A guest post from Minter Dial a leader in branding, leadership, and transformation. We met through LunchClub.ai
If I sell shampoo, conditioner, or widgets, do I need to have a bigger purpose?
If you’re in marketing, you’ll know how commonplace it is to hear talk about “having a purpose.” For many brands and companies, a purpose seems unnecessary, too abstract, or merely elusive. It is a little like good sex or quantum computing; there are many talks, but not a lot of action.
But if you sell widgets (code name for an unremarkable product), does it matter that you don’t have a lofty purpose? Do you need one? While it may not be indispensable, I believe purpose can make a significant difference, especially over the long-term.
Beacause I’m Worth It
When I worked for L’Oréal, I had the privilege to run the professional haircare brand, Redken Fifth Ave NYC, worldwide. We made shampoos, conditioners, color, and perm products for hairdressers. We were in 40 countries and ranked as the fifth-largest brand in the professional industry.
Our products were excellent, but so were those of our competitors, especially for the sister L’Oréal brands, where the laboratories were the same. Existing among a portfolio of professional brands within L’Oréal, where so many policies and back-office elements — including personnel — were shared among the other brands, the levers to distinguish yourself are reduced.
It was strategically crucial for Redken to stand out in every possible way. For this, we went about marking everything with the Redken imprint. This included all our different services, internal protocols, and even making the shape of our iconic haircare bottle non-standard.
We looked at creating a Redken look & feel across the board — in both form and function. But the area where we developed the most powerful way to stand out was by leaning into our unique history and what we stood for: our mission.
Our mission was: Earn a better living, live a better life.
Purpose Comes Alive
By making our purpose come alive, starting notably with all the employees working for Redken, we created a deeper bond and a sense of belonging. And when we went through the crisis of 9/11, we were able to steer through the tumultuous times by staying true to our purpose.
You would be right to raise eyebrows in wondering how we could live a better life while selling shampoos to hairdressers. At first blush, it may seem far afield. Still, when you recognize how vital a hairdresser is to his/her community, you can see how having a healthy and happy hairdresser can bring great joy and beauty to a broader group, thus spreading how to live a better life.
Even if you’re selling widgets, there is most likely a good reason why your widget exists. If it’s not immediately apparent, start by digging into your history. Otherwise, consider how the widget fits into a bigger picture.
If the widget were, say, a rivet used as part of making a container ship’s hull, then you’re participating in making trade circulate safely around the globe. Every widget serves some purpose. And when you tie what you’re doing into a bigger raison d’être, you will find it easier to make the tough decisions.
You’ll know why you exist and, in so doing, will help generate a more motivated team, energized by the fact that they understand why they count and how they contribute, even in a small way, to making the world go round.
Not every brand is destined to have a monumental purpose. But even the smallest of brands can benefit from identifying a raison d’être beyond profits. It needs to feel real and useful.
Your job as a marketer is to make it come alive from the inside-out. A clear mission can help untangle a brand’s purpose.
This guest post is from Minter Dial is an international professional speaker, elevator, and multiple award-winning authors, specialized in leadership, branding, and transformation. An agent of change, he’s a three-time entrepreneur who has exercised twelve different professions and changed country fifteen times. Minter’s core career stint of 16 years was spent as a top executive at L’Oréal, where he was a worldwide Executive Committee for the Professional Products Division.
He’s author of the award-winning WWII story, The Last Ring Home (documentary film and biographical book, 2016), as well as two prize-winning business books, Futureproof (2017) and Heartificial Empathy (2019). His latest book on leadership, You Lead, How Being Yourself Makes You A Better Leader (Kogan Page), was released in January 2021. He’s been the host of the Minter Dialogue weekly podcast since 2010. He is passionate about the Grateful Dead, Padel Tennis, languages, and generating meaningful conversations. @mdial / minterdial.com
Photo by George Bohunicky on Unsplash
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