It's easy to classify brand purpose as a piece of industry jargon that could go as quickly as it came. But the facts point to a different story.

The Edelman Earned Brand Study shows that 57% of consumers will buy or boycott a brand based on its position on a social or political issue and that a third of consumers are doing this more than they were a year ago. Those are significant numbers. 

Consumers are demanding more. They want to buy from brands that align with their own values and that stand for a higher purpose than profit alone. Most marketers are acutely aware of this fact and looking for ways to rise to the occasion. 

Most marketers are also acutely aware that there is a big difference between a business that stands for a cause and one that is taking advantage of it (commonly nicknamed ‘woke washing’). 

Over the past few years, Twitter has become the platform where brands launch and grow purpose driven campaigns and credibly engage with cultural conversations. If you want your brand to effectively join these conversations and demonstrate a deeper purpose, here’s my advice for where to start.

Stay true to your DNA 

Authenticity is everything. Brand purpose defines ‘who’ a business is and why it exists. 

It isn’t as simple as choosing three values to have emblazoned on your office wall — these values must manifest in actions and guide important business decisions. They are reflected in core functions of the business like your environmental impact, your supply chain, or NGO partnerships, as well as your marketing campaigns. These elements help consumers identify where a brand aligns with their own values and behavioural expectations. 

Ask yourself, what is my brand’s purpose? What are we trying to achieve? Does what we do and what we stand for align? If you can’t put your finger on it, chances are a consumer can’t either. 

Let’s look at an example. ANZ Bank has established itself as an authentic brand through its support of the LGBTIQ+ community, with activations like the ever fabulous GAYTMs and sponsorship of Sydney’s Mardi Gras parade.The reason why ANZ’s involvement here works? First and foremost, because its purpose is ‘to shape a world where people and communities thrive’. In this case, the bank is acting out its purpose by publicly supporting Australia’s LGBTQI+ community and helping them thrive. 

Be in it for the long haul

Crucially, ANZ’s purpose driven marketing efforts also work because the bank has supported Australia’s LGBTQI+ community for decades.

Consumers are becoming increasingly cynical and are quick to call out brands they perceive as chasing causes that aren’t core to their practices. A flash in the pan approach to social movements won’t cut it. To demonstrate an authentic connection, brands need to be in it for the long haul.   

ANZ has a long history of supporting Australia’s LGBTQI+ community, from the Oxford Street ‘Signs of Love’ campaign to it’s vocal support for same sex marriage on Twitter. It’s this consistency and commitment that gives the brand credibility to participate in conversations pertinent to Australia’s LGBTIQ+ community. 

Business leaders have to talk the talk and walk the walk

Don’t underestimate the role that brand leaders play in shaping and advocating purpose-driven marketing. Consumers want to be reassured that a brand’s purpose is authentic. And this means brands must publicly demonstrate that their leaders are walking the walk, as well as publicly speaking about their purpose. Brand leaders have a huge responsibility in furthering brand purpose, in fact in its annual Trust Barometer, Edelman found that 69 percent of people believe building trust is the CEO’s number 1 job.

Leaders need to amplify a brand’s purpose and must be seen as an advocate for the social movements their brand actively supports. Andy Penn, CEO of Telstra is a great example here. Andy continues to use Twitter and other social platforms to join the conversation on important public affairs like Indigenous affairs and social equality, as well as to share Telstra’s positive contributions to the broader community. Just recently he Tweeted his support for the ‘Uluru Statement of the Heart’, sharing his own and Telstra’s support.  

This leadership helps the public trust a brand, but it also plays an important role in distilling the values and purpose of a brand at every level of a business’ culture. At the end of the day, purpose must be true to everyone in the organisation, not just those at the top. 

Talk ‘with’ not ‘at’ customers

Part of the reason purpose driven marketing is so effective is because it demands a deep understanding of your customers — what they care about, what they’re talking about, what they want. When a brand starts talking with consumers rather than to them, it can better serve their needs.

When you get this right, there are tangible business results. On Twitter, brands that authentically connect with what’s happening in culture also see lifts across message association (+18 per cent), brand awareness (+8 per cent), brand preference (+7 per cent) and purchase intent (+3 per cent).

This presents a massive opportunity, but it’s crucial to understand that there are no shortcuts. Brand purpose rejects the very notion of a ‘buzzword’. For consumers to believe your brand stands for something bigger, your brand must genuinely connect to something bigger in society. 

When your brand has a clearly defined set of values and consistently demonstrates these through actions, it naturally leads to meaningful connections and conversations with consumers. It doesn’t get much more authentic than that.