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.

When it comes to growing a business, a marketing plan is one the most valuable tools we have in our toolboxes as business owners. The thing is, when we make plans, we never intend for them to become derailed. But sometimes they just… do. The good news is that there are steps you can take during the planning process to make sure that you don’t permanently veer off track, or worse, come to a total standstill later down the line. Here’s how you can future proof your marketing strategy:

1 goal = many tasks

Making a marketing plan often leaves us feeling motivated and excited for what’s ahead, which is exactly how we should feel. However, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking “Wow, I’m pumped! Let’s achieve this thing and that thing and another ten things!” without actually considering how you’re going to get there.

To prevent yourself from getting carried away, break your marketing goals down into small manageable tasks, keeping in mind that each of these tasks should bring you one step closer to where you want to be. We recommend working backwards on this. First of all, set your 90-day goals and your 12-month goals then ask yourself, “What tangible things do I need to do to get there?”. As you come up with ideas of how to get there, break each of them down into smaller subtasks. Before you know it, you’ll have a step-by-step guide to achieving your marketing goals. Also, if you have staff, ask them for their input on how to achieve your goals because chances are they’ll be helping you with the tasks along the way.

Get your business crew involved

Speaking of staff, if you have a team, no matter how big or small, we always recommend asking them to contribute to your marketing strategy. It’s all well and good to come up with a plan that you’re super keen to stick to, but the people in your business may be less inclined if they don’t understand the process and the thinking behind the plan. And, while you’re likely super talented and have heaps of good ideas, your staff will too. You hired them for a reason!

Our suggestion is to start by getting everyone in a room (or Zoom call) together for a brainstorming session and see what brainwaves take shape. Encourage your team to give their input and let them know that you’re open to hearing all ideas, no matter how outside of the box they may be. Often, they’re the ideas that turn out to be the best and if everyone feels as though they’ve contributed, they’ll be more committed to the long-term success of the strategy.

Do what you want

Okay so we’re not saying you can just do whatever floats your boat. Obviously, when crafting a marketing plan there are various elements that are crucial for achieving success. However, there’s also room for the things you enjoy or particularly like getting your teeth stuck into. For example, if you want to work on your brand awareness that’s fantastic but there are so many ways to achieve that. And while you should always take a multi-faceted approach to your marketing strategy, you can choose which elements you’re going to invest more of your time and resources into.

You might be a whizz with social media and decide that one of the areas you’re going to focus on is executing a kick ass organic Instagram strategy. Alternatively, social media might not be something that you get particularly excited about. That’s fine, you can decide that it’s going to play a smaller role when it comes to building brand awareness and one of your main projects will be starting a podcast because you love speaking about your industry. Or that you’re going to invest in an iconic paid brand campaign because you nerd out over the analytics side of things. Adapt your marketing plan to suit you, because when you enjoy doing something you’re 10x more likely to stick to it!

Are you keen to build a marketing strategy that will leave you feeling highly accomplished at the end of 2022? Let us know if you need a marketing-strategy-obsessed team who will help you to craft a marketing plan that you’ll stick to every step of the way. We’ve also created a FREE Marketing Plan Workbook that will help you to start build your marketing strategy today. Head to our homepage now and enter your details to get it sent to your inbox!

Marketing plans can be make or break when it comes to achieving your marketing goals as well as your business goals. They come in all different shapes and sizes with some marketing plans taking half a day to write and others taking weeks. In our experience though, there are a few ‘must haves’ when it comes to crafting a successful strategy that’s going to have you placing huge ticks next to your objectives for the year. Here’s what they are:

Customer avatars

A customer avatar, also known as a buyer persona or customer profile, is a fictional character that represents your dream customer or client. Many business have two or three avatars representing different buying cycles. When creating a customer avatar, here’s what you need to consider:

• Gender
• Location
• Age
• Occupation
• Family
• Hobbies & interests
• Income
• What motivates them
• Challenges and fears
• And how your product can solve their problem

Researching and documenting these elements of your buyer persona helps you to understand what makes your client tick. When you know exactly who it is you’re speaking to, it will become much easier to tailor your language and present your brand/product in such a way that your target audience simply can’t ignore.

If you’re keen to find out more about customer avatars, this article by Forbes gives a pretty easy-to-understand explanation.

