4 Purpose-Driven Marketing Campaigns That Inspire Action

There’s often a misconception that purpose and profit are fundamentally misaligned, and while overcoming this psychological barrier can be difficult, it’s not insurmountable. B2B companies that can clearly articulate how their work aligns with their values can find success with purpose-driven marketing.  

UPS, Amalgamated Bank, ViiV Healthcare, and Cisco are just a few examples of companies that prove purpose-driven marketing can be effective in complex, regulated industries such as logistics, finance, healthcare, and technology. Here’s how: 

UPS – Connecting Marketing & Communications With Core Values 

Across marketing channels, UPS consistently focuses on its three core values: customer first, people-led, and innovation-driven. Its communications reiterate that these values are core to UPS’s business strategy, informing its responsibility to build safe, thriving communities.  

On its “Our Stories” blog, UPS organizes posts according to these values. Posts tagged “Customer First” often showcase entrepreneurial success stories, such as Wilgory Tanjong and her luxury brand, Anima Iris. Under “People Led,” UPS highlights how its people make a positive impact every day, with a particular focus on drivers who have exceptionally safe driving records. As part of being “Innovation Driven,” UPS highlights its advancement of efficient, sustainable logistics, including cold-chain logistics that transport critical medicines to those who need them. These values come together in UPS’s “Be Unstoppable” ad campaign, which embodies the entrepreneurial spirit of small business owners. The ads explore how UPS contributes to that unstoppable, can-do attitude.  

By tying content back to core values, UPS communicates its purpose: to help small businesses and build safe, strong communities. At the same time, it extends a hand to small business clients as co-partners in that mission.   

The Takeaway: Define your organization’s core values. Aim for around three and consistently tie back to that message across communications and marketing channels with stories of human impact. 

Amalgamated Bank – Become an Industry Impact Thought Leader

Amalgamated Bank was founded more than 100 years ago with the mission of providing quality and affordable banking services to working people. Over the years, Amalgamated has stayed true to that mission while expanding its scope, using finance to deliver sustainable environmental, social, and economic change. Because of its deep-rooted history in values-led banking, Amalgamated Bank is now a leading voice on how the financial services industry can deliver impactful change.  

In 2021, the bank became the first in the U.S. to set full portfolio targets under guidelines it helped to create as part of the United Nations Environment Programme’s Finance Initiative. Now, they are drawing on that experience to be a thought leader for the larger financial services industry. For example, their Chief Sustainability Officer explained in a recent Q&A how Amalgamated transitioned its portfolio to align with the Paris Climate Agreement goals and the lessons learned from that experience.  

Amalgamated’s CEO has also appeared on national news explaining how the bank is well positioned to capitalize on the increasing demand for financial services from clean energy, cleantech, and other climate-focused businesses. It has demonstrated its leadership in climate finance and can now benefit from the business of a growing industry.    

The Takeaway: Understand how your organization is currently serving your community in ways that competitors are not. Then develop your thought leadership on related issues, capitalizing on the white space.  

ViiV Healthcare – Listen to and Understand the Needs of Communities

ViiV Healthcare is a specialist pharmaceutical company that is 100% dedicated to HIV medicines and research. To achieve its mission of eradicating HIV, the company engages with the community of people living with the virus and works to provide them with the resources needed to live a long and healthy life.  

As part of its “HIV in View” campaign, ViiV showcases the stories of those living with HIV and how they have experienced stigma in society, careers, healthcare, relationships, and more. This particular purpose-driven marketing campaign is effective because it prioritizes the voices of those living with HIV and allows them to talk about their holistic lived experience, rather than being viewed through the lens of “patient.” It demonstrates that ViiV is dedicated to listening to the perspectives of HIV positive individuals, while creating a space for those living with HIV to connect with others and know that they are not alone.  

In addition, ViiV provides ample resources for people living with HIV, including a guide to having conversations with healthcare providers, information on HIV advocacy groups, and more. By listening to individuals living with the disease and providing resources that meet their needs, ViiV positions itself as a true people-first healthcare organization.  

The Takeaway: Listen to and authentically engage with communities your organization seeks to serve to understand how your organization can meet their needs and tell their stories with compassion and respect. 

Cisco – Leverage Nonprofit Partnerships to Showcase Your Business’ Transformative Power

Cisco is a technology company that develops and sells networking hardware, software, and services to build and secure computer networks.  

As part of its “One Billion Lives Positively Impacted” campaign, the company made social impact investments in over 100 nonprofits. Cisco launched a purpose-driven marketing effort to demonstrate how its technology has improved the lives of people all over the globe due to these investments. 

For example, Cisco worked with an organization called Replate to help build a platform matching restaurants and food service businesses with food rescue nonprofits. Working with BBC Storyworks, Cisco produced a video on how Replate uses Cisco technology to reduce food waste and give to those who need it. At a time when policymakers, reporters, and others are asking whether technology is having a net benefit to society, Cisco is clearly communicating that it builds tech that can improve people’s lives. They are committed to working with nonprofits and communities around the world to develop responsible, impactful tech solutions.  

The Takeaway: Consider how your for-profit product or service can be beneficial to nonprofit causes. Listen to their needs to create a partnership that truly transforms lives and communities, and partner with them to put their stories ahead of yours.   

What This Means for Your Purpose-Driven Marketing Campaign

If your business is looking to get started with purpose-driven marketing, these examples offer inspiration on where to start.  

UPS illustrates the importance of consistently driving content back to its three core values. Amalgamated Bank shows how being purpose-led can differentiate your organization from competitors and position you as an industry leader. ViiV shows how understanding your stakeholders and communities – centering their voices – is critical for effective purpose-driven marketing. Finally, Cisco shows how to leverage your company’s products and services for transformative good and the storytelling power that unlocks.