Does your brand have an ambitious purpose?

At its simplest level, branding is a way to differentiate one business from another. But more than describing just what you do, brands that leverage the ‘why’ or an ‘ambitious purpose’ are able to create a more emotional connection with their customers that can influence their buying behaviour. 

Every business knows what they do. Some can describe how they do it differently from competitors, but few organisations can articulate WHY they do what they do. Visionary thinker, Simon Sinek, believes we should always start with the why. “When we communicate our purpose or cause first, we communicate in a way that drives decision-making and behaviour. It literally taps the part of the brain that inspires behaviour.”

According to a report by The Economist, a growing theme in leading brands is the concept of ‘ambitious purpose’ and that it should be central to the way a business operates. “Companies aspire to have a much larger impact on customers, consumers and the world. And these are brands that have experienced sustained growth,” claims Jim Stengel, ex-CMO of Procter & Gamble. “Everyone in the world wants to figure out what’s going on at brands like Red Bull and Nike. They are winning by being consumer-centric and driven by ambitious purpose.”

A local and successful example of putting an ambitious purpose at the centre of a brand is GraysWine.com.au. A new dedicated wine online retailer, now separated from its parent GraysOnline.com, required it’s own purpose - ‘We help Australia’s wine lovers discover their next favourite drop for a bargain price.’ This ambitious purpose is centre stage to the brand’s storytelling and is well articulated through the brand’s website where ‘discovery of bargains’ has driven both design and user experience.

So if you are building a brand from scratch, or looking for inspiration to tell your brand’s story, a great place to start is with your ambitious purpose.