been waiting for. They鈥檙e not just living their purpose; they鈥檙e creating a new economy in their image.
A prime example is (pictured, top), the upstart Unilever beauty brand that launched three years ago with a clear and compelling commitment: 鈥淲hatever we do must be good for beauty and good for the planet. If it's not, it's out.鈥
For legacy brands struggling to find true north, Love Beauty and Planet鈥檚 recently released sustainability impact offers a clear, direct articulation of the brand鈥檚 goals and an open, honest self-assessment of their progress towards achieving them.
As I鈥檝e got to know Sonika Malhotra, Love Beauty and Planet鈥檚 co-founder and global brand director (and after co-leading a session with her at last week鈥檚 ), I鈥檝e become convinced that traditional legacy businesses can learn a great deal from their purpose-born competitors.
Think small
Many brands have a tendency to make grandiose, sweeping statements around purpose. This can read as virtue signalling and customers easily sniff it out. Love Beauty and Planet鈥檚 campaign engaged customers in a conversation around the collective impact that individuals鈥 daily choices can have, building community and brand awareness.
Don鈥檛 try to 'win' on purpose
You can鈥檛 out-purpose the competition. Authentic purpose, the kind that resonates with consumers, involves throwing open your doors and inviting competitors to join. Take Burger King France鈥檚 recent 鈥淥rder from McDonald鈥檚鈥 campaign, which brilliantly urges consumers to support restaurant workers ahead of a new wave of Covid-19 lockdowns, even if it means buying a Big Mac. Similarly, Love Beauty and Planet open-sources valuable insights on Earth-friendly practices and techniques with competitors 鈥 a sure sign it means what it says.
Show your imperfections
Love Beauty and Planet makes the choice to be forthright about areas where it has yet to fully live up to its ideals. The business openly acknowledges that certain packaging materials used in its home-care line are not yet made from recycled materials, for example, and that changing this will take longer than expected. This transparent approach turns a shortcoming into an asset by instilling trust. As Malhotra told me: 鈥淲e know our consumers value honesty over perfection.鈥
Go beyond the CMO
Your workforce is indeed a force. That鈥檚 why marketers must partner HR leads to attract, retain and empower teams who understand your company鈥檚 values and are committed to living up to them. Product development, manufacturing, packaging and supply chain are all ripe with opportunities for innovation, and purpose should be part of those conversations.
Partner up
Remarkably, Love Beauty and Planet has committed to contributing $40 per ton of carbon emitted to its carbon tax fund. Some of this money goes to individuals and organisations actively working to reduce emissions or otherwise improve the health of the planet (and its inhabitants). These include established groups such as the US National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, a partner on climate-justice initiatives, and emerging young change-makers armed with 鈥渂oat-rocking, planet-inspired ideas鈥.
Against the backdrop of small, imperfect, authentic actions like these, the soaring 鈥渃ome together鈥 messages we can write in our heads are bound to backfire.
The Human Condition 2020,聽our study of the dramatic shifts under way in US experiences and perceptions, shows that while the pandemic and racial and social justice movements are impacting people in wildly divergent ways, finding and acting with purpose is the red thread for nearly all. One-third of Americans are floundering, rethinking their purpose in life, while another third is energised by the challenges of the moment, describing themselves as 鈥渙verflowing with purpose鈥.
If brands don鈥檛 deliver the products these consumers want, in a way that aligns with their newly refocused sense of purpose, they鈥檙e out. No matter how long they鈥檝e been around.
Ross Martin is president of Known