This week, we're questioning one of marketing's most popular ideas: brand purpose. Writer and creative Nick Asbury makes the case that purpose isn't just ineffective, it might be actively bad for marketing and for society.
—Elena
Only 13% of women rate their looks as below average according to Dove research.
That finding came from the same research Dove used to launch its Real Beauty campaign. But Dove led with the stat that said only 2% of women describe themselves as beautiful. One number suggests most women feel fine about their looks, the other suggests a crisis.
"Purpose" has a research problem.
Where did brand purpose actually come from?
Asbury traces it to 2008. After the financial crash, corporations needed a new story to rebuild public trust. Somewhere along the way, "business does some good things" turned into "business exists to make the world better."
Is the research behind purpose any good?
Not really. Asbury points to Jim Stengel's influential study, which picked 50 successful companies, found something to call a "purpose," then credited that purpose for their success. Researcher Byron Sharp flagged the circular logic in 2013. Richard Shotton later tracked those same companies and found their performance dropped sharply in the years that followed.
What about Dove's Real Beauty campaign?
Dove's foundational research wasn't a scientific study. It was an opinion survey from a PR firm. The headline stat, that only 2% of women see themselves as beautiful, got the spotlight. The more reassuring finding, that most women don't even rank beauty among their top priorities, got buried.
Should companies be leading social causes at all?
Asbury says no, and not because causes don't matter. Public companies answer to shareholders first. That means they'll always gravitate toward causes that are safe for their brand, not necessarily the causes society needs most.
So what should marketers focus on instead?
Respect your customer's intelligence. Make one small part of someone's day a little easier or a little funnier. Asbury argues a good ad doesn't need a mission statement. It needs to be useful, entertaining, and honest about what it's actually selling.
"Good Intentions Lead to Bad Marketing: Why Purpose is Missing the Mark"
This Marketing Week article lays out Asbury’s argument against brand purpose in detail, including the research gaps and real-world examples that didn't hold up.
A test for real conviction.
"A principle isn't a principle until it costs you something."
— William Bernbach, Co-founder of DDB
This newsletter comes from the hosts of The Marketing Architects, a research-first show answering your biggest marketing questions. Find us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.