Consumers have begun to look beyond the product and at the purpose beyond profit. It’s no longer about selling soaps, it’s about saving lives.

Purpose is what galvanises an organisation to action. It’s a seed which grows to drive employees from within, often giving meaning to their work. It’s what inspires the consumers too. It’s not a mere slogan to be created by an agency and tucked away beneath the logo or printed on a handbook.

Why is it more relevant now?
Traditionally, marketers told consumers what they were supposed to want. Not any longer. Today, consumers are making choices based on certain values and purpose. People don’t “buy what you do” people “buy why you do.” Simon Sinek in his famous Ted Talk says, “the goal is not to do business with people who need what you have, but to sell to those believe in what you believe.” People stood in long queues to buy an iPhone, not just because it was a great product, but because they believed in what Apple was wanting to do. Every choice made by the consumer is driven by an internal purpose.

Consumers want to relate and share a sense of fulfilment in associating with a brand’s purpose. But brands that have a purpose can’t do it alone. They need collaborators and who better than their consumers. Together, you can make a difference.

Look at what Unilever has been doing with Dove and it’s work on self-esteem, Pureit and its efforts to provide access to safe drinking water at an affordable cost without the need for electricity or running water. Look at what BharatMatrimony is doing with its purpose of “creating a better Bharat through happy marriages.” They are making short films on their customers post marriage turning them into sheroes and heroes, through its guidance for newly-weds on www.happymarriages.com and workshops for the singles and the married.

What has changed consumers today? Technology and social media has empowered consumers to speak up. And engage with brands like never before in history. Social media has been a great enabler for change, to raise awareness and drive call to action. It has given consumers the right to talk about their choices and identify themselves with causes that align with them. Consumers are more interested in what you make happen, rather than what you make. The Swachh Bharat, Joy of Giving and Ice Bucket challenge campaigns are good examples of how people identify with a purpose and are willing to act upon it.

What do consumers want?
Commitment to consumers first, commitment to commerce next. They want brands to be transparent in what they do. They’re keen to know about a company’s sustainable methods of production, their inclusivity, their care for the health and wellbeing of society. They want to know if child labour was involved in making those products, were any banned substances used as ingredients, was racial discrimination practiced in any of its offices, did they provide equal opportunity for all, whether you serve the society around you, what causes does the company support, does your factory pollute the water bodies around it, what CSR programs do they support.

The new conscious consumer is looking closely at all this. It presents brands an opportunity to build trust and deepen the relationship with them.

Are you ready to share the purpose of your existence with them and let consumers own it?