Signature Higher-Purpose Programs
Doing good isn't enough — brand it, focus it, make it impossible to ignore.
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Time to result
- ~months to results
- Steps
- 4
- Confidence
- 80%
Aaker argues that higher purpose — driven by environmental and social programs — has become strategically important for five reasons: the decline of shareholder-only (Milton Friedman) thinking in favor of all stakeholders; the visible urgency of global warming, pollution, and inequality; firms being well-suited to help because they are agile, skilled, and resourced; the energy and image lift a purpose gives an otherwise bland brand; and the insistence of employees, investors, and consumers. Crucially, scattered ad-hoc giving does not stand out. What works is a signature program that is focused, branded, and managed for real, visible impact.
Origin
This framework is the subject of Aaker's then-forthcoming book on higher purpose. He observed that across a year of interviews, business purpose and conscious leadership had become a dominant theme, and noted a fifth driver: employees now choose and stay with firms that show heart and social responsibility.
Core principles
- 01Firms are shifting from shareholder-only thinking to serving all stakeholders and the planet.
- 02Firms are well-suited to help on social and environmental problems because they are agile, skilled, and resourced.
- 03A higher purpose can give a bland, functional brand an energy and image lift.
- 04Scattered ad-hoc giving does not stand out; you need signature branded programs.
- 05Employees, investors, and consumers increasingly insist the firm has heart.
How to run it
- 1
Recognize the shift to stakeholders
Accept that the Friedman shareholder-only view has lost favor, and firms are now expected to serve all stakeholders — community, society, and the planet.
- 2
Match your assets to a real problem
Identify where your firm is genuinely well-suited to help, drawing on its agility, local presence, communication skills, resources, and customer relationships.
Pro tip Even if you cannot solve a problem, you may know how to communicate it, which is part of the solution.
- 3
Build a signature branded program
Consolidate scattered ad-hoc grants, volunteering, and energy goals into a focused, branded, actively managed program designed for real impact and visibility.
Pro tip A signature program signals genuine commitment in a way generic giving never does.
Watch out Ad-hoc programs look like everyone else's and fail to mark you as truly committed.
- 4
Capture the energy and talent lift
Use the branded program to give a bland, functional brand an energy and image lift, and to attract and retain employees and investors who insist the firm has heart.
Pro tip Employees increasingly choose and stay with firms for a sense of social responsibility, not just the paycheck.
In the wild
Interviewing about two people a week, host Hala Taha observed that nearly every guest that year raised business purpose, conscious business, and conscious leadership — having a goal beyond profit that positively impacts the environment or society. Aaker added that employees, investors, and consumers now insist on it.
→ The convergence confirmed Aaker's thesis that higher purpose has moved from optional to strategically essential, provided it is delivered through focused signature programs rather than scattered giving.
Common mistakes
Scattered ad-hoc giving
Ad-hoc grants, volunteering, and energy goals look identical to what every other firm does, so they fail to signal genuine commitment or stand out.
Treating purpose as a veneer
Without focus, branding, and managed impact, a purpose effort delivers neither real social value nor the energy and image lift the brand needs.
Is it for you?
Best for
Established, functional or bland brands seeking an energy and image lift while making real social impact.
Not ideal for
Organizations unwilling to focus and commit resources, wanting purpose as a marketing veneer only.
From the transcript
“You gotta have a signature program or programs that are focused, that are branded, that are, are managed to, to have real impact”
“employees really insist on it. And so do investors and consumers”
From the episode
Dave Aaker: Brand Strategies For Market Leadership with The Father of Modern Branding
Dave Aaker