WHO IS READY FOR PURPOSE, WHO IS NOT?
A GROWING NUMBER OF COMPANIES AND INSTITUTIONS ARE EXPLORING THEIR CORE REASON FOR EXISTENCE AS PURPOSE-DRIVEN POSITIONING IS INCREASINGLY BECOMING A STRATEGIC SUCCESS FACTOR. BUT PROCLAIMING A PURPOSE ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH. MORE DECISIVE IS THE CONCEPT OF “PURPOSE READINESS”: ONLY BRANDS WITH A HIGH LEVEL OF PURPOSE CREDIBILITY HAVE A GOOD FOUNDATION TO AUTHENTICALLY REPRESENT KEY TOPICS SUCH AS SUSTAINABILITY, FUTURE VIABILITY AND GOOD CORPORATE GOVERNANCE. FIND OUT IN OUR LATEST PURPOSE READINESS SURVEY WHICH COMPANIES, INSTITUTIONS AND INDUSTRIES ARE READY FOR PURPOSE AND WHERE THEY STILL NEED TO CATCH UP.
“The image attributes queried in our study together make up for about 50 percent of a brand’s positive perception. A credible purpose is thus a great opportunity for companies and institutions to position themselves even better in the public perception.”
— Dr. Niklas Schaffmeister, Managing Partner
“The question of corporate purpose is also a matter of reputation. A high credibility is absolutely key to successfully communicate the purpose to customers, employees, a critical public and investors who increasingly prioritize ESG criteria.”
— Simon Aschermann, Manager
PARTICIPANTS
PURPOSE-RELEVANT IMAGE DIMENSIONS
MOSTLY GERMAN CONSUMER-FACING COMPANIES
(SURVEY PERIOD: Q4 2020)
A GROWING NUMBER OF COMPANIES ARE READY TO COMMUNICATE PURPOSE
WHEN IS A COMPANY “PURPOSE READY”?
COMPANIES WITH A CLEARLY COMMUNICATED PURPOSE GROW AT AN ABOVE-AVERAGE RATE, ARE MORE INNOVATIVE, AND MORE PRODUCTIVE. BUT NOT EVERY COMPANY SUCCEEDS IN LIVING UP TO ITS PURPOSE. A COMPANY IS READY TO CREDIBLY REPRESENT A PURPOSE IF IT IS SEEN AS HONEST, AUTHENTIC, RESPONSIBLE, SUSTAINABLE, AND FUTURE PROOF. ONLY THEN CAN IT CONVINCINGLY ADDRESS ALL STAKEHOLDERS AND COMMUNICATE ITS PURPOSE BEYOND DOUBT: IT IS “PURPOSE READY”.
AT THE HEART OF THE “PURPOSE READINESS” STUDY IS THE QUESTION OF WHETHER THE GERMAN COMPANIES, MEDIA BRANDS AND INSTITUTIONS SURVEYED ARE READY TO POSITION THEMSELVES CREDIBLY VIA A SOCIALLY RELEVANT REASON FOR EXISTENCE. FOR THIS, THEY SHOULD HAVE AS FEW NEGATIVE ASSOCIATIONS AS POSSIBLE IN THE PUBLIC PERCEPTION, WHICH THE PURPOSE READINESS INDEX (PRI) DEPICTS BY QUERYING RELEVANT IMAGE DIMENSIONS. GOOD PRI RESULTS HELP COMPANIES TO BETTER WITHSTAND THE CRITICAL SCRUTINY BY EMPLOYEES, CONSUMERS, THE GENERAL PUBLIC AND INVESTORS WHEN IT COMES TO PURPOSE-RELEVANT ASPECTS AND ESG CRITERIA.
