Purpose is what contributes to a sense of meaning and gives direction to our lives. It is the reason behind our actions and communications. In Public Relations, purpose-led storytelling helps brands align their PR and marketing messaging with their values, mission, and vision. Purpose-led PR is the driving force behind making a real impact through authentic brand storytelling. It is the way of humanising a brand and communicating not just about its products, services, and price points, but forming a deeper human connection with the consumers that goes beyond discounts and special offers. It shows that a brand cares deeply about a certain cause and reflects its company values that form the foundation of its daily operations. These sets of shared values that brands share with the consumers help them to better connect with them like a trusted ally and foster brand loyalty and brand advocacy. A brand that is truly committed towards environmental sustainability and the need to eliminate plastic has higher chances of contributing to environmental wellbeing, which in turn will positively impact people’s health. A brand that cares about the need to eliminate child labour from the society is more likely to contribute greatly to the same cause and a brand that cares about the need to remove cases of online or cyber bullying, phishing scams, and other cyber crime incidences, is more likely to result in more safe online spaces for youngsters and alike.
According to a report, over 60% of millennials and Gen Z prefer brands committed towards sustainability. As per a VML study, around 70% of consumers are moving towards purpose driven and budget conscious consumption in the year 2025 and nearly 82% of the consumers prefer brands which are more down to earth and authentic with 81% of the consumers inclined towards humility over humor.
Consumers nowadays are more connected to a brand’s purpose and what it stands for, including its values and beliefs, rather than what the brand simply offers to them. Authentic storytelling that is purpose-driven and makes a real impact goes a long way in forging genuine connections with consumers as they get to relate to the brand, further reinforcing the fact that a brand is more than just a corporate identity. Consumers are sometimes less concerned about what a brand has achieved in a certain financial year and more concerned about what real impact the brand has made in a year, either through its activities, initiatives, or storytelling. For instance, the Dove Real Beauty campaign is a great example of purpose-driven PR where the brand aimed to improve self-esteem among women and children. It intended to redefine the traditional beauty standards and posed a challenge to the beauty stereotypes, sparking conversations. Another example is of Colgate, which introduced the ‘Bright Smiles, Bright Futures’ campaign where it offered oral health education and dental screenings at no cost to children present all across the world. The programme had an impact on the lives of more than one billion children in as many as 80 countries.
Rural Indian children often do not have the habit of washing their hands thoroughly before having their lunch, which leads to illnesses and even school dropouts. ITC Savlon came up with this campaign called ‘Healthy Hands Chalk Sticks’ where Savlon introduced chalks which are infused with soap and distributed them among children in more than 100 schools in rural India. During lunchtime, their chalk sticks would turn into soap in contact with water, which encouraged good hand hygiene habits among them. Akshay Patra, which provides the largest midday meal programme in the world, collaborated with Savlon to distribute chalks infused with soap to more than a million kids, all across the country after getting approval from FSSAI.
Another example of a brand utilising natural and authentic storytelling to forge deeper connections with consumers is Sobisco Fresh, the bakery brand from the house of the legacy biscuit brand Sobisco, which recently did an influencer marketing campaign in nine of its outlets in Kolkata. The healthy and premium products focussed brand chose to transition from the usual paid promotion content, and leveraged the organic storytelling skills of the influencers to craft relatable and joyful moments for the youth and Gen Z residing in West Bengal, also touching across the urban households in the state catering to their regional tastes and preferences. The overall campaign received a great response and over 11 lakh impressions on digital media, resulting in 20% more footfall at the outlets.
The purpose of a brand is the ‘why’ or the reason behind its existence, and purpose-driven PR is what helps to express and communicate that ‘why’ with the world. Purpose-driven PR simply helps a brand to communicate and execute its brand messaging, which reflects its values, mission and vision, in the best possible way and allows the world to know what the brand truly stands for.
Most consumers are willing to spend their money and time on brands and products that have a shared set of values with them and are not only looking to elevate their business, but also have a sense of corporate social responsibility. Thus, purpose-driven PR emphasises the commitment of a company towards making a positive environmental and social impact, which aligns its brand activities and messaging with its core values and a greater purpose beyond just profit. It focuses on creating and promoting campaigns that make a difference rather than just offering products for sale. Purpose-led PR is the need of the hour, creating brand stories that make a real impact and bring a positive change in the world.
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