In praise of purposeful brands

There is an interesting shift taking place in the global marketplace, one where consumers are making conscious purchasing decisions based on how they view the ethical positions of brands. No longer is it simply enough to have brand appeal based on aesthetics - instead, consumers want to know the companies and brands they are buying from are ethical, honest, environmentally friendly, trustworthy, and people oriented. Instead of customers buying with their eyes and their wallets, they are now buying with their hearts and minds. They want to know that their hard-earned money is going to a business that is aligned to their values, their purpose, their concerns in life. Trend forecasters are predicting that in these current challenging times, when everyone is re-evaluating their lives in some way or another, that the search for purposeful brands will be increasingly on consumer minds. Those businesses that recognize this shift and pivot accordingly will be the ones that are likely to maintain pace with the changing world and what it demands from a consumer perspective.