Purpose Beyond Profit Archives

Adopting a Human Mindset

Posted on March 31, 2020 by Peter Antonelli

Over the past weeks, we’ve transitioned to a new life at home, the place where everything now happens with little exception; a blurred, ever-shifting diagram dividing work, our relationships, family life, and rest. In this way, coronavirus has become the great equalizer. The pandemic has also clarified the differences between how we live our lives and the support we’re able to receive, or not. It has swiftly and single-handedly altered our needs as people. It has forced us to prioritize what matters most and accept what’s out of reach.

As a result, we have competing practical needs; dependable information, access to income, food, childcare, the ability to help others, and new skills to help ourselves navigate what we used to rely on services for. These are all now top of mind—a moving target of priorities with a different urgency than we’re accustomed to.

Our emotional needs, though, don’t have to be as elusive. Despite social distancing and self-quarantine, we have the ability, the responsibility, to turn towards one another, even if remotely. The opportunity to listen, to help where possible, to empathize, be optimistic, to relate—the opportunity to tap into a human mindset is now. It won’t cure COVID-19, but a human mindset is among what we need most to stay afloat. Simple practices that elevate our spirit and connect us to others can go far and don’t need to compete with priorities or put us in harm’s way.

The same opportunity is true for brands.

If you are a leader within an organization, consider this: What is the mindset of your brand during this time, and how might your brand tap into the human qualities necessary to meaningfully connect with your audience?

Here are four considerations to get started.

Adopt an ethos of service.

Whatever industry your brand is in, now is the time to adopt a service mentality. Consider the resources you have available and imagine how they might be used to contribute to the needs of your customers and beyond. Identify an opportunity to help and make it happen.

In the world—An early example of adapting an ethos of service is LVMH who transformed their perfume and cosmetics factories to produce free hand sanitizer in France.

To consider—What service is your brand uniquely positioned to offer people during the pandemic? How might you activate it within the next week? At a local scale? A global scale?

Send a virtual care package.

Finding opportunities to extend the spirit of your brand to people who are homebound is a simple way to stay connected and provide respite from news alerts. Success isn’t measured in dollars spent, rather in feelings felt.

In the world—Scribe, a wine producer and vineyard in Sonoma known for its casual warmth and strong sense of community, has sent patrons its winery playlist so they can recreate a little bit of the Scribe experience in their home.

To consider—Identify a feeling that reflects the soul of your brand. How might you extend that feeling to customers virtually over the coming days?

Provide immediate, material relief.

For reasons beyond the current pandemic, trust is at an all-time low and people are craving honest, results-oriented leadership more than ever. In the truest sense, today’s actions speak considerably louder than words. By reflecting on the emotional and practical needs of your customers and taking decisive, immediate steps to support them, brands are positioned to forge stronger relationships than ever.

In the world—One example of note is Unilever’s effort to ease financial instability, by pledging early payment for their most vulnerable small and medium-sized suppliers.

To consider—What tangible actions can your brand put into motion today that will solidify and communicate commitment to your customers?

Initiate conversation, then let others do the talking.

Despite social distancing, helping people feel that they are part of a community is a powerful thing. By enabling the voices, experiences, and perspectives of people to be heard, not only is a forum to contribute established, but the potential for impact is broadened.

In the world—At the local level, Nextdoor’s #icanhelpchallenge is activating communities by providing a forum for neighbors to volunteer their time in support of others.

To consider—How might your brand elevate the voices, stories, and needs of your customers? What grassroots initiatives can your brand enable or strengthen?

Today, everything counts. Every behavior, gesture, and message, however small. Whether you’re an individual, a two-person startup or a Fortune 100 corporation, the opportunity for meaningful connection is the same. It starts with prioritizing people and embracing a human mindset.

Peter Antonelli is Chief Creative Officer at Emotive Brand in Oakland, California.

Let’s Get Political: Can Brands Stand for More Than Profit?

Posted on February 14, 2019 by Chris Ames

These days, when you see a brand trending on Twitter, it can only mean one thing: they got political.

Brands aligning themselves with a cause is no new thing, but there’s something about the social media age that makes it electric. Even a low-risk cause, like suggesting that men should aim to be the best versions of themselves, is enough to start hashtag boycotts and video challenges of people destroying their own property. For better or worse, we’re in an era where if people don’t like a particular cause you’ve supported, they will actively search and destroy your ad partnerships. The modern relationship between brands and politics is super interesting, and has led me to the following three questions.

1. Why do people respond so emotionally to brands?
2. Can brands stand for more than profit?
3. If you’re going to get political, how do you do it in a way that feels authentic?

Millennial Marketing and Brand Democracy

As an agency that specializes in emotion, it’s been fascinating to watch the increasingly volatile connection between brands and people. Nearly two-thirds of consumers around the world will buy or boycott a brand solely because of its position on a social or political issue according to the 2018 Edelman Earned Brand study, a staggering increase of 13 points from last year.

