The Sceptic And The Enthusiast

Leo Burnett’s Ahmad Abu Zannad and Sally Ballout say a process of ‘destruction and exploration’ can help leverage a brand’s purpose

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A sceptic and an enthusiast walk into a bar. They walk out with a new brand resolution.

That might not be the funniest joke you’ve ever heard. Well, it’s not meant to be one. Read on to find out how these two polarising characters land on a more purpose-driven brand role.

For a brand to survive and thrive in an increasingly commoditised world, it needs to justify its existence in people’s lives. A brand purpose is built on a specific point of view about the world we live in. It has beliefs, attitudes, a tone, a personality, and, most importantly, a mission. It identifies a real source of tension affecting people’s behaviour and is committed to resolving it.

The immediate, short-term benefit of finding that brand purpose is that it inspires greater creative work, differentiating a brand from its competitors. By identifying a brand purpose, you expand the boundaries of a brand’s offerings into uncharted territory, tapping into creative potential that goes way beyond what a brand offers or how it offers it. In the long run, it builds greater affinity and engagement, which can have a major impact on returns. Most importantly, associating a brand with a higher purpose has been shown to have mass business implications.

According to the Havas Group’s 2017 ‘Meaningful Brands’ study, purposeful brands outperform the stock market by 206 per cent, gain 48 per cent more share of wallet and achieve marketing results up to 137 per cent higher than those of lower-rated brands. These findings are nothing new. Leo Burnett’s 2014 HumanKind Quotient Global Study – conducted across 11 countries, 155 categories and 778 brands – revealed that brands with purpose had, on average, double the market share and double the behavioural loyalty. In May 2015, Unilever stated that its ‘brands with purpose’ were growing at twice the speed of others in its portfolio.