Different routes to finding your edge.
Brands founded with purpose at their core can succeed. For Action Brands like Tony's Chocolonely and Who Gives A Crap, their values are at the very core of why the business exists.
What they do is:
- Authentic: founded in company values and heritage
- Relevant: resonating with consumer concerns and connected to what they sell
- Lived: walking the walk and delivering real benefits
These brands compete on distinctiveness, product and price, but they also challenge much larger brands because their commitment to making things better resonates strongly with consumers who put social impact at the forefront of what they want from a brand.
Bigger, mainstream brands can also credibly connect with what people care about, if they do not lose sight of their ethical responsibilities and the real personal and economic concerns of the people they serve. Get that right and you earn the right to connect to a broader social agenda through tangible action.
Heartland Brands like Tesco, McDonald's and Nationwide and Unifiers like Greggs and Cadbury, are seen as having a positive impact on Britain while addressing category issues and genuinely bridging divides. Dove and Nike have built positioning with social issues at their heart. Barclays has used long-term cause-related campaigns to find hard-won category differentiation.
Awareness of specific causes a brand supports isn’t always high and that’s not the point. These brands create an overall sense that they deliver beyond core category needs, giving people another reason to choose them.