Purpose-Driven Marketing: Potent Strategy or Marketing Fad?

Purpose-driven marketing has been around for years, but appears to be resurging. Several corporations sponsored purpose-driven campaigns during the last Super Bowl. Budweiser and 84 Lumber aired ads on immigration. Audi promoted equal pay for women and Kia promoted environmentally friendly cars.

“A new wave is emerging in marketing: it’s the Age of Purpose-drive Marketing, in which selling a product is not enough, asserts Julia Sarkis at Content Tools.

In purpose-driven marketing, the product brings meaning to the customer’s life, beyond its obvious use. Products align with the company’s purpose. A company’s purpose defines its reason for existing. It describes its brand, culture and what it stands for. Proponents say customers tend to purchase products when they are in sync with the company’s purpose.

Two Purpose-Driven Marketing Examples

In an article for Inc., Adam Fridman, founder of digital marketing agency Mabbly, cites sports equipment manufacturer Wilson and health food maker RXBAR as leading examples of companies employing purpose-driven marketing.

The sporting equipment manufacturer uses vintage machinery, high-quality materials and old-school craftsmanship to make footballs. It’s made every NFL football. Its Louisville Slugger brand has produced more than 100 million bats, including most bats for major league players. Its bat factory also houses its company museum. Sporting equipment manufactures don’t just make sports equipment, they make memories, Fridman says. Sports stories become legends and are handed down from fathers to sons and from coaches to players.

“In the end, a sporting goods manufacturer’s purpose isn’t just about making a piece of equipment that will be used and forgotten,” he says. “It’s about preserving a heritage and passing down the love of the game.”

The Purpose of Protein Bars

Despite their branding as “health food,” most protein bars contain loads of refined sugar, preservatives and processed ingredients. The founders of RXBAR sought to change that with a high-quality protein bar made from natural ingredients.

Its marketing features real customers. Its statements lack the exaggerated claims so common in health food products. “What the company has done, however, is align their purpose – making real food – with the product they make,” Fridman concludes.

The examples demonstrate how to fulfill the customer’s deeper need. “A kid might need a bat, but the parent buying that bat needs to pass on their love for the game,” Fridman explains. “You might need to eat more protein, but what you really need is to eat food that isn’t filled with a lot of garbage.

An Opposing View: Drawbacks of Purpose-Driven Marketing

Marketing expert Graham Robertson of Beloved Brands warns that purpose-driven marketing has become so popular in marketing circles that it’s in danger of overuse. It can be effective, but if marketers jump strategy just to join the crowd they may stumble.

It’s not effective for all brands. Beware of consultants who recommend a strategy before they understand your organization. Life stories of the company founders may boost egos, but consumers might not especially care about your purpose. The Starbucks #RaceTogether campaign failed to get out of the starting blocks. Customers rejected the idea.

Proponents of purpose-driven marketing say consumers don’t buy what you make or do, they buy into why you do it. “That is complete B.S. To an industry person, this sounds like fun but it is just not true,” Robertson says.

“You should think your strategy through on a deeper level as the strategy you choose for where to go next, should really depend on where you are today. Build around your core strength,” Robertson urges.

The old-fashioned features/benefits marketing formula is far from dead. What some marketers have determined is that features and benefits of products and services can include and maybe should include a higher purpose that aligns with target customer values. Identifying, aligning with and proclaiming those values without offending a large segment of the audience can be quite tricky, to say the least.

Bottom Line: Some marketers tout purpose-driven marketing as an outstanding strategy for increasing brand awareness and attracting customers. Some practically argue that it’s almost essential for all brands to adopt the strategy. Others warn that, although effective in some instances, it’s the latest marketing fad that may soon become tiresome.