A brand purpose lesson inside a jar of mayonnaise

Recently, a big investor in Unilever criticized its Hellmann’s Mayonnaise brand, saying it was “obsessed with publicly displaying sustainability credentials at the expense of focusing on the fundamentals of the business”.

He wrote, “The Hellmann’s brand has existed since 1913 so we would guess that by now consumers have figured out its purpose (spoiler alert — salads and sandwiches).”

I’m continuously amazed at the cluelessness of people like this. Purpose is much more than your functional definition. Purpose is the difference you hope to make in a life, a community, or even the world. It’s your Big Audacious Meaning.

The genius of purpose

Purpose is about serving. But not at the expense of remaining viable. The brand has to be viable to survive. And it has to survive if it wants to be able to fulfill the promise of its purpose. To make a difference.

Here is the unsaid part of this that Unilever gets. By genuinely embracing a purpose you actually increase your ability to generate even more success. Because people are drawn to brands that have embraced a purpose. By engaging with and supporting those brands, they can feel like they are participating in making a difference in the world. This is an incredibly deep-seated need that we all have as…