Diving into Purpose Marketing | Marketing for the Future
Marketing for the Future
Diving into Purpose Marketing
Read on as we begin to explore the Purpose Marketing campaigns that didn’t quite fulfil their purpose.
As a creative production company hell-bent on creating content and sharing stories that make a positive change, purpose marketing is a topic we regularly encounter. Brands have the potential to shift narratives and welcome change, and nowadays we see big names putting their weight behind campaigns that do just that.
But is there an actual purpose behind these so-called purpose marketing campaigns or are they spun out of thin air just to cater to the demands of a growing impact hungry audience?
Let’s take a look at some examples which demonstrate questionable approaches to mission-driven marketing, often to unwanted, if not disastrous effects.
Consider the infamous Pepsi Max campaign featuring Kendall Jenner which earned a barrage of criticism for co-opting the Black Lives Matter movement and trivialising the critical issue of police brutality. Pepsi’s exploitative approach to oppression and systemic racism was met with much uproar from the public, resulting in the ad getting pulled after only 24 hours. It became clear that social justice cannot be treated as a passing trend and has to be rooted in real activism and commitment to the cause. Capitalising on urgent global issues and human suffering did not end with Pepsi’s 2017 ad, unfortunately.
Not even a year later, Mastercard released their 2018 World Cup campaign, pledging to address child hunger by donating money for every goal scored by Lionel Messi and Neymar Jr. As it turned out, the public didn’t take well to toying with the critical issue of world hunger and many have denounced the campaign.
This example of purpose marketing fell well short of the mark of effective altruism, something every purpose marketing campaign should prioritise. Thankfully, Mastercard was able to correct the course of their campaign and instead pledged to contribute 2 million meals in collaboration with the United Nations’ World Food Programme.
Our next campaign in question, initially generated a positive response, even winning the UK’s Channel 4 Diversity in Advertising competition. Starbucks released the #whatsyourname campaign in early 2020 focusing on the topic of a trans man changing his name. On the surface, the ad was uplifting and encouraged a genuine message of acceptance and inclusivity. Alongside it came a pledge to donate up to £100k of cookie sales to trans kids charity ‘Mermaids’, showing the brand was taking some real steps to put their money where their mouth was. But there was another side to the campaign.
A number of people were quick to point out that Starbucks hasn’t always been a safe space for members of the non-binary and trans communities. The ad encouraged former transgender employees to come out and share their experiences. Many painted a picture diametrically opposed to the ad’s message. One ex-employee tweeted:
“Starbucks wouldn’t let me change my name on my login unless I legally changed it. They have also denied multiple trans employees’ requests for gender-confirming surgery. I have been outed by every manager about my trans identity without my consent.”
As hearts melted at the ad, Starbucks essentially circumscribed the real voices and authentic experiences of LGBTQ+ staff who had experienced hostility from within the company, with these voices then taking to social media to set the record straight. We are left questioning where exactly to place the campaign. Was it a well-played example of big corporations tuning into the demands of an increasingly critical and ‘woke’ consumer base, or an authentic step towards embracing diversity and inclusivity?
As mentioned in the first article of our series, one of the core principles of effective purpose marketing is practising what you preach. In this case, Starbucks seems to have missed the mark. However, by making such a bold advert they raised the bar for themselves just as much as for others to live up to the precedent.
Purpose marketing is picking up speed as demands for impact and transparency increase, fostered in part by the global pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement. The urgency for change is greater than ever, and the marketing landscape is following suit. And yet, as consumers sharpen their wits about corporate messaging, so brands are becoming more adept at addressing concerns on the surface whilst sweeping the detritus of their harmful capitalist decisions under the rug.
The campaigns that big brands create have a direct impact on society, and it is great to see communications including more voices and perspectives. Can brands change their course and use purpose marketing in a sustainable, responsible, and successful way? We believe so! But it does require a committed and intentional first step.
Stay tuned as we explore more purpose marketing case studies, celebrating the highs and analysing what we can learn from the lows.