Purpose-Driven Target Audience Engagement ReviewSustainable Progress? Assessing marketing strategy for efficacy against the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals

Purpose marketing is one subset of the purpose ecosystem, a change-oriented sustainability environment in part led by the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The UN sustainability goals are calls to action, a long-term vision, and provide a global framework to support nations collectively to eradicate poverty, promote social inclusion, protect the environment, international cooperation to meet the goals, and measurable targets for achieving the goals (The 17 Sustainable Development Goals, 2015). Purpose-driven marketing aligns a brand’s mission and values with societal goals, particularly those outlined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The purpose is to create meaningful connections with consumers by demonstrating commitment to social, environmental, and economic sustainability. The connection between purpose-driven marketing and the UN SDGs lies in leveraging business for positive change, promoting sustainability, and addressing global challenges while driving brand success. However, whether organizations successfully make these connections is still to be determined. The UN SGDs provide a useful framework for discussing the role of purpose-driven marketing in current academic literature and its value in connecting to a manageable, coherent target. However, a miniature review of the literature determines the efficacy of this hypothesis.

            Stubbs et al. (2022), in their review, The Purpose Ecosystem and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Interactions Among Private Sector Actors

and Stakeholders, challenges the notion that businesses exist to maximize profit and, increasingly, purpose-driven businesses are emerging to fill social and environmental purposes, not just a financial purpose. Stubbs et al. (2022, p.1100) used “Hervieux and Voltan’s (2018) approach to conceptualizing the purpose ecosystem, whereby actors create favorable systems to support their purpose-driven activities. The purpose ecosystem has a social entrepreneurial approach. It provides an infrastructure to enable social and economic change.” According to the authors, “there are two dominant tactics to cultivate a purpose ecosystem: 1) education that provides social entrepreneurs with the skills they need to solve social problems and become a ‘changemaker’; and 2) a collaborative and ‘favourable’ environment to support actors’ success to promote the common good. (Stubbs et al., 2022)” Their research provides an effective framework for assessing organizational goals for efficacy in purpose-driven marketing strategy. By connecting the UN SGDs and purpose-driven marketing to a recognized framework with built-in assessment metrics, organizations can effectively assess whether they are meeting their chosen social and environmental purpose. Organizational growth occurs if this purpose is being met, and success metrics can be validated from the purpose-driven marketing campaign. The organization can effectively assess and report to stakeholders that their organizational strategy and purpose are indeed meeting effective and producing purpose-driven results. Of additional interest is that Stubbs et al. (2022, p. 1101) used an “interpretivist mode of inquiry using a qualitative research design [which]… views the social world as the world interpreted and experienced by its members from the ‘inside’.” Their framework for assessing purpose-driven marketing can be examined and contrasted with other organizations for efficacy.

Pillai and Ramakrishnan (2024), in Purpose-Driven Branding: A Perceptive Brand Strategy for Impactful Connections, offers a “deep dive into how purpose-driven brands can differentiate themselves, earn customer loyalty, empower employees, and boost sales through a comprehensive analysis.” The authors use large multinational corporations to outline and explore the “transformative potential of purpose in driving positive change and enhancing brand reputation”, to inspire others, align with Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) topics, and to encourage employee and external stakeholder motivation. Pillai and Ramakrishnan (2024, p. 21) suggest that “by aligning brand purpose with values, organizations can create meaningful and lasting connections with stakeholders to drive success in a dynamic market.”  The authors suggest that purpose-driven values, as reflected in purpose-driven marketing, will create a higher standard of organizational success and values.

Ahuvia et al., (2022),  in “Towards a theory of brand love in services: the power of identity and social relationships,” explore the idea that consumers are connected to brands and thus organizations because those organizations use specific tactics and marketing strategies to help them feel a connection to other consumers and to define their identity through that connection: “The connection between social relationships with other consumers and brand love is mediated by the consumer’s level of perceived membership in the community. For some consumers, perceived membership grows to the point of becoming perceived psychological ownership of the community, where the consumer feels a sense of responsibility for the brand’s and the community’s well-being.” This connection to identity and purpose is useful to purpose-driven organizations seeking to enhance their profile and status, thus claiming market share.

The three articles discussed in this miniature literature review suggest that purpose-driven marketing, when connected to a strategic and assessable framework like the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (2015), that consumers can create connections with one another (Pillai & Ramakrishnan, 2024) and that this social identity will create brand loyalty and lastly connection (Ahuvia et al., 2022). This lasting connection and sense of loyalty to a common good is the goal of purpose-driven marketing. This sense of belonging ensures consistent sales, enduring consumer connection, and brand loyalty. Purpose-driven marketing is thus a strategic framework that helps an organization stand out from its peers, ensuring profitability and organizational success.

Resources

Ahuvia, A., Izberk-Bilgin, E., & Lee, K. (2022). Towards a theory of brand love

in services: the power of identity and social relationships. Journal of Service Management, 33(3), 453–464. https://doi.org/10.1108/josm-06-2021-0221

Pillai, S., & Ramakrishnan. (2024). Purpose-Driven Branding: A Perceptive Brand

Strategy for Impactful Connections. The IUP Journal of Brand Management, 21(2), 20–37.

Stubbs, W., Dahlmann, F., & Raven, R. (2022). The Purpose Ecosystem and the United

Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Interactions Among Private Sector Actors and Stakeholders. Journal of Business Ethics. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-022-05188-w

The 17 sustainable development goals. (2015). United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/goals