Purpose is hard. Companies invest millions of dollars and many years to find, live and tell their Purpose. Hundreds of think tanks, NGOs, professional organizations and governments exist to regulate standards and keep businesses in check. But for consumers, Purpose simply comes down to a gut feeling. What Porter Novelli’s latest research tells us is that when a brand leads with purpose, it builds a relationship with consumers that goes deep. So deep, in fact, that it changes their entire perception of a company. It drives the Purpose Perception.
The Porter Novelli Purpose Perception Study was an online survey conducted by HCD among a sample of 1,200 US adults ages 18-69 between August 28-29. The study employed implicit association testing and maximum differentiation scaling techniques in addition to traditional polling questions.
Key findings:
- When a company leads with purpose, respondents were:
- 78% more likely to want to work for that company
- 76% more likely to trust that company
- 72% more likely to be loyal to that company
- 70% more likely to defend that company if someone spoke badly of it
- 72% more likely to forgive that company if it makes a misstep
- How purpose impacts purchasing decisions:
- 66% would consider a company’s purpose when making purchase decisions
- 62% believe a company’s purpose is an important factor when making a quick or impulse purchase
- 71% would purchase from a purpose-driven company over the alternative when cost and quality are equal
- 78% are more likely to remember a company with a strong purpose
- 78% of exit survey respondents indicated they are more likely to remember a
company with a strong Purpose
