This report offers a qualitative analysis of individual purpose-related cases entered into the IPA Effectiveness Awards since 2008. It aims to compare these cases to what a better body of evidence about the effectiveness of brand purpose might look like.
Effective on purpose is based on the premise that there is an opportunity to enhance the debate on brand purpose by increasing the quantity and quality of evidence about whether or not purpose has contributed effectively to the desired outcomes of individual, for-profit brands.
This report does not offer a view on whether or not a commercial brand should have a purpose or how well a brand’s operations live up to this purpose. IPA Effectiveness Awards cases are not helpful in deciding such questions. Rather, these cases can help us assess how convincingly a brand demonstrated that its purpose commitment contributed towards a variety of desirable outcomes.