I believe this trend is a result of two main forces in the market, the first being the rise of purpose-driven, mission-led marketing that uses storytelling to create strong emotional ties to their products. Especially in the last ten years, brands have fully leaned into the power of narrative and its ability to win customers. Here’s a winning formula that’s being constantly replicated: take something banal, give it gorgeous design and a strong backstory, deliver it straight to your customers, and donate a fraction of the proceeds to a charitable cause. It works for anything: toilet paper, shoes, socks, glasses, you name it.

This dynamic transforms marketing from function to aspiration. All of these products – once thought strictly utilitarian – are now narrative-filled objects that reflect on the buyer’s own personal brand. When there is all this meaning and identity and personality baked into the brands you interact with, no wonder it feels like such a betrayal when they support something you disagree with. That volatility is not necessarily a bad thing. If anything, it’s a use case for the power of branding. If you can find a way to wield that emotion, you’ll have a sea of loyal customers. At least, until they disagree with you.

The other force, in my opinion, is a shift in the power dynamic between big government and private business. Another key finding from the Edelman report is that nearly half of all consumers believe that brands have better ideas for solving our country’s problems than the government. Here’s what Richard Edelman, president and CEO of Edelman, had to say about what are now known as “belief-driven buyers.”

“This is the birth of Brand Democracy; as consumers are electing brands as their change agents. Brands are now being pushed to go beyond their classic business interests to become advocates. It is a new relationship between company and consumer, where purchase is premised on the brand’s willingness to live its values, act with purpose, and if necessary, make the leap into activism.”

Can Brands Stand for More Than Just Profit?

Let’s get this straight: businesses want to make money. That’s the engine behind every action they take. Sometimes, that engine can be steered in a direction of social progress, but it is still fueled by profit.

Nike had the most controversial ad campaign of last year. Colin Kaepernick’s “Just Do It” ad, which bears the slogan “Believe in something. Even if it means sacrificing everything,” seemed to be the most politically divisive campaign in the company’s history. It was praised by the left for shining a light on police brutality and racial injustice. Sales at Nike not only increased, they skyrocketed. “Nike’s stock recently hit an all-time high and has gone up nearly five percent since the Kaepernick ads launched in early September,” reports Yahoo Sports. “That translates to an additional $6 billion in market value.”

But as writer Joshua Hunter brilliantly put in his piece for the Atlantic, Nike’s cause is simply good business. “One of capitalism’s most enduring myths is the idea that there are good corporations and bad corporations,” he says. “The truth is far more simple: Colin Kaepernick has a dream, and selling dreams is Nike’s business.”

At the end of the day, Nike still does business with the NFL, which has done its best to stifle Kaepernick’s protest movement. Is that hypocritical? Is that calculated risk management? And if you’re a brand looking to get political, how do you do it in a genuine, authentic way that won’t bite you later on?

What You Make and What You Care About

Here’s an exercise I think is useful: create a Venn Diagram that plots out what you make and what you care about. Where brands get into trouble is when these are two completely separate circles. You end up with soda companies thinking they can solve racism, or this hilarious skit about Cheetos from SNL. The distance between what you’re making and the difference you’re looking to make can’t be too far. If it is, you look like an emotional tourist.

Look at Gillette. The new ad “We Believe” – a 48-second spot that plays on the company’s tagline of “Is this the best a man can get?” – addresses issues like bullying, sexual harassment, and the #MeToo movement. Does this pass the test? Well, they make shaving razors, probably the first object I would suggest for something representative of traditional masculinity. And since 1989, they have been using their tagline to offer an idea of what it means to be a man. For them to have an opinion on the changing roles of men is completely within their wheelhouse.

For a data-centric spin on political messaging, look at the way Netflix has positioned its popularity as a unifying force to break down barriers. “We All Have Six Shows In Common” is an innovative ad that claims any two Netflix members, anywhere in the world will share an average of six shows in common. The brilliant thing about this spot – and the reason it avoids the mistakes of Pepsi – is that it says so much without saying anything. All of the dialogue comes from the Netflix shows themselves, with reactions from a diverse and inclusive viewing public. They don’t have to say, “Streaming television will solve bigotry.” They simply show us a common point of connection and let us draw the conclusions.

In the wake of Donald Trump’s travel ban, Airbnb took a more direct political approach with their “We Accept” ad. “We believe no matter who you are, where you’re from, who you love, or who you worship, we all belong,” they say. “The world is more beautiful the more you accept.”

Do we buy it? Well, they created an entire platform on the belief that you should be able to find a place anywhere in the world that feels like home. Their technology is built on genuine human-to-human connection and a desire to expand your perspective through travel. It makes sense.

