To have a purpose or not to have a purpose?
By Jodie Balmer
So much has happened in the last few years; from climate emergencies to political and social movements such as Black Lives Matter to the rising cost of living. Because of these huge moments, there is an ongoing debate in the marketing world about whether purpose-led communication is as relevant as it once was.
More than ever, consumers don’t have the luxury to choose a brand with purpose over an attractive price point plus, people can spot tokenism a mile off (thankfully). Furthermore, some brands with an authentic purpose don’t see an immediate return on investment - or a return at all - and as much as some brands want to shout about purpose over profit, they do still have to exist.
Take Unilever for example, its former CEO was extremely purpose-driven, he placed it at the heart of everything, with its strategy stating; ‘to make sustainable living commonplace. It's why we come to work. It's why we're in business. It's how we inspire exceptional performance.’
However, new chief, Hein Schumacher, has said that for some Unilever brands, placing purpose above everything else could be an “unwelcome distraction.” He went on to say that “not every brand should have a social or environmental purpose. And we don’t want to force fit that on brands unnecessarily.”
So, how can Unilever state it wants to make sustainable living commonplace while not placing purpose at the heart of every one of its brands? Welcome to the minefield of sustainability communications.
There is no denying that regardless of pandemics and global politics, brands with purpose are increasingly popular among consumers and therefore investors, and the concept of having a purpose should, at the very minimum, be taken very seriously by businesses of all shapes and sizes. Including our own.
We specialise in B2B communications and have steadily found that more and more clients not only want to define their purpose but embed it in their DNA, from people to practices, and require our help to do so.
This led us to examine what purpose meant at McBryde & Co.
I recently studied Sustainability Communications (a Chartered Institute of Public Relations specialist diploma), and it’s helped me understand how to navigate this complex topic with greater confidence.
A key takeaway was the realisation that what “sustainability” means to you, will most likely be very different to what it means to me. But as Unilever's new CEO has shown, it doesn’t matter what the differences are, so long as you’re clear about what sustainability means to you (or your business) at this moment in time.
This is what happened within our own business. Say “purpose” or “sustainability” and team members’ thoughts would go to all kinds of wonderful places, from climate action to equal pay to equity to veganism!
So, we needed a plan and being all about action, we created one.
Below are some of the steps we followed to better understand our purpose (and perhaps they can help you too). Happy reading.
Understand the appetite for having a purpose at work. This may sound extremely basic, but if your team doesn’t care about having a social and/or environmental purpose then creating one solo will be an uphill struggle and embedding it across the business will be nigh on impossible and not worth it.
Find common ground. So, you do have some sort of purpose but don’t know quite what? To get Team McBryde on the same page, we have held multiple workshops to help us reach some common ground and understanding.
Use resources. Whether that’s looking at the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals, ESG reports, or B Lab’s BIA assessment, understanding what resources can help guide you. It wouldn’t hurt to give us a ring either!
Team buy-in - In order for anything to be communicated with impact, your team must be as invested in your purpose as you are. Bring them on the journey with you.
Write a mission statement. Collectively decide what your purpose is and what that means to the business and use that as your guide to inform every inch of operations and communications.
Get certified. If, like us, you want to be a force for good in this world then join a movement such as B Corp to keep you accountable.
Evolve. You can’t stand still when it comes to sustainability, you must learn and grow and adapt. Just like your business, what sustainability means to you now, will likely change in the future so be prepared to ride that wave.
If you would like to speak to us about your purpose or sustainability efforts, please get in touch with Jodie at jodie@mcbrydeandco.com