Brand Purpose as a Cultural Entity Between Business and Society

Consumers today bring in a range of societal, ethical and economic expectations, some of which may be aligned with and some of which may conflict with the actions of the firm. In this regard, brand purpose today represents a cultural entity whose inherent meanings morph across different consumer groups. As such, brand purpose no longer resides under the sole strategic control of the firm, but rather is socially co-constructed by corporate executives and consumer groups in their daily encounters, interactions and conversation routines. Building on brand purpose as the recently appointed marketing word of the year 2018, this chapter delves into how current massive technologically-mediated consumer activism is shaping how brands identify and execute their brand purpose at societal and ethical levels to be attuned to increasingly cogent societal expectations of consumers. In so doing, this chapter will illustrates some recent compelling case studies of brands that have leveraged on their brand purpose to enhance their societal relevance.