How is brand purpose defined? What are the different views? What do effective purpose campaigns have in common? This was presented at a #WARCxACA event in Toronto on August 1, 2018.

1. August 2018
Lessons from Award-Winning
Purpose Campaigns

2. 2WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Brand purpose is…
A reason for a brand to exist
beyond making profit.

3. 3WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
What purpose isn’t
Tactical marketing
A campaign for charity
A retro-fitted argument
CSR/philanthropy
Big brand specific
2
3
4
5
1

4. 4WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
4WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
The cynical view
• Brands and agencies have become overexcited at the
idea of purpose for creating communications platforms
and winning awards.
• Purpose has become a tired way to differentiate.
• The idea of a company committing an act of good is not
anything new, and dates back to the 19th Century.
• Brand purpose feels inauthentic, hypocritical and
shallow.

5. 5WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
5WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
The optimistic view
• Evidence supports purpose is a characteristic of top
brands:
• Stengel 50
• EY Beacon Institute and Harvard Business Review
• Interbrand’s 2017 ‘Best Global Brands’
• BrandZ
• Unilever example
• As Byron Sharp says, "if you're going to grow your brand
you have to increase your salience.” And what better way
than by having brands “improving the lives of [the people]
they serve,” in the words of Jim Stengel.

6. In an uncertain world where we
know that consumers are
increasingly values-driven, but
also cynical about the claims
brands make, purposeful
brands can and will win.
TOM KNOX
FORMER IPA PRESIDENT & CHAIRMAN, MULLENLOWE

7. Four themes from successful
campaigns

8. 8WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
8WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Tighter link between purpose and commercial objectives
71% Finalists described the success of their campaign
in achieving primary objectives as “considerable”
Success vs primary objective

9. 9WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
9WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
‘Low-interest’ brands look to purpose to connect
35% Finalists came from the financial services
or household/domestic industry
Industry sectors: Shortlisted case studies

10. 10WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
10WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Invest for the long term
43% Finalists cited six months or more
as timescale of their activity
Timescale of activity

11. 11WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
11WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Invest for the long term
89% Finalist campaigns that ran for six months
or more saw “considerable” success
Effectiveness by timescale of activity (all WARC Awards categories)

12. 12WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
12WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Purpose needs to be more integrated
29% Finalists who claim that their purpose-led campaign was
“very” well integrated into the broader marketing mix
How well integrated was your campaign into the marketing mix?

13. 13WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Brand purpose checklist
Does the purpose reflect your business’s
fundamental reason for being, its people's
core beliefs, its customers’ values?
Is the purpose impacting lives or genuinely
improving something?
Does the leadership buy into it?
Does it inspire your employees?
Does your communication align with your
purpose?
2
3
4
5
1
Does the business measure what matters
most and evaluate its operations and
people in terms of the purpose?
6

14. 14WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
14WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
Out Today: 2018 Cannes Lions Analysis Report
• Spoiler: Purpose with PR one of four themes
• In the report:
• 4 lessons from the winning cases
• Comments from the jury president and
members
• The inside story on Grand Prix winner,
Savlon: Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks
• 14 case studies
• WARC now part of the Ascential family
warc.com/cannesanalysis2018

15. 15WWW.WARC.COM © 2016
15WWW.WARC.COM © 2017
2018 WARC Awards Brand Purpose Winners

16. Get in touch
Eva Kasten
President, WARC Americas
EVA.KASTEN@WARC.COM +1 202 778 0680 2233 WISCONSIN AVE NW, SUITE 535, WASHINGTON, DC 20007, US