During day three of the 2018 Cannes Lions Festival, Y&R Global CEO David Sable and Laura Jones, Executive Strategy Director of Y&R’s BAV Group, joined Kantar during a session focused on brands and the power of purpose. They examined the ways in which brand purpose can drive staying power and longevity in the market—as well as the many pitfalls to achieving these goals.

1. Purpose
MAKING
POWERFUL

2. PurposeIS A DOUBLE EDGED SWORD
IT CAN ELEVATE YOUR BRAND
OR TRIP YOU UP
2

3. 56,000Different Brands
$160MMInvested
52Countries
Surveyed
9BData Points
25Years Of
Learning
BRANDASSET®
VALUATOR (BAV)
A MODEL OF BRAND
Development
& Momentum

4. To prosper over time, every
company must not only deliver
financial performance, but also
show how it makes a positive
contribution to society.
— CEO Laurence D. Fink of BlackRock
All?
DOES
PURPOSE
DRIVE

5. WE KNOW
PURPOSE IS
GAINING
Source: BAV USA 2007-2017 FY All Adults, Her Gen Z World 2018
Momentum
2007 TODAY
grown by
19%
since 2007
The impact Purpose
on Differentiation has 18%
more
impactful
Esteem is
THE POWER OF
PURPOSE ON
BRAND EQUITY
among Millennials
than Boomers with
regard to Purpose
70% Of Gen Z girls believe that their lives need
to make A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD

6. PURPOSE CONTINUES TO INFILTRATE POP CULTURE
Lady Gaga
Born This Way
Foundation
LGBTQ Rights
Matt Damon
Water.org
Clean Water
Emma Watson
He For She Initiative
Women’s Equality
Leonardo DiCaprio
Before the Flood
Environmental Awareness
Honest Company
Jessica Alba
Sustainability
Aerie
NEDA
Body Positivity

7. “To bring inspiration and innovation to
every athlete in the world.”
“To connect the world’s professionals to
make them more productive and successful.”
“To give people the power to build
community and bring the world closer
together.”
“To organize the world’s information and
make it universally accessible and useful.”
“To create a better everyday life for the
many people.”
“To inspire humanity—both in the air and on
the ground.”
Corporate
OF
PURPOSE
Statements

8. “Don’t be Mother Teresa. Your
job is to sell soda and chips.”
—Indra Nooyi, Fast Company, 2017
AND YET…
“As a Unilever shareholder… I would prefer if Mr.
Polman furthered his societal ambitions using his own
rather than his shareholders’ money.”
—Graham Shore, National Review, 2017

9. Source: BAV USA 2014, 2017 FY; All Adults
Usage defined as regularly use and occasionally use
76%
Usage at an all
time high
USAGE
higher
since 2014
4xUSAGE
PRICE,
CONVENIENCE
& REWARDS
TRUMP
Purpose
“Revenue rose over 6% and profits shot up 49%.
There was no sign of any boycott: The airline said
it had 71 million passengers in the first half of the
year, 4.2% more than the previous year.”
—July 2017
BOTTOM LINE…

10. PURPOSE
NOT “AUTHENTIC”

11. “Authenticity continues its reign as the
marketing "it" word of the decade. Let's
stop saying we're authentic, let's just be
authentic and keep it real”
—Ad Age, 2016

12. 12
10PerspectivesON PURPOSE

13. 13
1. Purpose Can Be Polarizing
I’ll find other places to fill my
prescriptions. I’ll put that on
Facebook. Why would CVS not
cater to their customers”
—GAIL O’BRIEN, CVS Customer
Source: The Orange County Register

14. 2.Purpose Can Be Unifying

15. 3. Purpose Can Make a Tangible Difference

16. 4.
Purpose
Can Save
Lives

17. Purpose Should Come From The Brand’s DNA
5.

18. Purpose Should Come From The Brand’s DNA
Source: BAV Global Data; All Adults
Colgate ranks in the top 16% on
Socially Responsible
5.

19. 6. Purpose Can Be Political
Source: BAV USA 2017 FY; Republicans, Democrats
Arrogant
Unapproachable
Rugged
Restrained
Traditional
Straightforward Authentic
Distinctive
Gaining in Popularity
Leader
Independent
Daring

20. 7. Purpose Can Be Personal
84% similarities between Elon Musk & Tesla
Intelligent
Independent
Arrogant
Gaining in Popularity
Distinctive
Prestigious
Progressive
Visionary
Innovative
Dynamic
Daring
Unique
Different
Source: BAV USA 2017 FY; All Adults

21. 8. Purpose Should Inspire Innovation

22. 9.
Purpose Can Protect
Against Crisis
Source: BAV USA 2014-2017 FY; All Adults
We’re about home. That is the idea at
the core of our company; belonging.
in Gaining in Popularity
Top 1%
in brand equity and value
Since 2014,
Airbnb has
increased
2.7x

23. Source: BAV USA 2017 FY; All Adults
10.
Purpose
Needs
Tensity
RADICALKINDNESS

24. 24

25. Fooled
BUT
DON’T
BE

27. 27
Purpose Can Be Polarizing
Purpose Can Be Unifying
Purpose Can Make a Tangible Difference
Purpose Can Save Lives
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
Purpose Should Come From The
Brand’s DNA
Purpose Can Be Political
Purpose Can Be Personal
Purpose Should Inspire Innovation
Purpose Needs Tensity
Purpose Can Protect Against Crisis
Recapping
Purpose

28. BUT YOU STILL
60
55
50
45
40
35
2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
41.22 USD Jun 14, 2013
Have to Sell
55.46 USD Jun 8, 2018
(UL)

29. We do not have to win at the expense of others to be
successful,” he says. “Winning alone is not enough it’s
about winning with purpose...I am not advocating
communism or trying to turn the world into a kibbutz.
Some people sometimes accuse me of being a socialist but
I am a capitalist at heart. But what I want is a sustainable and
equitable capitalism. Why can’t we have that as a model?
“ —PAUL POLMAN , MAY 2018

30. Y
WHAT DO
THINK?ou

31. Thank You
DAVID SABLE
David.sable@yr.com
www.yr.com
ShatterConvention.com
Password: SableDavid1
LAURA JONES
Laura.jones@bavgroup.com
www.bavgroup.com