Forget Purpose. The World Needs a Progress Economy

Roe v Wade is being overturned. Even the mildest gun control rescinded. Governments are still seeking ways to delay climate action. And as economic tides begin to turn, we’re seeing increasing dissent about brand purpose from myopic shareholders reverting to type. The truth is, rather than retreating from purpose, now is the time for brands to drive progress.

Brand purpose is mostly misunderstood. Starting out defined as a strategic framework focused on ‘why’ a brand exists, rather than what it does, the creative industries quickly found a ‘shortcut’ to simply bolt some altruism onto a brand and shout ‘look at me’. Cue rainbow flag avatars, incongruous charity partnerships and inauthentic ‘commitments’. 

Well, brand purpose, like it or loathe it, was an essential evolutionary step in marketing. But at a time when governments are no longer trusted to force the changes we need to see in the world, it’s brands that the world is looking to to drive progress. 

Take Roe v Wade, for instance. Before we knew the outcome, agency network Zeno issued a memo urging its team to advise clients they ‘stay quiet’ about abortion rights. Declaring it’s a ‘textbook 50/50 issue’ the agency stupidly thought the right thing to do was to sit on the fence. It’s an archaic approach that is one of many reasons the communications industry has a bad name. 

Audience demands of brands have changed forever. Those that choose to sit on the fence simply end up with a fencepost up their ass. As Zeno found out. 

The backlash was damaging for the agency, just as its advice was for its clients. It’s not only Gen Z that are looking for values as much as value from the brands they love — its a growing, unifying psychographic profile spanning generations. 

In the Progress Economy, pretending the issues that matter to your audience don’t exist is patronising, not pragmatic. 

When I first read about this Zeno memo, it put me in mind of the moment the principled Alexander Hamilton meets Aaron Burr in Lin Manuel Miranda’s pioneering musical, Hamilton. Burr urges Hamilton to take his place on the fence in the name of safety. “Talk less. Smile more. Don’t let them know what you’re against or what you’re for,” he advises. 

Hamilton is incredulous: “The revolution’s imminent. What do you stall for? If you stand for nothing, Burr what’ll you fall for?” 

Now look at Disney — amongst others (including brands as varied as Apple, Nike, Adidas, Netflix, BrewDog, and Manifest), it has said it will reimburse travel costs for employees seeking an abortion in the US, following the Supreme Court decision on Roe v Wade that will make all abortion illegal in many states. I’ve picked Disney from the stable of brands doing so because as a household name, and indeed a family brand, the old world of marketing would see this move as particularly ‘risky’. The truth is, just as Disney proved in their disagreement with ‘Don’t Say Gay’ legislation that saw their share price temporarily impacted recently, they see standing on the wrong side of history as far worse. [Please, however, don’t take this as a ringing ethical endorsement of all that Disney does] 

The Supreme Court ruling will result in bans on abortion in many states, but lots of mainstream brands such as Disney, Netflix and Nike will subsidise travel for employees in those states seeking a legal abortion (Source: New York Times) 

But the significance here is not just Disney taking action — it’s how it is taking action that reflects a tectonic shift for brand custodians and marketers. This isn’t a gimmick or jumping on a bandwagon that helps differentiate the brand from its competitors. It is designed to inspire them. And to join the others doing the same. It’s a call to arms. Rather than competition, we are seeing the power of brand camaraderie. Community. 

It seems the progress economy is about collective action to drive cultural change. Unwavering Societal Positions over Unique Selling Points. 

It’s almost a reversion back to the original etymology of ‘Competition’, born from the Latin Competere and meaning, “action of seeking or endeavoring to gain what another is endeavoring to gain at the same time” Rather than the more modern focus on rivalry. 

This is not the cut-throat commercialism we are used to. It probably leaves some grey-haired boardroom dinosaurs scratching their heads (the same ones that should perhaps have come to this conclusion sooner instead of scratching their arses). 

And it’s the starkest example yet of the emergence of the progress economy; where a brand’s responsibility is not simply to nod in approval or sigh in dismay, but to act and to inspire action. Business is finding its own solutions to cultural, societal or even planetary challenges with more effect than the cynical and cyclical nature of politics. 

But this is by no means the first example of brand principles making way for brand activism of course. This is an emerging trend reaching a point of momentum. Patagonia, for instance, has been heralded as a purpose-driven brand in the past, but it’s actually one of the pioneers of this kind of progress economy. 

It understood early that its values not only meant it needed to act responsibly for our planet, but that as a globally-recognised brand it has the capacity to influence others — brands, customers and even governments — to act differently for the benefit of our planet too. The latter impact dwarfs the former in its positive impact, and it casts Patagonia not only as a successful brand but a significant one. 

For years Patagonia has been at the forefront not of Brand Purpose, but Brand Progress. It’s not only conscious of its own actions, but the action it can inspire in others 

What does this mean for brands and agencies? It means it’s no longer enough to stand for something — you must stand up for it. It means pushing forward the concept of success beyond vanity metrics, further still than value metrics. It means establishing clear and measurable virtue metrics. What is the progress your brand wants to move the needle on, and how will this campaign establish measurable cultural change? 

This isn’t about replacing existing marketing metrics, it’s about underpinning them with something strategic, something positive — something meaningful. Moving the needle on virtue metrics creates waves of impact across value metrics and the vanity metrics surrounding those. 

If you haven’t got a virtue metric, you aren’t inspiring progress. And if you aren’t inspiring positive progress, then what exactly are you doing? You’re certainly not purpose-driven. 

But please don’t take this article as advice to ‘bolt on’ progress in order to survive. Don’t make the same mistakes as those that ruined the perception of brand purpose. Progress, manifested as a virtue metric, isn’t how much you can donate to a charity. It’s how much real change you instigate. 

Take this as advice instead as a call to seek significance, not only success. Take it as a cue to be authentic in both your words and your actions. To step up when it matters. To inspire others to do the same. And to change the world for the better in your own way, every day. Because in the face of incompetent politicians, impotent political structures, polarised societies and post-truth media commentators, somebody f*cking has to.