The future of marketing purpose

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Now that we know the history of marketing purpose, it’s time to talk about the future. As marketing purpose continues to evolve, we can expect a refinement of business purpose and how it is communicated. Let’s take a look at a few recent campaigns and explore the trends they reflect.

Worn Wear

Patagonia’s outdoor clothing and gear is pricey, but responsibly sourced and durable. Their “Worn Wear” campaign solicits customer letters about Patagonia gear that has lasted for years of adventures and even been passed down from parent to child. It also offers advice on how customers can fix their own worn gear, and a short documentary about the people who have patched up their Patagonia clothes over the years.

Prediction: Focus on the Story

Patagonia needs to sell new clothes to stay in business, but their campaign focuses on the value of old clothes. Why does this work? The Worn Wear campaign shows consumers that Patagonia does more than preach when it comes to sustainability: the company makes clothes that are meant to last. A Patagonia purchase is a valuable long-term investment.

More businesses need to show how they follow through on their missions. Telling stories about the full lifecycle of a product is a great way to do this. In the future, B2B companies will learn from this growing B2C practice and tell more stories about how their products and services continue to benefit the businesses that use them.

Sight and Life

DSM, a B2B firm selling specialty ingredients to food companies, works with a variety of programs to improve nutrition around the world. They also know the importance of sharing the details of their work. For DSM’s Sight and Life nutrition program, the company has released extensive information on their research and actions, including details like how many children their micronutrient programs reach.

Prediction: Clients Want to See Specifics

DSM has a particularly large social good arm, but all purpose-driven businesses can learn from their approach. More and more, people want to see specifics to back up companies’ claims of social responsibility. As corporate social good initiatives continue to grow, your business needs to show that its purpose is a key part of the company, not just a gimmick to attract customers.

“Why is it so hard to see black and blue?”

In February, a dress that appeared white and gold to some people but blue and black to others went viral. Social media sites were swamped by debates about its color while journalists and bloggers wrote about the science behind the optical illusion that made the blue dress appear white to so many people.

A week later, the Salvation Army in South Africa ran a Twitter PSA depicting a bruised woman wearing the white and gold dress with the caption “Why is it so hard to see black and blue?” and the hashtag “#StopAbuseAgainstWomen.” The piece directs those who “need help or are able to help” to call a Salvation Army number.

Prediction: “Newsjacking” will become more thoughtful

“Newsjacking,” or the practice of inserting a brand into a trending media story, has often been poorly considered. Brands have tried to generate attention and sell products by piggybacking on tragic events, or joining serious social media discussions with no relevance to their field. These mistakes offend people and generate bad publicity.

Unlike many of these ill-considered newsjackings, the Salvation Army used a lighthearted popular news topic to call attention to a serious issue, not the other way around. While for-profit businesses will need to be very careful in the ways they choose to address the causes they support, we expect to see more campaigns from both nonprofits and for-profits that tie into current news in thoughtful ways.

Labs Are Vital

Pharmaceuticals and healthcare products company Abbott Laboratories created a program designed to globally promote the laboratory medicine profession. This program, called Labs Are Vital, was developed in an effort to bring labs “from the back room to the boardroom” and show the impact of lab medicine professionals on patient outcomes. Movéo was retained to develop a new mission for this program that would keep it “vital” in the years ahead.

Through a campaign website, video featuring a panel of thought leaders discussing the mission, an online campaign and collateral, new life was breathed into an old program, and a market survey conducted in eight countries validated that Labs Are Vital’s mission resonated with audiences on a global scale.

Prediction: Purpose and resonance are the future

Labs Are Vital shows that even in B2B marketing, purpose drives engagement and conversion for consumers and employees. By engaging customers on multiple platforms, Abbott was able to ensure that the purpose of Labs Are Vital was holistically and completely presented to stakeholders and customers. Moreover, the interactive website and content ensure that the program would stay “vital” for years to come.

These tactics, like all marketing tactics, are going to become increasingly data-driven as well. Data makes marketing purpose measurable and keeps marketers accountable. Read our upcoming blogs to learn more about how data can support your purpose-driven marketing.

DISCUSSION

  1. Scott Schmitt says:

    I recognize that person!