GfK research has shown that enhancing a brand’s ability to be loved, relevant and meaningful – being a catalyst for creating change – will also boost its capacity to build long-term value, or equity. And while a few brands have corporate social responsibility (CSR) baked into their core identities, most are still struggling to find their ways with a variety of purpose-driven messages and creatives.
These campaigns may have the best of intentions, but they also represent major brand investments and need to be measured against some standard. If they are trying to enact global change – and build brand loyalty in the process – how are they doing? Surprisingly, purpose ads have rarely been compared, side by side, for actual effect. Is all of this good feeling actually moving the needle with consumers – in terms of awareness, engagement and motivation to take real action?