It is not easy to tell a brand of this caliber where it should aim its communication and positioning efforts, especially if it seems that the brand has done everything right. It is worth saying that this is where a good strategist stands out, since it is not just a matter of guessing and proposing to the brand that, like sailing boats, move “to where the wind blows”, to where the trends dictate on Instagram and TikTok or market studies, but it is necessary to apply precise methodologies to identify what its opportunities are for the future, in such a way that it not only stays alive and relevant, but also manages to leverage the success of your business.
In that discussion, of course, the reflection “the brand is already doing quite well” arose. It was such a traditional brand in the homes of consumers that everyone knows it and recognizes it for its quality. But when we ask ourselves “and, beyond its products, do people know everything that the company and its great brand bring to people’s lives and why?” There was a silence.
Being known and recognized worldwide for good quality does not mean that you are doing everything right, and even less among the new generations for whom being a “traditional brand” is almost synonymous with being “a brand from my parents’ time… a Mark vintage”. For these new generations, it is not enough to be a good product with a great brand, it is necessary to connect on another level. Consumers under 30 years of age will gradually become those with the greatest purchasing power, as has always happened, and if brands fail to become relevant to them, who have different priorities, they are in danger of disappearing.
What did this great brand need then to ensure success in the next 10 years? Communicate your purpose. Bingo! That famous purpose that today more than ever is relevant to the younger generations: why does a brand exist and why should I care? And yes, the answer of course includes a sales target, but it cannot stop there, because the fact that the brand only exists to sell only matters to its shareholders.
The brand today must communicate its reason for being in the market to connect with the values of the new generations. The big difference between a sales-oriented brand and a purpose-driven brand is that the former is motivated by making money, the latter is motivated by a passion for something. Which of the two will be easier for consumers to connect with?
It was Simon Sinek the creator of the concept “The Golden Circle” who revealed in his book “Start with Why” a pattern that, according to him, great leaders and companies follow in common: they begin by defining their purpose through a simple methodology. First they ask themselves “why they exist”, then they identify how that makes them different and, finally, they land it on a product or service. In this way, the consumer does not only buy a product, he buys a cause with which he feels identified. He does not buy the “what” but the “why”.