What is Purpose-Driven Marketing?
Consumers are becoming more conscious that their product and service choices impact the environment and society. And many consumers are switching to support companies that advocate for positive causes and address social and environmental issues.
Purpose-driven marketing, also known as cause marketing, is therefore a powerful strategy that organisations can use to deepen their connections with clients, supporters, and followers. It enables companies to align themselves with values and causes that their customers deeply care about, thereby attracting support.
This guide is for mission-driven businesses seeking to boost their growth and reputation using best practices in purpose-driven marketing. It also aims to provide reasons why purpose-led marketing is so powerful, how to implement a mission-driven marketing strategy and provides some local Australian examples of cause marketing.
Purpose-driven marketing: A closer look
Purpose-driven marketing seeks to convey your brand's positive environmental and social impacts in a way that resonates with consumers who share similar values and beliefs.
A purpose-driven marketing strategy can help distinguish and elevate your brand from competitors in a saturated market. It also supports building stronger relationships with customers, potentially transforming them into brand ambassadors who advocate for the same cause.
Establishing a sense of shared value and purpose creates a robust connection between a brand and its audience.
Factors like price are no longer the primary determinants of consumer choice. Today, many consumers prioritise the social and environmental impacts of a product or service over its cost. Many are even willing to pay a premium for products that create positive impacts.
Brands thus have an opportunity to align themselves with causes that deeply matter to their audiences, consequently earning consumer trust and loyalty.
Purpose-driven marketing also has the potential to enhance a company's reputation, stimulate innovation, and generate increased financial success.
Powerful reasons to implement a purpose-led marketing strategy
Here are some statistics related to the use of purpose-led marketing, or cause marketing, which showcases how powerful it can be:
87% of consumers will buy a product if the company advocates an issue they care about (Source: Cone Communications).
Over 76% of consumers will refuse to purchase products from companies that support issues contrary to the consumers’ beliefs (Source: Cone Communications).
Nearly 89% of consumers will switch to supporting a brand that’s associated with a good cause if the price and quality are similar (Source: Cone Communications).
A 2017 Unilever study found that a third of consumers choose to buy from brands that they believe are doing environmental or social good (Source: Unilever).
A 2018 study by Nucleus Research found that consumers are 64% more likely to recommend companies to friends if those companies are socially responsible (Source: Nucleus Research).
A 2019 study by the Zeno Group found that consumers are “four to six times more likely to trust, buy, champion and protect those companies with a strong purpose over those with a weaker one.” (Source: Zeno Group).
How to implement a purpose-driven marketing strategy
In an era where consumers are becoming more conscious about the values and ethics of the brands they interact with, implementing a purpose-driven marketing strategy has become an essential aspect of business success.
Below are best practices for implementing a purpose-driven marketing strategy.
1. Define your purpose
The first step in creating a purpose-driven marketing strategy is to clearly define your company's purpose. Defining your purpose goes beyond reiterating your mission statement.
It's about identifying the impact you want your business to have on the world. This could be specific environmental, sustainability, social, or community impacts. Your impact should be well-defined, measurable, authentic, and aligned with all aspects of your business.
2. Align your brand with your purpose
Once you've defined your purpose, the next step is to align your brand with that purpose.
To do so, you may need to evaluate all aspects of your business to ensure they reflect your purpose and actively take steps to achieve it. This includes your products and services, company culture, processes, protocols, and strategies.
Aligning your brand with your purpose may require considerable effort and changes in business operations, product design, and service offerings. But in the end, your brand will stand for something meaningful, and your cause will resonate with your consumers on a deeper level.
3. Be authentic
Authenticity is essential in cause marketing. You need to show genuine harmony between your brand values and your company’s mission and goals.
Savvy consumers will see through insincere marketing attempts, so it’s vital to be authentic in how you communicate your values and goals.
4. Be transparent
Companies that are transparent about their environmental and social impacts are likely to gain the trust and loyalty of their customers, supporters, fans, and followers.
Being transparent requires companies to disclose how much of their profits will be allocated to the cause they're championing, their actual and measurable environmental and sustainability impacts, and how these impacts are measured and verified.
Being transparent about how your company follows through on its promises and commitments can help motivate people to support your cause.
5. Let your audience get involved in your cause
Providing opportunities for your audience to engage in your cause can also prove fruitful. For example, you may commit to donating a percentage of your profits to charity, and you may engage your audience to also support that cause through donations or by volunteering. This helps your supporters feel that they are also taking an active role in driving positive change.
6. Communicate your purpose with storytelling
Communicating your purpose is critical. It requires incorporating your purpose into every interaction you have with consumers and the public. This can be through content marketing, social media marketing, events, product labelling, store displays, and more.
Consistently telling your brand story in an effective, authentic, and engaging way is key to communicating your purpose so that people feel aligned with and supportive of your brand.
Good storytelling can help make your brand relatable and memorable. Great storytelling can also inspire people to support your brand and be part of your cause. By encouraging your audience to be part of your story and mission, you can foster a deeper sense of connection with your customers.
7. Be ambitious
It’s important to consistently review and renew your cause marketing strategy. This means communicating regularly on how you’re taking steps daily to meet your goals and fulfil the cause you support. This can help to keep your audience engaged and to reinforce their trust in your brand.
Australian examples of cause marketing
There are many purpose driven marketing examples from around the world.
Australia has many purpose-led brands that aim to contribute positive social and environmental impacts. Below are a few examples of Australian cause marketing successes and purpose driven marketing campaigns:
1. Who Gives A Crap
Who Gives a Crap is a well-known Australian toilet paper brand that donates 50% of their profits to help build toilets and improve sanitation in the developing world.
Their products are also made in an environmentally conscious way, they’re a certified BCorp, they produce toilet paper using 100% recycled paper, and they have full FSC Chain-of-Custody certification.
They’re also great at communicating their purpose, while incorporating lots of humour.
2. KeepCup
KeepCup sells reusable coffee cups, providing an alternative to single-use plastic cups. They now champion the reuse revolution and promote sustainability in all that they do.
KeepCup is a BCorp and are conscious about sustainability in their designs, supply chain, materials and have donated $2million to aligned causes and campaigns.
They actively communicate the avoidance of single-use plastics and the benefits of switching to reusables.
3. Conservation Volunteers Australia
Conservation Volunteers Australia is one of our purpose-led marketing clients. As one of the largest conservation volunteering organisations in the country, they are dedicated to building back nature and involving communities in protecting and restoring biodiversity.
Conservation Volunteers Australia (CVA) is dedicated to communicating their cause across all their communication channels.
CVA actively promotes conservation, restoration, sustainable lifestyles, and taking action for nature.
Final thoughts aligning your brand with a powerful cause and purpose
Organisations that are mission-driven should actively and authentically communicate their goals and positive impacts to reap the many benefits of purpose-driven marketing.
Purpose-led marketing can help your brand stand out from the crowds and win over consumers who are actively looking to support brands that are aligned with values that they care about.
By aligning all aspects of your company’s operations with your purpose, you can attract loyal consumers, enhance your reputation, and boost your profits while you do good for the planet and its people.
