Blame it on Paul Newman.

In the 1980s, Newman and a friend made salad dressing one night, and thought it tasted good. So good, in fact, that they poured it into empty wine bottles and delivered it to some friends. Word quickly spread around town and, before long, people started to pay for the salad dressing. In the first year, they made over $300,000, and Paul Newman, at a loss, suggested they donate all the money to local people in need.

Then, less than two decades ago, Blake Mycoskie of TOMS Shoes pioneered the now ubiquitous “one-for-one” model in which, for each pair of TOMS Shoes purchased, another pair was donated to a child in need. He started in Argentina because he took a sabbatical there and saw the need firsthand in that community. This model was so successful that it spawned thousands of similar “buy-one, give-one” brands, all to fairly uneven success, but that didn’t seem to slow their proliferation. Fast forward through the last decade: Purpose, value, or mission-based products and marketing has shifted at a near warp speed from a “nice-to-have” to fashion’s most prominent “must-have” with 75 percent of customers saying they want to shop from a brand or service that shares their values.

From our perspective as communications professionals (and as human beings), the desire to do something good is, well, a good thing.  The problem, however, is that, in the past few years, it has ballooned into an oversaturated market in which the noise is very (very) loud, but the returns on this investment have been quieter, much to the consternation of those investing so ardently.

Today, companies know they need to provide a larger mission or value to their customers, and the question our clients consistently look to us to answer is: how do we communicate what we stand for, and will our customers even care?

The first thing we advise our clients is to remember that “values” mean different things to different people. For some brands, core values like environmentally sustainable practices (e.g. Patagonia) or philanthropic donations (e.g. FEED) are part of their DNA, but those particular (and currently popular) values may not be endemic to all brands, including yours.

This is a good thing.

In our experience, it is rare for anyone to start a company or create a product without something emotional driving that decision; it’s our job to work with them to rediscover the spark that inspired the idea in the first place. We encourage them to avoid the “one-size-fits-all” model if it’s not authentic and broaden their definition of values. Values can be functional. Values can be economic. Values can be emotional. Maybe a business was created to help people save time or money, so they could focus on other activities. Or maybe the intention was for people to feel confident in a moment of transition. Or maybe the founders suffered from a problem and wanted to share their solution. Perhaps the values are more social with a goal of connecting people in meaningful ways. When Paul Newman poured salad dressing into a wine bottle, he did not know it would eventually be responsible for providing over $600 million to charities; he just thought it tasted good enough to share and, because he started small, he was able to scale with purpose. Once we help clients get clear on their own, authentic values, it becomes easier for them to market those values and products in a way that resonates with their customer. This tends to lead to word-of-mouth endorsement and loyalty, which are solid gold to any brand, large or small. Often, we find that the “beating heart” was always there for these brands, but, amid the day-to-day of running a business and the natural urge to follow the wind of trends, it can get lost. This strategy does not only work for product-based brands and smaller companies, we have applied our approach to multi-brand retailers and national corporations, all of whom have been able to effectively rediscover and mobilize what truly sets them apart in the market.

It’s natural to assume that once a brand has found its “authentic self,” it’s off to the races, right? Wrong. Purpose-driven or values-based messaging is only part of a successful strategy; it is not a magic bullet. We repeat: It is not a magic bullet. In fact, while customers may claim values inform their brand loyalty, studies show that consumers still generally make the majority of their purchasing decisions utilizing more immediate factors like price, quality or convenience. This is not their fault; it’s hard to make good decisions when an item or service feels too expensive or difficult or tastes disgusting. We are hindered, in part, by an infrastructure and cost structure that has not caught up with the prevailing customer sentiment.  So, in lieu of magic bullets or viral campaigns that drive a ton of views, but not a lot of conversion, we prefer the metaphor of a three-legged stool. After all, a three-legged stool is an utterly useless piece of furniture unless all three legs are equally strong, and once we tap into a brand’s unique proposition, the positioning around the other relevant legs (like price and convenience, or quality of product) falls in line more holistically, creating a total, cohesive package that is both useful and relevant to a target audience.

Finally, we know transparency matters. There is nothing wrong with starting with a small, positive contribution and building your way up. We have witnessed too many companies and brands inflate their contribution or make promises they cannot keep to their great detriment. They invest dollars trying to mimic other brands, creating content and doling out marketing spend only to throw their hands up when they don’t see a major return on their investment or get called out by an ever-hawkish customer for deceptive advertising. It’s also important to remember that your values may not resonate with everyone and that leaning into values can be divisive for certain audiences. Brands have to prepare themselves for the reaction of customers who do not feel personally aligned with their chosen platform. This is where having a strong communications partner is critical; our job is to help brands navigate both proactive and reactive consumer messaging, so they’re prepared for every possible scenario.

This will be a pivotal year when it comes to how brands and companies approach purpose-driven businesses. For an ever more socially conscious customer, established values are currently a requirement with a potential upside if executed properly and as one element of a holistic brand strategy.

With over 20 years of experience shaping some of the world’s most iconic brands, Megan Salt understands how to make an impact.
A decisive leader and high-level organizational thinker, Megan co-founded Salt + Ruttner Communications to leverage her background and extensive global network in service to the individuals and brands who believe in their power to change the world.
Before launching Salt + Ruttner, Megan was the Head of Brand Marketing of Amazon Fashion, where she led internal and external public relations, creative services, events, media planning, social and editorial content, and brand partnerships.
She previously served as Director of Communications at VOGUE, reporting directly to Anna Wintour.

Julia Ruttner knows how to build a brand. A senior leader with decades of agency and in-house experience, Julia intuitively understands the vital importance of storytelling in the success of any business or organization.
At Salt + Ruttner, Julia partners with clients at all stages of growth, helping them to craft the kind of original, creative strategies that generate game-changing consumer and industry awareness.
Prior to co-founding Salt + Ruttner, Julia was a strategic consultant for some of the world’s best-known brands, including American Express, Target and Sony Music.
She was formerly a Vice President at HL Group and specialized in launching new and emerging brands including TOMS, A.L.C., Brooklinen, and Nili Lotan.