A Revolutionary Approach to Branding
Purpose-driven organizations become the change they wish to see in the world
Being purpose-driven is very closely tied to intentionality, as purpose itself is about the exploration of why we do what we do. Although purpose goes further, it goes to a place of having an intention that is not entirely self-centered or self-focused. Even better still, is to take it to a place of being completely altruistic and even selfless.
"Purpose: how you use your experiences, talents, and passions to better the lives of those around you.” — L. Peterson
Some twenty years ago I worked in the marketing department of a big city newspaper. It was at the time when the upheaval in the industry was beginning to take form, when the Internet was in high-growth, and those in the publishing industry were trying to figure out what it all meant. I recall an instance in which we were summoned to the auditorium to hear the publisher talk about where we were going as a company and hear him preach the profit mantra — that we don’t exist without profit and “Afterall, we’re not a charity,” he said.
The pep talk was given in an effort to motivate the team, but there was a subtext, an unspoken narrative, that suggested that things like journalistic integrity and the values that had driven the company for decades prior were not as important as the profit imperative. This was following a year in which the company profited some 19%, but since it had projected 21% to Wall Street, it was necessary to lay off more than 300 of our colleagues.
I left the company a few years later, and shortly thereafter it fell into chapter 11. The company is still a widely known name in the industry, but it doesn’t have the respect or relevance it once had. The slide occurred when the intention of the company deteriorated into the fear of what if. What will happen if we don’t hit our numbers? What will happen if Wall Street downgrades us from a hold to a sell? What will happen if our credit rating declines? What will that mean for my stock options? And so on.
All entirely understandable questions in a realm in which we are taught from a young age that we live in a material world in which all things of value come to us through the exchange of currency. Extending the “what ifs” to our personal lives we can ask: What will happen if I lose my job? What will happen if my stock options are worthless? What will happen if the economy crashes? What will happen if I’m not able to make my mortgage? Again, all understandable questions.
“Mature companies fail because they forget why they were born.” — Simon Sinek
Being purpose-driven sounds good on the surface. It may even feel good to our soul. But it means we have to shed the common narrative of “what ifs” and live and work for a different set of objectives. Or perhaps, for just one very simple objective: How can I derive meaning from my life?
Just that one simple (but not so easy) shift can make the difference between living for a set of objectives that are inherently self-focused, to exploring a new narrative and a new way of being that is less self-focused, or even entirely selfless.
When Gandhi spoke his now immortal words to “be the change,” he was giving us an invitation to purpose. Status quo is giving into the common narrative and accepting a life of fear-driven response to a social construct in which we measure our worthiness by comparison to the perceived success of others. In other words, being profit-driven.
Being the change is a call to courage. It’s a call to live life well beyond the common narrative and social construct of comparison and lack. It’s an invitation to face our fears — the fear of change, the fear of failure in the eyes of others, the fear of “this may not work.” It’s only in the place of facing into these fears and being willing to diverge from the commonly accepted narrative that we can tap into our deeper desires.
The next time someone says, “Oh, you’re too idealistic.” Or “You just want to save the world.” Can you say in response, “Hell yes! I may fail, but I’m going to make my life about doing some good in the world.” It’s our birthright to live how we want to live. To merely accept a narrative we’ve been given since childhood, that has been reinforced throughout our upbringing and further inculcated in college and the working world, is not a life of freedom — it’s merely following the crowd.
“Life is never made unbearable by circumstances, but only by lack of meaning and purpose.” — Viktor Frankl
Building a brand based on a deeper connection to those things that drive us is what purpose-driven brand building is about. And it’s one of the most powerful forces of change that we have at our disposal. It’s courageous, challenging, at times messy, at times it fails, and at times it succeeds beyond our wildest expectations. It is both a journey and a destination, with the destination being to live life and do work with purpose.
It begins with intention, but a deeper intention than mere profit. It’s about searching for and finding what meaning looks like for us, and then gathering the courage to go for it. Most importantly, it’s real. It’s not a new PR strategy or a story to appeal to a different kind of audience. Those searching for authenticity in the brands they do business with, will see through inauthenticity — maybe not right away but they will eventually.
It is a story. But one that’s real and true and speaks to those things that we all yearn for. And because it’s real and true it resonates with those who also search for meaning — employees, suppliers, customers, and investors alike.
Real stories are powerful. They infiltrate every fiber of an organization, not just its marketing and PR, but the culture, the product itself, the community, and even investors. This is a revolutionary approach to branding.