The IPA seeks evidence on brand purpose

A new report from the IPA seeks to elevate the debate about brand purpose by identifying particular steps practitioners can take to increase the quantity and quality of evidence about whether or not purpose has contributed effectively to the desired outcomes of individual, for-profit brands.

A definition 

The IPA defines purpose as the reason a commercial brand exists beyond maximising profit to produce other meaningful forms of positive impact for individuals, societies, or the environment. It communicates both an organising principle for action in the brand’s present and an aspiration for its future.

Five steps for practitioners 

1. Keep evidence centre-stage by investing in capturing and evaluating the full potential impact of the brand’s purpose activities on all relevant measures, especially on non-financial outcomes.
2. Always ask what part of outcomes were driven by purpose itself and what were due to how purpose was translated into initiatives and creative messaging. What might have happened anyway with effective, non-purpose-related activities and similar levels of investment?
3. Make efforts to prove which, if any, elements of purpose marketing are long-term, defensible positions for the brand and less vulnerable to being imitated.
4. Emphasise new learning and thinking about purpose, as practice in this area evolves fast.
5. Choose whether to talk about it at all. Brands such as Guinness and John Lewis are part of organisations committed to purpose at a corporate level, but this has not played a significant part in advertising effectiveness case studies.

 Key quote 

“It is our view that the biggest challenge for purpose-oriented marketers today lies in isolating and quantifying the specific impact purpose makes on outcomes from that attributable to other brand activities. Until purpose-oriented marketers account for the contribution of purpose more convincingly, they are unlikely to win over their critics.”” – Janet Hull OBE, Director of Marketing Strategy, IPA.

You can download the free report from the IPA website. The IPA will also be a hosting a free, virtual industry event to discuss ‘Purpose in Perspective’ tomorrow – 3-4pm, Tuesday 18 January. Find out more and register to attend at IPA | Purpose in Perspective.