How Clorox thinks about purpose

Brand purpose has often been presented as being “much more fancy than it actually is”, according to Linda Rendle, chief executive of The Clorox Company, the consumer packaged goods manufacturer.

How Clorox defines brand purpose

• Speaking at the dbAccess Global Consumer Conference 2022, Rendle outlined how Clorox thinks about this issue.
• “Purpose is about knowing your stakeholders and then acting in a way that's consistent with what’s important to them and that drives why you do what you do,” she said.
  
• Based on this thinking, Clorox has developed its own clear set of objectives. “For us, [our] purpose is: We want to put people at the center of everything we do. We champion people to be well and thrive.
  “And in order for people to live a good life, we have to have a healthy planet. We have to have a healthy social structure. And so we make choices consistent with our brands to do that.”

Turning theory into practice

• Sustainability is a critical element of its strategy, such as reducing its use of original-use plastic and fiber packaging by 50 by 2030%.
• The company has also committed to achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, a goal benefitting the planet and letting consumers act in accordance with the values.
• “That is an important way that we create value for the people that we serve. To give them options to be more responsible: that’s important to them,” Rendle said.
  
• Improving the quality of life by making more effective products is another aspect of its approach, as tasks like household clearing are “not the most joyous thing to do”, she added.
• “So the way you create value is you make it easier for people. You make it a better experience,” Rendle said.
  

The big idea

“That’s all purpose is to us. It’s really about being as human-centered and people-centered as possible, and then knowing that’s how we create value over the long-term by meeting those people where they are” – Linda Rendle, CEO, The Clorox Company.