In 20 years, how will you remember 2020? For so many, it was a year of loss--lost lives, lost income and lost opportunities. But it was also a time to reset and reevaluate our priorities and purpose in life. For me, it was the year I founded On Purpose Communications.
The truth is, I followed my heart. What I love to do -- and where I excel -- is helping organizations who truly want to make a difference in the world spread their message. Often, that means getting to the heart of the story -- the people and the human interactions.
I remember sharing the idea of On Purpose Communications, a communications strategy and content development consultancy, with a few trusted advisors and friends a year ago (back when you still went out to lunch without masks and sat closer than six feet apart). I knew I was onto something, but I lacked conviction.
Then the pandemic hit, and stay-at-home orders were in place. People were losing their lives, and friends and colleagues, many in the hospitality and food service industries where I spent a big part of my career, were losing their jobs. At the time, it seemed frivolous to launch a company devoted to purpose-driven communications.
Fast forward a few months, and it doesn't seem so frivolous anymore. In fact, it's essential.
2020 has accelerated a shift among consumers. First and foremost, we all want a quality product or service. But we want it infused with a healthy dose of integrity.
"Now more than ever, consumers increasingly want to purchase from, work for, and build enduring relationships with brands that have strong values," concluded a new study by Brand Prism and The Atlantic.
A few facts from the study that I found invigorating:
- 60% of respondents are more likely to seek out information about an organization's values than they were six months ago. Among Gen Z, that number goes up to 71%.
- 74% said it feels more important to work for an organization with strong values, compared to six months ago.
- Nearly 5 in 10 consumers report that employees are their most trusted source of information about a brand.
Needless to say, I no longer lack conviction about the business proposition for values-driven communications. Stories that center on an organization's values will resonate, like these told by Amazon about their employee heroes, as well as those my team and I told in these award-winning videos for Sodexo.
Now is the time for organizations to take action, and to communicate about the steps they are taking along that journey in an honest, transparent, and convincing way.
Because with purpose, comes profit.
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