Making sense of purpose effects

To begin to understand these complex questions, GfK created The Purpose Impact Monitor, an ongoing research program to determine the real-world effects of cause-related marketing. Our first study – conducted in partnership with Thomas Kolster and Goodvertising Agency – focuses on 20 purpose-themed ads by a variety of major brands, from Toyota to Dove to TOMS. Using GfK’s Ad Fit Optimizer (AFO) system, we defined each spot’s ability to Fascinate, Imprint, and Trigger viewers, as well as capturing a range of practical and emotional brand affinity metrics.

The ads we studied fell into two broad categories:

traditional purpose ads – those that focus on the brand’s own beliefs and achievements, and
transformational purpose ads – a newer breed that celebrates what consumers have done or can do, with less emphasis on the brand itself

The notion of transformational purpose ads was first advanced by our partner Thomas Kolster in his book The Hero Trap; there he asserts that purpose marketing has already grown predictable, and that brands need to shake up their purpose strategies and creatives to have any kind of impact today. Transformational approaches can deliver this innovative punch to cause campaigns.

In May, we released top-line results from the first Purpose Impact Monitor study – but a deeper dive into that data has shed light on sometimes-surprising learnings about generational and other effects. It turns out that the generations sometimes have dramatically different reactions to purpose-driven advertising, which is essential intelligence for marketers. A few specific ads also tend to perform above average across generations; once an aspect draws viewers in, they simply get more out of these ads.