Brand Purpose Drives Trust

How does brand purpose play into building trust? As customers become more connected, more involved, and more engaged than ever before, it becomes more and more difficult for brands to earn their trust. And this trust is key to successful business today. High-trust companies “are more than 2 ½ times more likely to be high performing revenue organizations” than lower-trust companies.

One of the strongest drivers of trust today is purpose. People want the brands they buy from and the businesses they support to work in line with their values, goals, and greater aspirations for the world as a large. A good product is no longer enough. It’s about what the product stands for – what the greater brand represents. That’s why brands that commit to authentic, transparent CSR, meaningful innovation, and lead with purpose are outcompeting their competitors.

Here’s what we believe makes a brand purposeful and trustworthy to consumers:

1. Responsive customer needs and feedback
2. High-quality products and services
3. Treats employees well
4. Places customers above profits
5. Takes actions to address an issue or crisis quickly
6. Practices ethical business
7. Embraces transparency
8. Communicates frequently and honestly
9. Works to protect/improve environment
10. Addresses society’s needs
11. Positively impacts their local community
12. Innovates of new products
13. Respected and highly regarded top leadership
14. Delivers consistent financial returns
15. Ranks on a global list 1
16. Partners with third parties

Asking Yourself About Your Brand Purpose

The problem is that sometimes business’s own brand behavior doesn’t match up with what makes a brand purposeful and trustworthy to the people that matter its business.

Addressing these questions can help align consumer’s priorities with you own – making your brand and business more purpose-led, more directed, and more strategic moving forward.

So take the time to ask yourself and your business:

• How are the attitudes and behaviors within your organization pushing your brand up the meaning ladder through purposeful actions?
• What’s driving the people who develop your products? What shapes the way your organization sources materials, manages, and recruits employees?
• How do you positively impact the community, society, and the environment?
• What guides the decision making processes of your top leaders and managers. How do leaders choose to connect with people inside and outside of the organization?
• How do your customer service people converse with your customers? What tone do they strike?

Driving Meaningful Business Forward

Asking these questions can help you examine how your business is currently addressing these top concerns – guiding how you reframe the attitudes and behaviors within your organization and better address those areas where your brand purpose may be weak. Purpose points your brand in a new direction, inviting everyone to re-evaluate what they do, and how they do it. It adds more meaning to your business and creates the energy to transform the business in ways that matter most to people.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco brand strategy and design agency.