Read how brands use purpose-driven marketing as a sales tool and as an integral part of their value propositions.
Purpose-driven marketing is all about aligning a brand’s mission with its values to create a deeper connection with consumers. By focusing on a social or environmental cause, companies can connect more meaningfully with their audience and build stronger brand loyalty. But it’s not as simple as selecting a cause and launching a campaign.
In this guide to purpose-driven marketing, we’ll explain the meaning and importance of purpose-driven marketing and then show some examples of brands that do it well.
Purpose-driven marketing is the strategy of aligning external communications, brand identity, and marketing activities with a meaningful cause. The central cause could be environmental, social, philanthropic, or economic, but it must be baked into the identity of the brand. Ideally, it’s also integrated into the founding story and the central operations of the business.
Warby Parker is a great example. The direct-to-consumer glasses brand connects breaking up a monopoly on prescription glasses in the US with a critical global issue of access to both exams and eyewear with its core belief: “We believe everyone has the right to see.” Through its non-profit partners, Warby Parker’s philanthropic program donates a pair of glasses for each one sold. The company’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program has distributed more than 15 million pairs of glasses.
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Corporate social responsibility has been in the news more regularly over the last several years. The 2016 election, the onset of the 2020 pandemic, and Gen-Z’s aging into the workforce have motivated the trend. But not all marketing that relates to causes is purpose-driven marketing. Sometimes, it falls in the category of cause marketing.
Here are the key differences.
Plenty of companies run short-term marketing campaigns for socially responsible causes, whether it’s connected to a specific time of year, product launch, or special initiative.
Companies with purpose-driven marketing strategies have their support for these causes integrated into the business operations and values, so the commitment is longer-term.
With purpose-driven marketing, social responsibility is a part of the founding mission of the company.
With cause marketing, companies partner with nonprofits, offer direct support, or call attention to an issue. This is great but not a core part of the brand’s identity.
Cause marketing doesn’t always require business operations, but purpose-driven marketing does. Think Warby Parker’s Buy a Pair, Give a Pair program. That scale and direction require operational support, including integration in any financial forecasting.
Coca-Cola recently introduced plant-based bottles. While supporting the environment is an excellent cause, it’s not a cornerstone of the brand’s mission or identity, so it’s not purpose-driven marketing.
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Purpose-driven marketing strategies can make a big difference in the world. But they also have benefits for businesses that practice them. They’ll help win loyal customers, increase brand recognition, retain and engage employees, and even increase profits.
If you’re running a small business or managing the marketing for one, you’re thinking about customer acquisition. The biggest business benefit of purpose-driven marketing is winning loyal customers.
Last year, Toms of Maine—a brand committed to natural products and giving back to its community—commissioned a study of 2,000 Gen Z and Millennial consumers to learn about values and habits. The results were clear: 80% of respondents base their purchases on a brand’s mission or purpose, and 85% would rather spend more money on a better, more sustainable product than its lower quality, lower cost alternative.
If you’re considering incorporating purpose-driven marketing into your business model, know that consistency in your marketing, mission, and practices is key to keeping these loyal customers, though. 84% of consumers say that unsustainable practices will alienate them from a brand.
By spending time online, we’re all seeing hundreds—if not thousands—of ads each day. Throw in all the influencer mentions, sponsored content, organic social media posts, and brand placement in shows and movies, and you can see how we’re constantly taking in branding.
In this environment, you want to give your small business every opportunity to stand out and find more ways to get your brand recognized.
Purpose-driven marketing creates a strong and memorable brand story, as the commitment to the cause is central to the company’s origin. Stories are remembered up to 22 times more than facts, helping your customers and potential customers remember your brand.
Your brand is also more likely to get positive press mentions. Research shows that companies with stronger commitments to corporate social responsibility receive more press coverage overall and, in this coverage, are perceived more favorably.
Aligning your business with a cause can help foster more passionate internal advocates, too. And this can impact your brand recognition and customer relationships. In fact, 65% of consumers report that a brand’s employees and its CEO can influence their purchases. This leads us right to the next benefit of purpose-driven marketing.
The next major benefit of a purpose-driven marketing strategy is attracting, engaging, and retaining employees. 80% of employees consider working for a company with values that align with their own extremely important.
People want to feel connected to the work they’re doing, and this is becoming more true as Gen Z begins to make up a larger percentage of the workforce. Deloitte found that, compared to other generations, Gen Z is more concerned about a company’s ethical standards and social impact. Last year, Deloitte also found that 40% of Gen Z and Millennials have changed career plans because of their urgent and escalating concerns about climate change.
This is another area where commitment to your mission is critical. If you’re attracting passionate employees, your company needs to stay true to its core values in order to keep them engaged at work. And if you’re able to keep your employees engaged, you’ll see real, tangible benefits to your business.
Employee engagement corresponds with productivity and presence, which translates to profitability for your business. Gallup found that companies with engaged employees see a 17% increase in productivity and 41% less absenteeism. These same companies are also 21% more profitable on average.
The potential increase in profits is also directly attributable to purpose-driven marketing. Project ROI found that companies with strong commitments to social responsibility have a 6% higher market value and generate 20% more revenue.
Those are some significant gains.
Now that we’ve covered purpose-driven marketing and why it’s an effective business strategy, let’s go over some effective examples from various businesses and marketing channels.
