Responsible and purpose-led marketing: Necessary building blocks to drive sustainable growth

By Sharmila Bandara and Nilushi Jayatileke

Today, consumers are increasingly aware of the social and environmental issues facing the world, seeking brands and businesses that will take a stand and act on these issues versus those that don’t. Organisations that will do more good for the planet and not just less harm. 

Research has shown that consumers today are patronising businesses and brands that take pride in doing the right thing, building a brand eco-system that embraces its higher purpose, staying true to the values it perpetuates with the best interests of the consumer linked to its goals.

Gone are the days where marketers peddled only the functionality of a brand to consumers. We must understand that consumers are evolving at a phenomenal rate, increasingly holding organisations to account. Praising good corporate behaviour and punishing the bad. 

In a context like this, it is imperative for organisations to interlink a brand’s purpose by making a meaningful difference in the lives of consumers and society at large. Fundamentally, we should not be holding our colleagues in CSR solely responsible for driving the conscience of an organisation, rather the distinction we need to be making is in the way we do business. Ingraining purpose into our ethos to address a wider cause for the country or community you operate in. 

To elaborate; Unilever Sri Lanka’s flagship laundry brand Sunlight has cared for the bonds between Sri Lankans for eight decades. In light of the unfortunate Easter Sunday attacks, the brand’s ‘Manudam Viyamana’ initiative encourages Sri Lankan’s to ‘Open Hearts & Open Homes’ to fellow countrymen, irrespective of social denomination; capturing how we as Sri Lankans standing united can be a force for good, dissipating differences and bringing people together. 

This conveys the message of peace, reconciliation and healing to strengthen the bonds that unite us. 

To the same effect, Signal’s long running ‘Sina Bo Wewa’ initiative strives to protect and preserve the famous Sri Lankan smile by ensuring a cavity free Sri Lanka. 

The Sina Bo Wewa engagement platform was launched in 2004 and has reached over two million Sri Lankans to date through free dental camps held across the country. 

This year, Sina Bo Wewa brought the entire nation together through Sri Lankan art – representative of all parts of the country and the art of the infamous Sri Lankan smile. Supporting this was the Sina Bo Wewa train that travelled from the north to the south of the country providing free dental screenings and education on good oral hygiene along with an educational exhibition on the various art forms of the country, unifying people through Sri Lankan art and the art of the Sri Lankan smile. 

The response for these initiatives has been encouraging going on to show that brands spearheaded by a strong purpose resonates with consumers and in turn builds consumer loyalty.

Making responsible business work

Responsibility should emanate from the value system and the ethical codification of the organisation, right across the value chain and not just something chosen overnight. To make this work, it needs to be something that is driven from the executive leadership throughout the entire organisation, trickling down to the value chain. Being responsible is not a choice anymore as today’s consumer demands it. 

While the push towards more responsible marketing has been on the rise, as a marketing philosophy it is increasingly being built into brand values and business allegiance with social causes. 

Responsible marketing is no longer ‘soft’ or ‘nice to have’; it’s not just how companies engage in business but the ability to responsibly deal with all stakeholders beginning with the product, raw materials, does it confirm to the highest quality standards, ability to source the right raw material in the right way, packaging responsibly, respectful and dignified treatment of its employees and how all this is communicated to consumers. 

Today, for many leading organisations responsibility is not just an example but in-built in their DNA. It begins from the time they hire a person, to the way the factory operates, the manner in which quality is checked and when working with all other stakeholders. 

They firmly believe that there is no other way they can do business, ensuring that they are truly transparent to consumers with a value system that complements. 

Companies that place sustainability at the forefront have understood this need for transparency and responsibility through sourcing, manufacturing, environmental impact, manufacturing, emissions, water usage etc. and are taking steps to ensure a positive impact on the world. This stems from them understanding the need to decouple growth from environmental impact and acknowledging that a healthy business requires a healthy world.

The basic premise of responsible communication lies in the ability to speak to the consumer honestly. It is important to understand what consumers are saying about the product - the market has evolved to a great extent, thus in communicating points of differentiation to consumers, it should be done in a manner which does not misinterpret facts or mislead customers.

Whilst winning market share is a necessary reality, engaging in marketing activities to win with consumers should also be aligned in a way that is ethical and responsible; advocating for misleading communication, misrepresenting data which presents an advantage to the company only propagates negativity across the value chain through consumer fear-mongering and scare tactics.

Today any average person has access to large volumes of data. Responsible marketing hinges on brands conducting themselves responsibly and refraining from misleading the consumer with false or misrepresented information. 

Today’s audience with instant access to social media heightens the need for a responsible and value driven organisation. Social media as a channel allows anyone and everyone to have an audience. If the company is not truthful in their advertising, if the product does not deliver what is communicated, there is far greater propensity for the audience and consumers to speak about it in an open forum.

Especially in the current social media landscape organisations must be transparent, honest, true and agile in the way they communicate with their consumers. Particularly in Sri Lanka where we don’t have formal regulations in place to screen communication pieces, self-governance becomes vital for a progressive industry. 

Commitment to a purpose

Overcoming the buzz and confusion around the importance of purpose over profit, there are companies that conduct themselves authentically and are successful. 

Organisations that have identified this know that consumers today want companies to stand for greater social causes and are showing increased affinity towards brands that have a greater purpose than simply fulfilling a functional requirement. 

While this is the right and moral thing to do, it also needs to make financial sense to shareholders. By acting responsibly, we are able to future proof our supply chains, create consumer trust, propel growth and generate savings that can be reinvested into the business, thus contributing immensely towards long term value creation and the longevity of the business.

The way brands engage with the consumer of today has changed. 

In Sri Lanka we are increasingly seeing more and more brands take up the purpose mantle and through their propositions address deep rooted needs of the country. It only makes sense that what is good for Sri Lanka should be good for businesses that operate on her shores. 

(Sharmila Bandara is Marketing Director, Home Care, Food, Refreshment and Pureit and Nilushi Jayatileke is Marketing Director, Beauty and Personal Care.)