We exist to help marketers be heroic.
That’s the Catalyst brand purpose. Simple, straightforward, and so, so us. It encapsulates the purpose that underpins everything we do. We’re not just writing a blog post…we’re helping a client go viral! And we’re not just designing a new website…we’re helping a marketing manager win big! In other words, we are always trying to make our clients into heroes—to their bosses, teams, and customers.
Right now, with the world in flux, we’re guessing many companies are revisiting their own brand purposes (or perhaps creating them from scratch), digging away at their foundations to find out the why behind what they do. So, we thought it’d be a good time to not only remind you of ours—but also share a few others that might inspire you on your own journey toward brand purpose.
If that’s you, here are four brands poised to inspire.
“Our purpose is to unite the world through sport to create a healthy planet, active communities and an equal playing field for all.”
It won’t surprise you to learn that branding powerhouse Nike is on our list. They have perfected the art of speaking to the heart.
You’ll notice that this purpose (and ours, and the others we’ll soon highlight) has nothing to do with what they’re selling. It’s not Build the best shoes! Make the highest quality running shorts!
Those things fall under the umbrella of what they do, but purpose isn’t what you do. It’s why you do it. Nike’s purpose isn’t simply to make a comfy trail-running shoe. It’s their goal to unite the world through sport. And the way they do that just so happens to involve shoes and shorts and gear, but the why is about something bigger…
“More than building machines, we stand for the timeless pursuit of adventure. Freedom for the soul.”
Harley Davidson is another brand that totally gets that its purpose isn’t just building things. Its purpose is to hand customers an adventure of their choosing—be it a ride up the California coast or an exploration of the Italian Alps.
Formerly, their mission statement talked about fulfilling dreams, which is another great way to frame what they do. But we particularly love the framing on their current about page, because every motorcyclist we’ve ever met is in it for the timeless pursuit of adventure.
“Asana’s mission is to help humanity thrive by enabling the world’s teams to work together effortlessly.”
Here’s a good reminder: A great purpose statement isn’t just a B2C thing. The Nikes and Harley Davidsons of the world aren’t the only ones paying detailed attention to the why behind what they do. B2B brands like Asana are thinking it through as well.
Asana may be a software provider, but their purpose isn’t just to build project management tools. Their purpose is to enable effortless collaboration. A value their business customers can certainly get behind.
“We help brands tell great stories.”
Another B2B brand whose statement is fantastic in its simplicity is Contently. Practically, they provide a content marketing platform, content strategy services, and access to a content talent network. But on a value level, their purpose statement gets to the heart of all three offerings: Contently is here to help your business tell stories—and tell them well. Everything they do works toward that goal.
What’s your brand purpose?
So, what’s the why behind the things you build, the services you provide, and the networks you grow? What’s the core thing you’re helping customers do? Are you making work less complicated? Making people’s lives more fun? Helping entrepreneurs dream bigger? Preparing adventurers for a journey?
Harley Davidson wants us to grab adventure. Contently wants us to tell better stories. What do you want the world to do?
If you’re still figuring it out and could use some help, let us know. Getting to the heart of a brand’s purpose is absolutely our favorite kind of challenge!