Lush is a beauty and cosmetic company founded with clear intentions to use better ingredients and avoid animal testing. Now, the company hosts a competition for animal testing alternatives and has donated more than $2 million to this cause.
This social responsibility is core to the brand, and they make sure to use that in their marketing. Take a look at the SEO copy that appears on the Google search engine results page (SERP).
The copy is informative. It’s clear that the company offers hair care, skincare, and bath products. But the copy shares more without getting repetitive—the ingredients are “fresh,” the hair products are “zero-waste alternatives,” and the products are “Vegetarian & Cruelty-Free.” This is an excellent use of space, fitting this commitment to social causes into short snippets of SEO copy.
All this and inventing the bath bomb? Amazing.
Cuddle + Kind makes handmade, organic, safety-certified stuffed animals for babies and children. The full-size knit animals have outfits, names, and birthdays. They also each have a wristband that shares the company’s philanthropic mission of donating 10 meals for each doll sold.
Cuddle + Kind donates proceeds from each sale—not just the full-size animals—to combat child hunger. The brand shares that since launching in 2015, it has helped provide 31 million meals for children in need.
This worthy mission makes it into the company’s Google Ads copy.
My favorite thing here is the description line, “Believe in the gift you give.” It’s a lovely sentiment that frames the product as a wonderful purchase. It’s a gift that’s good for more than just the recipient.
TOMS is a shoe company that was launched in 2006 with a one-for-one shoe program. For every pair of original iconic flats sold, the company would donate a pair.
In 2019, after significantly expanding its offerings with more shoe styles and accessories, TOMS changed its commitment to social impact. Instead of one-for-one donations, TOMS allocated a third of its profits for giving, including grants and donations. The business was able to evolve this without changing its brand identity. Giving is still its core value.
The website does a great job of capturing this value and putting it front and center with a tab in the main navigation for its Impact page. Take a look at the hero copy of the Impact overview page below.
The copy here emphasizes a continuation of the same mission: “to improve lives” and “drive sustainable change.”
Emphasizing your brand’s impact and commitment to its core values doesn’t always have to be serious in tone, especially if it doesn’t align with your brand personality.
Blueland is a cleaning product brand created with a simple mission: to prevent single-use plastics by making eco-friendly alternatives easy to find and use. I recently switched to Blueland laundry tablets. They come in a sleeve of brown paper packaging, and I’m never going back to lugging a clunky jug of free-and-clear back from Target.
The brand is light, clean, and youthful, and its commitment to environmentalism is enthusiastic and matter-of-fact. Here’s an excellent example of how Blueland uses this in small moments, including the website footer call to action to join the newsletter.
The joke in the headline and the promise of no spam and no waste? Sold.
I love Viv’s marketing. The period care company is committed to toxin-free ingredients and sustainable solutions.
This sounds serious, and it is. But Viv doesn’t let the severity of these issues weigh down its storytelling or its brand. It’s an excellent decision considering its target demo of young buyers.
Viv speaks to its younger audience, who are concerned about comfort and sustainability—those looking for smaller, better alternatives to major players in the market.
Viv’s brand is youthful and playful. It uses casual confessional videos, bright contrasting colors, lots of emoji, and conversational copy. This is consistent in its social media posts, on its website, and in its email marketing.
Here’s a recent example of an email that I received with a celebratory subject line: “WE HIT A SUSTAINABILITY MILESTONE”
Sending an email to let customers and potential customers know about what’s already happened is compelling. It calls attention to the fact that other period care products are still kicking while Viv is offering a tangibly better alternative. With all the greenwashing claims in marketing these days, this focus on a tangible milestone is perfect.
Patagonia might be the best, most well-known example of a company committed to purpose-driven marketing. The brand has made news for its anti-consumption marketing decisions, including a full-page ad in The New York Times urging readers not to buy the jacket and a decision to cease production of iconic logo-branded vests and other gear.
These unconventional marketing tactics align with the company’s core values, including its promise “to make products that give back to the Earth as much as they take.”
Patagonia’s Stories We Wear is an incredibly moving long-form video series. Each installment features one person who reflects on the emotional importance of one item of clothing.
For example, Patagonia ambassador and runner Jenn Shelton focuses on a jacket she wears often. It’s one that she wore hiking with her son in the Dolomites. Novelty doesn’t have the same appeal, she says. “I don’t get that dopamine hit when you get a new thing the way I get a dopamine hit when I put on an old piece.”
The series underscores Patagonia’s environmental concerns and anti-consumerism message to buy less and make it mean more.
Jiminy’s might be my new favorite brand name. The company creates dog food that’s more sustainable than its meat-based counterparts, saving hundreds of gallons of water per bag and producing next to no greenhouse gas emissions, all by using insect-based protein. (Get it, crickets?)
The sustainable dog food brand leverages user-generated content across their social media, particularly on Instagram. This is an excellent call, taking advantage of the adorable pups who enjoy their product and celebrating their consciously consuming owners.
Just look at this good (insect protein-loving) boy.
We went over a lot in this guide, including what purpose-driven marketing is, its potential business benefits, and some excellent examples. If you’re launching your startup or rethinking your small business brand, consider how a purpose-driven marketing strategy might benefit your business and the world in which it operates.
