Purpose-led influencer marketing - that is, a campaign that leverages a good-cause platform as its foundation - can also do a lot of good for the brand involved. It humanises it, helps it remain socially relevant, and through that, works towards achieving sustained, long-term profitability. But while it sounds like a perfect open-goal, purpose-led influencer marketing can’t be faked. 

When Kendall Jenner handed that policeman a can of Pepsi, averting a race riot in the 2017 soft-drink advertisement, we were outraged. A year later, when NFL player Colin Kaepernick fronted Nike’s “Believe in something” ad campaign we were mainly delighted. Engagement rose. Brand equity rose. The sportswear’s stock rose by $6 billion. Sales spiked by 31%.

What gives? Why, as consumers, did we react so differently? Both campaigns attempted to elevate their messaging beyond their respective products. Both attempted to dig into their brand’s purpose.

The answer lies in the choice of cause and the brand’s true allegiance to it.

The Kenner activation was forced at best. At worst it trivialised the Black Lives Matter movement. Kenner is not known for her moral crusades. Pepsi does not have any equity in the Black Lives Movement. Though the ad was beautifully produced, ultimately it felt like bandwagoning. Like Pepsi was attempting to ride the wave of standing for something without demonstrating any belief or passion for the cause. 

Pepsi quickly apologised for the advertisement. In a statement, the company said: “Pepsi was trying to project a global message of unity, peace and understanding. Clearly, we missed the mark and apologise.”

By contrast, the Nike/Kaepernick collaboration was inspired. It was risky. But it was a calculated risk. Nike knows its audience. Kaepernick made enemies for his kneeling protests before NFL games. There was a backlash of sorts. Ultimately the celebrity tie-in worked because the ad’s copy meshed with Nike’s long-held brand essence.

“Believe in something. Even if it means losing everything.” ran the copy. It spoke to Kaepernick’s personal beliefs and his stance against police brutality. The words also reinforced and extended Nike’s tagline ‘Just Do It’ - a line celebrating its 30-year anniversary at the time.

Actions and words must be consistent. They are the foundations on which trust is earned.

To paraphrase Kate Hartley, writing in her book ‘Communicate in a Crisis’, in order to communicate with empathy you first have to have empathy. Nike managed this. Pepsi didn’t. 

A slew of 2020 influencer marketing forecasts - mine included - feature the importance of storytelling and purpose. This year and beyond we’ll search out passion and purpose within creators’ content. 

The drivers for quality storytelling will be both push and pull. Creators will be pushed to produce ever-more noteworthy content by three factors:

1. The death of Instagram publicly displaying the number of likes a post receives 

2. A much-anticipated squeeze of organic reach on the photo-sharing platform 

3. Tyranny of choice. As consumers we pay for content with our attention. This attention is a scarce resource and one constantly under siege by content from competing influencers and brands.

The pull comes from a desire to see the people we follow stand for something. Followers will increasingly demand creators demonstrate their values and beliefs through their storytelling.  They will demand that content creators stand out and are worthy of their attention by, well, standing out for something worthy. 

Sure there’s a moral imperative for brands to do the right thing. But the 2019 Porter Novelli/Cone Gen Z Purpose Study shows there’s a financial reward available, too. Nearly three-quarters (72%) of people aged 10-24 factor in a company’s purpose when shopping, according to the survey. This age group includes purpose as part of an internal checklist gone through before they decide which companies to associate with. 

Purpose has to be baked into the brand, however. More than nine-in-10 (93%) Gen Z-ers who responded to the survey said that if a company makes a commitment, it should have the appropriate programmes and policies in place to back-up that commitment. Three-quarters (75%) confirmed they research a company to ensure it is being honest when it takes a stand on issues.

Pros and cons of purpose-led influencer marketing

Here are two warnings for firms looking to activate a purpose-led influencer marketing campaign. 

Firstly, if a brand’s declared values are not the same as their lived values they will be called out by influencers and influencers’ communities. Watch the number of brands who get it wrong in April when they attach themselves to Earth Day’s 50th anniversary without placing environmental issues at the heart of their businesses. 

Secondly, standing for something will please some people whilst alienating others. American journalist, Herbert Swope, once wrote: ‘I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure, which is: Try to please everybody.’ The skill of the professional communicator is to really know your brand’s stakeholders, and to understand how they will react to initiatives. 

Nike understands this. Its Kaepernick ad campaign incensed some people who took to social media to film themselves destroying Nike products. However, its core audience appreciated the activation and felt a closer connection with the sports brand through it. 

In a simpler world product-makers would stick to promoting just their products. They would be Switzerland: neutral to politics. We don’t inhabit that simpler world, though. Ours is fractured, comprised of polarised communities and a fragmented media. 

Today, brands need to believe in something beyond shareholder value. They need to stand up for that thing, too. Their stakeholders expect them to do so, and will reward those who do so honestly. 

Purpose-led influencer marketing humanises the brand, helps it remain relevant, and works towards achieving sustained long-term profitability. Done right, it can also mean something, and inspire at the same time. Get it right, and there is no better form of communication.