As marketers, every now and again, you come across a campaign or an ad or a tagline and you think “Damn, I wish I had thought of that!”. At Moonshot, we’re all about purpose-driven marketing so we usually have one of those moments when we see a powerful campaign that we just know is really going to make people stop and think. Or even better, change their behaviour. Below are the top 3 examples of brand purpose campaigns we wish we’d been on the team for:

Patagonia

We have to start with this one because, at Moonshot, we’re kind of obsessed with Patagonia. They’re the epitome of a brand who live and breathe their purpose. Their purpose isn’t a half-baked concept that’s been added into their marketing strategy as an afterthought, but instead it’s embedded into every asset of their business strategy.

There are so many examples that we can’t possibly cover all of them, so we’ll talk about one of our favourites: the Patagonia 2013 Christmas campaign.

Patagonia Founder, Yvon Chouinard, is a rock-climbing enthusiast and an all-round lover of nature and the great outdoors. As a result, he has a passion for sustainability and preserving our earth- something which the concept of consumerism is often at odds with. This is why Patagonia only use organic cotton and design robust clothes that are made to last for life. They even come with a lifetime warranty.

Source: Patagonia

This campaign that told Christmas shoppers that they shouldn’t “buy this jacket” and actively encouraged customers NOT to buy from Patagonia, was highlighting the level that consumerism spikes to during this time of year. They wanted to make a point that people should only buy the things they need. When asked about the risky strategy, their European Marketing Director Jonathan Petty said, “Our customers expect very high quality and that’s why they always come back to us. At the same time, we help consumers change their behaviour for the better by encouraging them to make more considered purchases.” Pretty awesome, right?

Like we said, this is only one small example of how Patagonia are putting their purpose at the forefront of their business. To find out more, check out the page on their website on activism. There are some fascinating reads.

Who Gives A Crap

We love this brand for so many reasons: they’re built around their purpose, they’re Aussie and they just don’t take themselves too seriously. Honestly, we challenge you to find ANYONE who didn’t at least chuckle the first time they read their name. They’re also the perfect example of how ANY business, product or service can have a positive impact. Not only that, but they’ve kind of managed to make toilet roll, dare we say it… cool? For us, they’re ticking all of the boxes.

Source: Who Gives A Crap

Here are a couple of quick stats on Who Gives A Crap:

• They donate a huge 50% of their profits to the 2.4 billion people around the world who don’t have access to a toilet and clean water: Their website has a brightly decorated banner declaring that they’ve donated over $10,800,000 AUD. If you do a bit of quick maths, it’s not difficult to figure out just how much their business is thriving in terms of profit, yet their commitment to their purpose is undeniable. And, as an added bonus, their tagline ‘Toilet paper that builds toilets’ is spot on!
• Their toilet roll is made from 100% recycled fibres: Not only this but all of their packaging is 100% recyclable and their shipping is 100% carbon neutral.

Modibodi

This is another game changing Australian brand that we have nothing but good things to say about. Their period undies offer a reusable alternative to single-use hygiene products and they even have a range of undies that are completely biodegradable which is a world first. Not only that but their products have been designed to empower women – something we are very passionate about at Moonshot Marketing.

What’s even more inspirational about this brand, is the way they passionately champion causes that are close to their hearts. Just last year, they launched a post-partum range and collaborated with Getty Images to change the narrative on post-partum health. They produced an amazing suite of photographs that help normalise what post-partum looks like.

Source: Getty images
As part of the campaign, they created a gallery of images showing moments or milestones during the post-partum period. The images were raw and beautiful and a refreshing departure from the unrealistic images of post-partum bliss that we’re all so used to seeing. Instead, they depicted the unfiltered realities that come with motherhood: changing bodies, stretch marks, blemishes and leaking body parts. That’s exactly the kind of brand purpose campaign we can get behind!

Have these examples of brand purpose campaigns inspired you to get stuck into a brand new  business and marketing strategy? If they have, get in touch with us for a chat about how we can help you to embed purpose into your brand like these game changing organisations.

 

The rise of conscious consumers in Australia means that companies can no longer keep doing what they are doing. They need to unpick previous business approaches to create a new way of operating – leading with purpose first. 

As leaders we always have the choice to either be proactive or reactive. Waiting around for things to change means you get left behind and right now,  more than ever, there’s a spotlight shining on purpose.

Just as consumers want brands to act on their purpose programs, employees want their employers to act too. Talking about being purposeful differs hugely to action – and people are wising up to know the difference. When it comes to being purpose-driven you simply can’t fake it until you make it.

Both consumers and employees are demanding transparency and authenticity on the issues that matter most to them.

It is no longer enough to have a short commute time, free drinks on Friday and your birthday off. Australian workers are looking to employers for much more. They want to know that company leaders and their key decision makers are behaving in a prosocial way.

It’s then these purpose-driven organisations that successfully align their values with their employees and customers that are well positioned to unlock growth and genuine value exchange.

A recent study by Porter Novelli and Quantum Market Research, entitled Purpose Premium, found that authenticity matters for Australians, and offsetting less responsible behaviours with a Corporate Social Responsibility  (CSR) program will no longer cut it.  A vast 91 per cent of respondents agreed that a company’s operations must be aligned with their claimed purpose.

The great resignation and the rise of conscious consumers in Australia means that companies can no longer keep doing what they are doing. They need to unpick previous business approaches to create a new way of operating – leading with purpose first.

Australian owned, leak-proof undies brand Modibodi is living its vision and brand purpose by normalising conversations on taboo subjects around bodily leaks. It uses its platforms to advocate for and share knowledge on periods, incontinence, menopause and postpartum.

Truly living its brand purpose, it’s redefining what postpartum looks like. In partnership with Getty images, the brand photographed 28 women in 10 countries creating 1,500 assets that generated enormous PR and influencer reach for the brand, exceeding campaign expectations and generating sales uplift.

Millennial and Gen Zs – who make up (or will make up) a large cohort of our workforce –  are fast becoming the most valuable consumers.  They are also more loyal to purpose than price. Intensely Googling what a brand stands for and if its actions live up to their claimed purpose before they buy, invest or work for them.

So what does all this mean for businesses today?

There is a monumental shift towards purpose-driven business. Companies are starting to measure their impact (purpose) alongside people and profit.

Take a look at Patagonia – true pioneers of purpose, a few years ago changed their mission statement from: “Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis”, to a much cleaerer purpose-driven mission of “Patagonia is in business to save our home planet.”

From Black Friday sales last year the company donated USD10 Million to protect the environment. Sales were five times more than their expectations.

The potential for businesses to impact the planet as well as profit is huge. This applies to companies of every size.

Brand strategy and purpose is inextricably linked to a company’s vision and mission. A clear sense of purpose will help bring the company vision to life and help to consistently answer the age-old question of ‘why are we doing this?’

For companies yet to discover their brand purpose. Be patient. There is a process to discovering your brand purpose. It’s then about empowering your leadership team and employees to act in line with your purpose. And finally, to define how you will positively impact the world on behalf of consumers.

Think less about perfection and more about progress.

Business can be a powerful source for good. Future thinking businesses know that doing good through business is good for business. The time to create purpose-driven programs is now as businesses not thinking in this way will mean you get left behind.

To become a changemaker or lead a movement, we need to start engaging our communities with authenticity, meaning and empathy –  start leading with our hearts to discover what we are passionate about and use business purpose as a force for good and growth for our people, planet and profitability.

 

Nicolette Briscoe is founder and marketing consultant at Moonshot Marketing.