Brand Purpose and Its Impact on Communication and Customer Engagement
What is Brand Purpose?
Brand purpose refers to the reason your company exists beyond making a profit. It’s the deeper motivation that fuels your brand, guiding decisions and behaviors that reflect your values. A strong brand purpose aligns with both your business’s goals and the needs or values of your customers. In practice, this means a brand doesn’t just sell products or services—it fulfills a promise to make a meaningful difference.
Who Gives A Crap Originally an Australian brand, Who Gives A Crap operates with a clear purpose: to improve sanitation in the developing world. The brand donates 50% of its profits to help build toilets and improve hygiene. Their purpose drives every piece of communication, from their playful website to humorous, eco-conscious product descriptions. The brand’s transparency about their mission has turned customers into advocates, who engage not just because they need toilet paper, but because they want to support a company with a positive social impact.
Stone & Wood Brewing Co. Based in Byron Bay, with roots strongly connected to the coastal community of Queensland, Stone & Wood has built its brand around sustainability and community involvement. Their purpose is simple: to brew great beer while having a positive impact on the environment and local community. This purpose is reflected in their local sourcing, minimal packaging, and events that support local causes. Customers connect with Stone & Wood not only for its product but because of its commitment to protecting the community they love, thus fostering deeper engagement.
Flight Centre Travel Group Headquartered in Queensland, Flight Centre operates with a purpose centered on opening up the world for those who want to see it. Their focus on creating memorable experiences for their customers is not just a marketing strategy but a core element of their brand purpose. Through their communication, whether it’s travel guides or social media content, Flight Centre emphasizes the value of travel as a life-changing experience. This purpose resonates strongly with customers who view travel as more than just a transaction, making Flight Centre’s brand engagement deeply emotional and personal.
How Brand Purpose Drives Communication
A clearly defined purpose shapes how a brand communicates with its audience. Instead of merely promoting products or services, businesses with strong brand purposes use communication to tell stories that resonate with their values and mission. This creates authenticity, which customers increasingly seek out.
Who Gives A Crap frequently uses playful, yet impactful, social media campaigns and email communications that remind customers of their environmental mission, leading to high engagement rates.
Stone & Wood incorporates storytelling about the local community and sustainability initiatives into their marketing, connecting emotionally with their audience while promoting their product.
Flight Centre crafts their communications around the joy of travel, highlighting customer stories and the life-changing experiences travel brings, which fosters stronger connections with customers.
Customers today are more informed and socially conscious. They want to support businesses that align with their own values, and when a brand purpose resonates with them, they become more than customers—they become advocates.
Community Engagement: For Stone & Wood, the purpose of supporting the local community goes beyond product sales. They host local events, sponsor local causes, and participate in environmental conservation efforts, driving meaningful engagement that results in brand loyalty.
Social Media Connection: Brands like Who Gives A Crap connect with their customers through engaging, purpose-driven content. Whether it’s humorous posts about eco-friendly toilet paper or updates on sanitation projects, their social media strategy revolves around their purpose, turning customers into loyal followers and brand ambassadors.
Emotional Connection: Flight Centre taps into the emotional aspect of travel. Their marketing campaigns feature stories of personal exploration, discovery, and family vacations, which evoke strong emotional responses. Customers don’t just see them as a booking service but as a trusted companion in their travel journeys.
Translating Brand Purpose into Action
The strongest examples of brands with clear purposes are those that align their actions with their stated values. It’s not enough to have a purpose—it must influence the way a business operates and communicates at every level.
Sustainability Practices: Stone & Wood exemplifies this with its focus on sustainable brewing practices, sourcing ingredients locally, and reducing waste in packaging. Their brand actions back up their purpose, and customers notice.
Corporate Social Responsibility: Who Gives A Crap’s transparent reporting on their profits and donations shows customers exactly how their purchases make a difference. This trust strengthens the customer-brand relationship.
Customer-Centric Services: Flight Centre translates its purpose into action by curating highly personalized travel experiences for customers. Their travel agents offer tailored advice and solutions, making sure each journey reflects the customer’s desires and values.
A strong brand purpose is a compass that guides business decisions, communication strategies, and customer engagement. Brands like Who Gives A Crap, Stone & Wood, and Flight Centre in Queensland exemplify how a purpose that aligns with customer values can build not only loyalty but active engagement. By embodying your brand’s purpose through action and communication, your business can create lasting connections that go beyond transactions and foster real relationships with your customers.
