How many times a week do you read an article about brand purpose or hear a marketer talk about a purpose-driven campaign to build their brand? Purpose is everywhere. But does brand purpose really change people’s buying habits? Is this where advertisers should be focusing their energy?

Social purpose and brand purpose are not one and the same. Never have been and never will be.

Advertising has become too earnest. Brands need to be braver with their creative. They need more populism and less purpose.

There’s been a conflation of social and brand purpose—apparently fueled by Gen Z and millennials who cite authenticity and sustainability practices as key drivers of brand choice.

Indeed, Asendia’s 2023 Retail Report, which surveyed 8,000 shoppers and 800 retailers, found that 73% of consumers internationally agreed with the statement “I am more loyal to brands and retailers who I believe are authentic.”

But note the contradiction when shoppers were asked for which delivery and return services they would be prepared to pay more.

The top three are speed (No. 1 for every country in the survey) an in-store return option and a greater choice of return options. The bottom three: more sustainable delivery, emission-free deliveries and delivery by electric vehicles.

It’s a case of “do as I say, not as I do.” Of course, consumers want their brands to be green, but they want fast deliveries and easy returns even more.

This highlights the oft-seen contrast between shopper principles and shopper behavior.

Study after study shows that Gen Zers and millennials prefer brands whose missions align with their values and are more willing to support and be loyal to purpose-driven brands. But that doesn’t mean you should keep telling them about it as a means of making them change their behavior.

Contrary to the widely held belief that Gen Z is entirely purpose-led, a study by NCS revealed that 43% of Gen Zers said they preferred ads to be humorous compared to 17% resonating with ads when they are aligned with its social message.

As a headline in Forbes put it a couple of years ago, “Brand Purpose Matters, But Sometimes Gen-Z Just Wants Soap.”

It is absolutely right that brands and organizations adhere to practices that are authentic and sustainable and have mechanics for people to find this information. But don’t let that become what your brand is all about—and definitely not what you advertise. In the end, it won’t differentiate.

The Cannes Festival of Creativity introduced a Use of Humor category this year. In its 2024 wrap-up of insights and trends, it stated that if a brand uses humor, 80% of people are more likely to buy from the brand, 72% are more likely to choose that brand over its competition and 63% will spend more.

But, despite Cannes celebrating the power of humor, it also reported that 95% of business leaders “fear” using humor in their comms.

Maybe those leaders need to reflect on the difference between their organization’s commitment to good environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices and the actual purpose of their brands in consumers’ lives. So, when thinking about brand purpose:

1. Be clear about the difference between organizational social purpose and brand purpose.
2. Don’t use brand advertising to promote your organization’s ESG credentials.
3. Don’t believe the hype: Gen Zers and millennials do feel strongly about authenticity and sustainability and might reject your brand if your practices are poor. But good social purpose will only get you on the list, not change their positive purchase behavior.
4. Gen Z likes to be entertained through advertising as much, if not more, than the next person.
5. Entertaining advertising is distinctive and effective. Just look at the Effie Award case studies for Yorkshire Tea, Pot Noodle, Aldi and McDonald’s.

As consultant, executive coach and former ad agency strategist Paul Feldwick puts it in “Why Does The Pedlar Sing?”:

“Advertising has always had close links with popular culture and borrows many of its techniques from popular entertainment—music, catchphrases, characters (real or imagined, human or otherwise), humor, drama, storytelling, spectacle, sex appeal.

“This matters hugely, not just because it attracts and keeps the attention of its audience, but because it creates positive feelings around the advertised brand; because it offers powerful routes to distinctiveness, memorability and mental availability; and because it stimulates the audience to talk about, share, and otherwise engage with the advertising and the brand.”

So let purpose sit where purpose should be.  And as creatives, let’s respond to popular demand and bring the joy of entertainment into advertising again.