What makes a purpose-led brand?

What does it mean to be truly “purpose-led” as a brand?

Let's look at the definition of “purpose”: 

pur·pose /ˈpərpəs /

Noun: The reason why something exists.

Brand purpose is thrown around casually so much these days, but having a brand purpose is not quite the same thing as being purpose-led or purpose-driven. 

To have a purpose is one thing, and every brand should have one - it’s your belief, your reason for existing. But being driven by purpose is another thing. It means every single business decision you make, you’ve chosen and committed to being guided by your purpose first and foremost - regardless of whether this slows your growth or profits.  

As you can imagine, this is no easy feat - your growth will most likely be slower than if you took an easier route, and weren’t making sure every decision and action was aligned and intentional. 

But brands guided by their purpose are much more likely to build positive and authentic relationships with their customers - we expect more these days. 

And, businesses that are purpose-driven grow more slowly than their competitors.

For fashion brand Omnes, this meant using inclusivity as a lead message around affordable sustainable clothes and being transparent about their production process. They do this by:

👉 Partnering with climate organisations (Earthly) and backing sustainability programmes.

👉 Helping their customers join them in their purpose for a more sustainable future.

👉 Telling relevant and positive social impact stories to keep customers feeling good.

Staying aligned with your purpose as you grow costs businesses time and isn’t always the fastest route. But being purpose-led means:

•  Helping your customers participate in your purpose & understand the impact they’re making by choosing you.

• Being transparent about your beliefs, processes, choices, and business, sharing stories and news as you go.

• Committing to doing business in an honest, intentional way to create positive change in the world – and taking action.
  
  So, to recap, 

💰 Your purpose must cost you something – time, profit, effort

💡 Your purpose guides every single business decision

 🌎Your purpose must stand for something bigger than what you sell

🏃‍♀️ You must take action towards your purpose, not just talk about it.