Purpose Beyond Pomp: A New Frontier Where Corporate Purpose Meets Public Policy
Emily Rule
How Marketing Leaders, Public Affairs Strategists, and Policy Designers Can Transform Corporate Reputation and Purpose from Empty Rhetoric to Systemic Change
*This paper, the first in a series, explores the convergence of corporate purpose and public policy. We introduce a new paradigm where businesses become integral to shaping societal progress at a system level and move beyond traditional marketing. Subsequent papers will apply this framework to various sectors, highlighting real-world opportunities for positive impact. The series aims to inspire a new generation of corporate leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders to come together and embrace the power of corporate reputation to influence the shape of the future, beyond their sectors.
The concepts of corporate reputation and brand purpose, encompassing the likes of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) principles, as well as cause marketing, has a history that extends far beyond its recent prominence in current business discourse. From Johnson & Johnson's pioneering credo in 1943 to the global expansion of CSR in the 1990s, corporate reputation and brand purpose have continually adapted to changing societal expectations and business realities. The question of “how important is corporate purpose?” is once again under the microscope. This has been driven largely by a dramatic change in mainstream political attitudes towards sustainability and social value.
Despite recent geopolitical backlash and claims of corporate purpose's demise, we believe that this is no time to retreat, but rather it is a time to advance, boldly. Today, as critics pen obituaries for corporate purpose, we find ourselves at a critical juncture. Rather than signalling its demise, it’s time for reinvention. The next phase sees corporate purpose aligning business transformation, commercial objectives, political goals, and public needs, to demonstrate measurable, positive impact.
This perspective is supported by public sentiment. Recent Stonehaven polling data shows that 61% of people in the UK agree that businesses have a duty to help tackle social issues such as inequality and climate change. Far from abandoning purpose, the public continues to expect businesses to step up and address societal challenges.
By addressing current geopolitical challenges head-on and refocusing on strategies that align rather than divide, we believe that brands can lay the foundation for positive impact, meaningful differentiation, and competitive advantage.
But before we get into the next era of corporate purpose, let's consider how we arrived at what we call corporate purpose of today:
A Rollercoaster Ride: Rises, Falls, and Returns of Corporate Purpose
Brand purpose has been the marketing world's favourite undead concept—repeatedly declared deceased only to shamble back into boardrooms and pitch decks with alarming regularity:
1943: Corporate purpose is born in the form of the Johnson & Johnson's pioneering credo, groundbreaking corporate mission statement that outlined the company's core values and responsibilities.
1970s-1990s: Corporate purpose makes headlines as the likes of The Body Shop and Ben & Jerry's build businesses around values
2010-2015: Corporate purpose resurfaces with Unilever's Sustainable Living Plan leading the resurrection
2016-2019: In his 2018 annual letter to CEOs, BlackRock CEO Larry Fink emphasized the importance of companies serving a social purpose. Crucially, the letter highlighted that purpose-driven companies outperformed in the financial markets by 42%.
2020-2023: "Purpose-washing" became a significant concern, with research showing 56% of people believed purpose-driven marketing was more about promotion than genuine commitment to solving social or environmental issues.
2025: The consumer goods giant Unilever has recently undergone significant changes in its leadership and sustainability strategy, softening its focus on corporate purpose and sharpening its pursuit of growth-driven results.
Through these cycles, corporate purpose has been resuscitated by both visionary leadership and opportunistic bandwagon-ing. But this time feels different. The strategy of "force-fitting" corporate purpose into marketing campaigns is definitively failing, with consumers now demanding action over aspiration and results over rhetoric.
The Fatal Flaw in Brand Purpose as We Know It
Let's be brutally honest: the reason most corporate purpose initiatives fail is embarrassingly simple—they're just marketing campaigns with a halo tacked on. They lack teeth, impact, and meaningful measurability. They're designed to make consumers feel good while buying products, not to create actual change.
Consumers are increasingly aware of this disconnect. Over a third of UK consumers (38%) believe that 'acting in the best interests of customers, communities and the environment rather than shareholders' is one of the best ways for businesses to strengthen their reputation. The public isn't fooled by superficial purpose initiatives—they're looking for authentic commitment that prioritises stakeholders beyond just shareholders.
No amount of rebranding, refreshing, or reframing can save corporate purpose in its current form. If it is to be resurrected once again, it needs more than cosmetic surgery—it needs a complete organ transplant.
Corporate Purpose Meets Public Policy
What if brands and businesses stopped treating their purpose ambitions as a marketing exercise, and instead handled them as a tool to create real demonstrable change on a much larger scale?
Imagine brands leveraging their significant cultural and economic power, customer relationships, and sector expertise to fundamentally reshape the regulatory systems that govern our economies, societies, and environments, for the better.
This isn't about cute cause marketing. It's about brands becoming sophisticated system-level actors that advocate for structural change on behalf of their customers. Its purpose with power—purpose with ripples—purpose that can't be dismissed as window dressing.
The result? A reinforcing loop where:
The New Battleground: Policies for The Good vs. Policies for The Ugly
We must remember that with great corporate power comes great corporate responsibility. This evolution of corporate purpose creates an inevitable tension: will brands and businesses use their political muscle for genuine social good or naked and even harmful self-interest?
The Good:
- Marketplace transparency that ensures fair treatment for all market participants
- Data protection that genuinely safeguards consumer rights
- Environmental standards that drive sector-wide innovation
The Ugly:
- Anti-competitive practices that crush smaller players
- Marketplace manipulation that leverages unfair advantages
- Worker surveillance that prioritises efficiency over humanity
The Stakes Have Never Been Higher and The Business Case Never Been Stronger
Corporate purpose is not fading into obsolescence; rather, it is undergoing a profound transformation that promises to redefine the role of business in society. As we move forward, the distinction between companies that genuinely embrace purpose and those that merely pay lip service to it will become increasingly stark.
The business case for this evolution is compelling. Roughly half (49%) of the public believe that businesses which choose to invest in social and environmental causes should have more chances to profit more than those that don't. This suggests a growing recognition that purpose and profit aren't opposing forces—when done right, they can be mutually reinforcing.
Businesses that persist in viewing corporate purpose as nothing more than a marketing tool or a means to burnish their image will find themselves increasingly marginalised in a world that demands authentic commitment and tangible action. In contrast, those corporations courageous enough to step beyond traditional boundaries and actively engage in shaping policy and societal outcomes will emerge as the true leaders of tomorrow.
The future that unfolds will be largely determined by how swiftly and decisively businesses choose to embrace this evolved concept of purpose. Companies that act with urgency, leveraging their influence and resources to address pressing global challenges, have the potential to drive positive change on an unprecedented scale. Conversely, hesitation or half-hearted efforts risk exacerbating existing problems and handing the reigns over to their less benevolent rivals.
In essence, we stand at a critical juncture where corporate purpose is evolving from a nice-to-have into a powerful force for societal transformation. The choices made by businesses today will play a crucial role in determining whether we progress towards a more sustainable and equitable world or face the consequences of inaction and short-sighted thinking.
What will you decide to do?