Is It Worth the Risk?

In a conversation on big brands and political activism, marketers believed taking a political stance:

Shows their company cares about more than making profits (75.8%)
Has a positive effect on the company’s ability to attract and retain customers and partners (69.7%)
Bolsters the company’s ability to attract and retain employees (69.7%)
Boosts the company’s ability to stand out in the market (51.5%)

We know that politics are messy. You risk alienating your audience if you back a cause they don’t believe in. But the truth is, whether or not they want the responsibility, brands are powerful vehicles of meaning in our world. If they choose to do so, brands can act as cultural agents that can shape commerce and community life. Companies put their products out into the world every day. The real question is, what do they want that world to look like?

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

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CEOs: Building Trust and Living Your Values

Posted on March 8, 2018 by Chris Ames

The Truth Is Always Trending

Good relationships are built on trust. Whether it’s between romantic partners, brands, customers, or government agencies, trust is the currency rate by which messaging is valued against. So, how much is your word worth? In today’s hyper-polarized landscape, it really depends on who’s speaking.

In fact, the world is moving apart in trust. According to the 2018 Edelman Trust Barometer, “In previous years, market-level trust has moved largely in lockstep, but for the first time ever there is now a distinct split between extreme trust gainers and losers.”

No market saw steeper declines than here in the United States. The U.S. saw a 37-point aggregate drop in trust across all institutions. After all, this is the era of fake news, social media bots, and a react first, research later mentality.

For the first time in Trust Barometer history, the least-trusted institution was media. That also includes social media, platforms, and search engines. Yet, perhaps surprisingly, voices of expertise are now quickly regaining credibility. And that’s great news for CEOs.

Value Your Values

As trust in large institutions fades away, CEOs have the opportunity to establish credibility for their brand. How can they do this? For one, they can start by living their values.

Take a look at Delta Airlines. In the wake of the deadly Parkland shooting in Florida, activists online began pressuring companies that offered discounts to the National Rifle Association to sever their ties. Delta, along with others, chose to end their relationship with the NRA. Naturally, the political right responded with proposed boycotts, canceled memberships, and in some cases, threats of physical violence.

As a result, Delta faced a decision that many brands in this politicized, post-capitalist whirlwind must face: Take a stance and potentially divide your customer base in half, or remain neutral and try to appeal to everyone? Delta doubled-down.

“Our decision was not made for economic gain and our values are not for sale,” CEO Ed Bastian issued in a company-wide memo. “We are in the process of a review to end group discounts for any group of a politically divisive nature.”

Our values are not for sale. Delta may take a financial hit in the short term, but when a brand demonstrates consistent behavior and a purpose beyond profit, it’s going to excel in the long-run. That’s how you build trust. That’s the power of values-based decision making. It’s okay if your values don’t match up with everyone. Those who agree with your views will follow you with a renewed dedication. As we’ve said before, if you’re for everybody, you’re for nobody.

Trust the Process

We really can’t say enough about trust. We’ve written about the trust economy, how brand purpose drives trust, the need for trust with your employees — and there’s a good reason we tackle this topic from so many angles. While trust will always remain supreme, the way people define it is always changing. Just take a look at this timeline from the Edelman report.

Establishing long-lasting trust can feel like trying to hit a moving target. As we parse through the statistics, here are some insights and implications for today’s CEOs.

Insight: 56% of people believe that companies that only think about themselves and their profits are bound to fail.

Implication: Your company doesn’t have to be an NGO to think outside itself. Providing transparency in the supply chain, supporting worthy causes, and demonstrating diversity and gender equality in the workplace are all ways of elevating a brand’s trust.

Insight: 60% of people believe that most CEOs are driven more by greed than a desire to make a positive difference in the world.

Implication: You must have a clearly articulated purpose. Here’s the thing about core values: they will still be there if the market shifts or customer preferences change. Hence, brand purpose becomes the anchor that keeps the ship afloat, even as the seas churn.

Insight: 64% of people believe that CEOs should take the lead on change rather than waiting for the government to impose it.

Implication: To employ some bumper sticker logic, be the change you want to see in the marketplace. Warby Parker didn’t wait for customers to get better healthcare, they responded with the Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program to give people the gift of sight.

In the battle for trust, the truth is not self-evident — but CEOs have the opportunity to make it so.

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

Give People Meaningful Reasons to Innovate

Posted on March 24, 2015 by Tracy Lloyd

We often come back to the Fast Company blog post by Seth Kahan, a change specialist and author of, “Getting Innovation Right”, published in 2013. Many of our clients are looking for help creating a brand strategy and developing corporate values that will help create a culture of innovation.

