We live in an age where consumers want more than just a good product. The growth of eCommerce means that there are endless alternatives for whatever product you are selling, from coffee to computers to cookie dough ice cream. Even having the best quality product does not guarantee that your company will rise to the top. Consumers are looking for a brand that resonates with them. They are looking for companies with a mission.
What makes a company mission-driven
Chandler Redding is a publicist with Otter PR, one of the top public relations firms in the US. Many of Chandler’s clients have boosted their brand’s appeal by leveraging their mission-driven ethos.
“A mission-driven company is one for which the business model is founded on a predetermined mission that is usually inherently ethical or moral,” Redding explains. “I have worked with several eco-conscious companies who conduct their business in ways to adhere to the principles of sustainability. Another form of mission-driven companies are ones that guarantee a particular range of outcomes, otherwise known as results-driven companies.”
One of the most well-known mission driven brands is Patagonia, a clothing company specializing in outdoor gear that not only pledges one percent of sales to nature preservation and restoration projects, but also utilizes environmentally sustainable and socially responsible processes in its manufacturing.
Toms is another company that stands out among mission-driven brands. By promising to give away one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair it sells, Toms popularized the one-for-one business model. Toms founder Blake Mycoskie describes mission-driven business as “conscious capitalism,” which he defines in his bestselling book Start Something That Matters as “creating a successful business that also connects supporters to something that matters to them and that has a great impact in the world.”
How a mission opens doors for better media coverage
Just like consumers, journalists and other media professionals are quick to focus on brands that have a mission they can support.
“Journalists use a variety of tactics to craft their stories through questions, the essential ones being the five W’s: Who, What, When, Where, and Why,” says Redding. “As millennials and Generation Z become a louder and larger audience, they hold more influence in what brands are relevant in society. They desire to connect with brands that have societal, functional, and emotional benefits for consumers and the greater good. That is what defines a mission-driven brand and that is the ‘why’ journalists are looking for.”
Redding has a client in the fashion industry whose brand is built on supporting Latin American communities. They provide eCommerce opportunities for fashion lines in Latin America to sell their clothing, making it possible for them to have a livable income, fair working conditions, and opportunities to promote and preserve their cultural traditions.
The unique mission that the company is founded on has garnered attention from InStyle, showing how any brand, no matter how small, can boost its reach and relevance by adopting a mission-driven business strategy.
When your brand is mission-driven, Redding recommends that its values always be out in front, whether on its website, in social media, in marketing, and especially in PR pitches.
“Typically, it is best practice for a company’s mission statement to be put out front so audiences immediately know what they’re about,” advises Redding.
Becoming a mission-driven brand
It is possible for your business to survive and even thrive without operating from a mission-driven model. Still, the benefits are clear, even when you only consider how much more interesting mission-driven brands are to the media. So, can any company become a mission-driven business?
“Yes, any company can become mission-driven,” says Redding. “It can be difficult to come up with your brand’s mission after the business has already launched, but it is better to revise a little of your business now rather than struggle to attract your audience at all in a culture where consumers want brands that align with their values.”
Being mission-driven allows your marketing to present more than just your product. Now you have a story to tell about supporting your brand is supporting a larger mission that makes the world a better place. Now you are casting a vision for consumers about how their purchase can not only supply their needs, but also make a larger impact in the world. That is the kind of marketing mission-driven brands can employ and that is the kind of marketing that gets results.
