It’s hard not to be taken by marketing’s turn toward purpose. Along with the Marketing Association’s Marketing For Good initiatives, there are any number of publications and consultants arguing that only brands with a clear social purpose will thrive in the future. The success of campaigns like Nike’s ‘Find Your Greatness’ and Dove’s ‘Real Beauty’ have led others to double-down on what’s now known as ‘meaningful marketing’.
But even before we all went wild for purpose, marketers have long been focused on positive traits. Think of the energy spent on understanding