Seth presents three practical secrets for the innovative leader. We were particularly struck by his second secret:

Secret #2. Articulate the Way Forward

People rely on their leaders to craft a vision of the future that makes sense and can guide their everyday decisions. Most of the leaders I have met improvise this activity and many do it badly. And yet articulating a rousing vision of the future isn’t difficult. It can be your secret super-power, if you just master these three tactics:

Continue reading “Give People Meaningful Reasons to Innovate”

Meaningful Leaders Resolution #1 for 2015

Posted on December 17, 2014 by Jerry Holtaway

Lead by proudly, confidently and passionately proclaiming a new destination for your customers, your employees and your business.

Going beyond profit, declare your intention to do well by doing good.

Give everyone the answer to their burning question, “Why?”. Why does your business exist? Why is that good? Why does that matter?

Continue reading “Meaningful Leaders Resolution #1 for 2015”

Bridging the Meaning Gap

Posted on November 11, 2014 by Tracy Lloyd

A great post by Tom Fishburne talks about the risks of going too far in your efforts to matter to people.

He cites the example of the “Dove Campaign For Real Beauty”, a notable example of a meaningful brand presence, which started as a concept many steps up the brand ladder. When those “too grandiose” ideas were shot down by real people (formerly known as consumers), the focus turned to building meaning from the product up.

Continue reading “Bridging the Meaning Gap”

How Your “Brand Vibe” Can Change Your Brand’s Fortunes

Posted on May 13, 2014 by Jerry Holtaway

We humans are very proud of our ability to think rationally. This cognitive power not only lets us understand and use facts, it also helps us build elaborate creations and fantasies.

We use our rational brains to conduct business. Cognition helps us sort stuff out, compare options, and rank priorities. Our rational, conscious brain is so “upfront” in our day-to-day work lives that we begin to believe it is our only way of thinking and acting at work.

Yet, as neuroscience is finding, it is now clear that this cognitive ability is not a stand-alone factor in how we perceive, sense, or act upon input. Indeed, we now see that emotions influence, if not drive, our thinking at every turn.

Continue reading “How Your “Brand Vibe” Can Change Your Brand’s Fortunes”

Leadership at a Time When People Know as Much About Your Business as You Know About Them

Posted on April 29, 2014 by Jerry Holtaway

Welcome to transparency, whether you like it or not.

This is the time when people have access to unprecedented amounts of information, including deep insights into what your company is up to.

And they are using this information to form opinions – opinions that shape their attitudes toward your business; attitudes that drive their behavior with respect to your business.

Continue reading “Leadership at a Time When People Know as Much About Your Business as You Know About Them”

7 Reasons Why it’s Probably Time to Transform Your Business

Posted on April 23, 2014 by Jerry Holtaway

What’s the matter?

We met with some prospective customers over dinner the other day, and started the discussion with our favorite leading question, “So, what’s the matter?”.

The floodgates opened.

As we listened to the issues tumble out – and sensed the pain, anxiety and frustration they provoke in the company’s leadership – we thought about how so many businesses today face the same basic challenges.

For example, how many of these challenges which our prospects are now facing, are inhibiting growth, innovation and motivation at your business?

Your business is doing “OK” financially (just like everyone else in your industry).
Your top people are jumping ship (which is really rocking the boat).
You are constantly trying to attract better, more talented people (but that doesn’t always work out).
You are unable to increase your margins (people just won’t pay any more for what you – like everyone else – is offering).
You want to grow by expanding into new markets (but you’ll face the same issues wherever you go).
You find your reputation doesn’t sync with your current offering (so customers and prospects don’t think of you for jobs you can readily do).
You are not sure what makes your business special, or why people should care about what you do (right now you only talk in generic industry business speak).

Whatever is causing you pain as a business leader, the best remedy is to start by addressing the last point in our list.

Business transformation based on meaning is a brand strategy for success.

The first task is to define a compelling Purpose Beyond Profit that defines why your business is special (and how it can become increasingly valued as unique and differentiated) and gives people very good reasons to not only care about your company, buy to also do what it takes to help you succeed.

Armed with a clear Purpose Beyond Profit – which unites people around an idea that matters – your company’s people, policies, procedures and products transform, evolve and repurpose themselves to become more meaningful in a highly focused and differentiating way.

Once your Purpose Beyond Profit is in place (and made relevant to everyone within the organization), customers start to see greater value in what you do, and the uniqueness and appeal of they way you do what you do. Prospects at home, and in new markets, suddenly wake up to your powerful new marketplace presence as it lifts you above the hum-drum competitive set. Employees spend their days feeling that their work truly matters, and their energy attracts the new, talented people your business needs to grow. Laden with new meaning – and delivered by people who love what they do – your offering becomes inherently more valuable, allowing you to improve your margins.

Emotive Brand is a San Francisco branding agency.

Mindful Leaders Resolution #1 for 2015

Posted on December 30, 2013December 4, 2024 by Jerry Holtaway