Forecasted spend

Time to talk numbers. We know that finances aren’t necessarily everyone’s jam but coming up with a marketing budget is essential if you want your strategy to succeed. When crunching the numbers, a good place to start is with your customer journey. Make sure you’re spending enough money on each stage of the journey, otherwise you could actually be preventing customers from getting to the bottom of your sales funnel.

For example, it’s great if you want to spend a lot of money on an ‘always on’ brand campaign. But if you aren’t spending any money on remarketing, then you’re likely losing potential customers between the ‘awareness’ stage and the ‘conversion’ stage because your marketing budget didn’t account for the ‘interest’ stage. So, regardless of how much cash you can afford to allocate,  make sure you’re mapping out your marketing spend strategically.

Marketing templates

It’s always a good idea to include some simple, go-to templates in your marketing plan because you’ll find they save you a lot of time and brain power throughout the year. Come up with some short, succinct responses that you can copy and paste (or automate) in response to customer enquiries in your Instagram comment section, your Facebook messages or via email. You’ll thank us later for this one!

90-day goals and 12-month goals

Including these two distinct types of goals in your marketing plan is a really effective way of making sure that your short-term strategy and your long-term strategy go hand in hand with one another. If you’re only setting yourself big marketing goals (i.e., 12-month goals or 5-year goals) then you’ll likely find yourself getting lost along the way. Having a 90-day goal system is ideal because it’s enough time to achieve something substantial that contributes to your bigger overarching goals.

Assess and adjust

Just because you make a plan, doesn’t mean that you have to stick to it like glue. It’s also important that you leave space in your marketing plan to assess your progress and adjust your approach so make sure you’re getting your team together every few months to have a look at your marketing plan and find out what’s working and what isn’t. Your marketing strategy should outline the kind of metrics you’ll be using to measure your success and it should include details on the kind of reports you’ll be running.

If, throughout the year, things aren’t stacking up exactly the way you had planned, that’s fine. It doesn’t mean you have to throw your entire marketing plan in the bin, it just means that you might need to switch up your tactics a bit. Leave some wiggle room and don’t be afraid to take a detour or two.

So, what are you waiting for? Get out that doc and start strategising! To help you get started, we’ve created a FREE marketing plan workbook that will guide you through your strategy, just head to our homepage now and fill out your details.

I am not one to make new year’s resolutions or set goals – but I definitely was one of those people once upon a time. Now I opt for visioning.

Meditating or if that’s not your jam, just simply imagining what the future looks like. Feels like. Smells like.

That’s how I really go clear about what I wanted out of life and how my business could serve that vision.

Determining my values was an important part of that process. In fact, I spent 2 years enquiring and asking myself how I could live a life by design.

What are values? They are your non-negotiables, things you live by.

My values determine who I hire in my business and the clients I work with.

Today I’m going to focus on one of my values – this one really lights me up.

We are Explorers

We are curious, adventurous and wild at heart. In life and in business.

We take this approach in all we do – pushing boundaries and moving out of our comfort zones and helping you move out yours so we can continually stretch, learn and grow. That’s where the magic happens.

I struggled with adventure in 2020 not only did I become a mumma but we were hit with COVID. Usually, my way of adventuring is some kind of holiday or extreme sports activity – given global circumstances and a little person now in tow that was kind-of hard.

So this year I challenged myself to find adventure and explore in the every day.

What does adventure mean to me and why is it important?

Adventure is stepping out of the comfort zone, it’s the urge to evolve and do – a becoming.

Adventure takes courage, bravery and BIG DREAMS. <<< this I have in spades.

To explore is to be curious – to follow a less trodden path, ask lots of questions to a stranger – allow the wild in your heart to be set free.

All these principles apply to me at work as much as they do in the everyday. Late 2020, I committed to stepping out of comfort zone. Actually marketing my marketing agency and being less afraid of working with clients outside of categories I knew well.

The thing I’ve learnt whilst running a business is, people want to work with you for your energy, passion and expertise. Not what designer handbag your sporting.

I’m not separate from my work identity I am me –  authentically me, and for a large part of my corporate career my work personal brand was very different to my life.

Today, I’m sitting here in my work out gear, with avocado stains on my shoulder from a big toddler hug this morning, working with clients I’m aligned with from the comfort of my home on the South Coast. Yes, I still dream of climbing or skiing a great big mountain to fulfil my need for adventure but instead stepping out of my comfort zone today is writing something more personal and unfiltered for my first blog post.

I hope it inspires you to enquire about your values and how you can live them within your business.

 

 

Nic