The Naked Blueprint For Brand Purpose

Over the last two decades, consumer expectations have shifted dramatically. Now people routinely question how a product is made and supplied, even judging the motives of the company behind it.

Is the brand simply a marketing tool or is there more to it? Under the unforgiving scrutiny of savvy consumers, only brands with genuine purpose will survive.

A brand’s purpose must be rooted in truth. The biggest challenge is to define its purpose and then to know how to make best use of it. Rather than looking for guidance from the usual roll-call of brands with purpose, here at Naked Communications we sought inspiration in an unlikely quarter: 1920s Germany.

Known as the Golden Twenties, the 1920s was a period of unprecedented creativity in Germany. After recovering from ruinous hyperinflation, a new spirit of optimism took hold, in which radical thinker and young architect Walter Gropius was appointed head of a new design school in Weimar. He seized the chance to launch his theories onto a bigger stage, and aptly named his institution Bauhaus - literally House of Construction.

Gropius rejected the traditional division between the art and design worlds. Instead, in his mind, they were united by craftsmanship: the skill of the maker’s hand and the imagination that guides it.

As he says in the Bauhaus manifesto: “There is no essential difference between the artist and the artisan."

By establishing a new model for the design school, students were taught every discipline equally. Although individuals of vastly different disciplines attended the Bauhaus, they shared the belief that cultural barriers between art and craft should be dissolved.

When we look at brand purpose, it’s clear that having a shared purpose can unify an entire organisation - as true in a commercial environment as it was at the Bauhaus. Nothing unites people more than a shared enemy: a wrong that you're seeking to right. Which is why defining a brand’s purpose can energise an organisation.

A brand’s purpose is not about its day-to-day business but its rallying cry to make a difference in the world. It’s based on broader principles that can act as fixed points as a brand steps into new products or markets. A strong brand purpose opens up new possibilities.

Bauhaus began focussing on handmade crafts, but quickly evolved towards architecture and industrial design. Surprisingly, the institution made this transition without confusing its identity. Being clear on its purpose enables an organisation to maintain focus regardless of its changes to personnel.

While Germany's broader social context swung wildly from progressive and intellectual, to repressive and authoritarian, Bauhaus continued to create quality work throughout. A compelling purpose keeps a brand true to its values even if the market evolves.

The Bauhaus wasn't immune to political upheaval across Germany. Once Hitler was sworn in as Chancellor in 1933, it was condemned to producing degenerate art and those inside faced a choice: either abandon their principles or close down for good. They chose the latter. Defining a brand’s purpose establishes a standard against which brand builders can judge daily decisions. It introduces something other than profit into the decision-making process and helps brand managers to resist expedient choices that could cause long-term damage (something which may have helped VW avoid the emissions scandal).

It is hard for brands to resist conventions, but it is necessary to avoid mimicking competitor tactics. In the 20s and 30s, the stylistic norm was art deco - characterised by symmetrical surface decorations. Unswayed by this trend, the Bauhaus upheld its distinctive style and remained true to its belief that form should follow function.

This belief still inspires designers today. Look no further than Apple's chief design officer Jony Ive, who has continued the legacy of simple, clutter-free design (below).

Of all the concepts in brand marketing, brand purpose is one most rooted in objective, authentic belief. Brand positioning is relative; brand purpose absolute.

How a brand competes for consumers will change as their needs and the competitive template changes.

But why the brand competes will forever be driven by the same purpose. That purpose speaks to an ambition beyond the battle for sales volume and market share. Brand purpose is a brand’s manifesto for making a difference.