So I recently heard a story that should put companies who talk about ‘brand purpose’ to shame.
I’ve written a lot about this subject, but this does it so much better.
Hell, it may even make Mr Weigel – who hates the bullshit spouted about this area of marketing – nod in agreement.
So way back in 1939, the Kansas Wheat realised women were using their sacks to make clothes for their children.
Rather than consider this a strange byproduct of their product packaging, they decided they would start putting designs on the sack fabric so they could make nicer looking clothes.
For many companies, that would be enough … considering this a great way to ‘market their purpose’, but the Kansas Wheat company went one step further.
A step that proved they genuinely cared rather than cared more about looking like they did.
You see they printed their logo on the sacks with an ink that would easily wash away … so the kids wearing the clothes wouldn’t face any stigma they’re wearing repurposed wheat sacks.
Given how much has been said and written about brand purpose, I hope this stops people spouting shit that ‘purpose’ is new or that it means you have to relinquish your commercial requirements to demonstrate it.
Because the key to it is not about the scale you claim you want to achieve, but how you do what you do every single day.