We all need a purpose in our lives and day to day activities. Sure, we get up, go to work, pay bills, and live life. But beyond that, we need to live a life of purpose. We need something to motivate and inspire us to get up in the morning. We need something to look forward to, we need to feel like we are accomplishing something worthwhile.
We need to feel like our life has a purpose.
In much the same way, your brand’s marketing needs a purpose. I’m not talking about separating your customers from their wallet, that’s not inspiring or motivating for the brand or customer. Does your marketing simply broadcast and promote on behalf of your brand, or does it have a purpose?
At Maker’s Mark, the brand gives its marketing purpose by reframing who its customers are. The brand views its customers as ‘friends’, and as such holds all marketing communications through the lense of ‘how would we talk to our friends?’ Additionally, the brand understands that you don’t broadcast to your friends, you have a one-to-one conversation with them. For years, the brand’s founders did this literally in the state of Kentucky where Maker’s Mark originated. But as the brand grew and became a nationwide sensation, it obviously became impossible for founders in Kentucky to have a one-to-one conversation with its customers all across the nation.
But Maker’s Mark held true to the ‘purpose’ of its marketing; to treat its customers as friends and have a one-to-one conversation with them. This led to the creation of a brand ambassador program, which allowed its ambassadors to scale those one-to-one conversations with customers all across the country. By holding true to the ‘purpose’ of its marketing, to treat its customers as friends, the brand was able to create an incredibly profitable brand ambassador program, which allowed the brand to have those one-to-one conversations with their friends.
The ‘purpose’ of Pedigree’s marketing isn’t to sell dog food, it’s to create happier and healthier dogs. This is also a focus that motivates its customers to pay attention to Pedigree’s marketing. Pedigree’s customers don’t care about dog food, they care about the health and well-being of their dogs, of all dogs. Pedigree also uses its marketing to draw attention to dog adoption, to supporting your local pet shelter. All of these things tie into the ‘purpose’ of creating happier and healthier dogs.
If you’re trying to wrap your head around what the ‘purpose’ of your marketing is, think about how your brand’s products and services fit into the lives of your customers, and more importantly, how do those products and services improve the lives of your customers? If you can understand how your brand’s products and services improve your customer’s lives, that can become what you market. That can become your marketing’s ‘purpose’ and what drives and inspires you as a marketer.
Don’t market your product, market how your product fits into my life and makes it better. That should be the purpose of your marketing.
