For this research, GfK partnered with Thomas Kolster and Goodvertising Agency to explore the good, the bad, and the ambivalent in purpose advertising. In his book The Hero Trap, Kolster argues for a new breed of purpose marketing – one driven less by glorification of the brand itself (“The Hero”) and more by inspiration and empowerment of consumers themselves. Kolster has labeled this new approach to purpose transformational branding.
To put some finite findings around purpose ad effectiveness, then, GfK and Goodvertising identified 20 creatives in two broad purpose categories:
Traditional Purpose - focusing on good works by the brand itself, with various degrees of transparent branding (even unabashed “hyping” at times). These ads are somewhat more likely to contain brand cues throughout the story.
Transformational - ads that celebrate the consumer as hero, telling what they can do or have done, and treating the brand itself as a supporting player.
While some of the ads measured fall clearly into one category or the other, the distinction is not always crystal clear. But we have called out some of the clearest examples of each type, as well as looking at purpose advertising overall. Our goal – to establish a knowledge base to help clients navigate this new communication path, and to identify potential new ways to think and talk about purpose.
