Vision, mission, values, and sweet, sweet cash

Every business has a purpose now, a greater calling that informs every decision it makes and every dollar it spends. Or so it says on the website.

The pressure to make that purpose real has become ever greater in recent years. Zoomers crave authenticity and are well-trained in spotting where it may be lacking. Brands are going even deeper, seeking to tap into fandoms to create not only loyal consumers, but fervent advocates.

Last week, the Better Business campaign, the not-for-profit company behind B Corp, launched a new ad campaign targeting corporate fat cats, featuring a poor animal who is clearly dealing with societal stigma around feline body shape.

You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who doesn’t support some kind of readjustment away from the worst excesses of capitalism (OK, you wouldn’t, but let’s leave that for another edition). But these heady ideals of better business or a grander purpose often find themselves butting up against the reality of cold, hard cash.

A recent piece in Business Insider examined how the brands that defined the millennial experience (mattress in a box, holiday on an app!) no longer speak to something bigger. That those “beloved, cutting-edge, never-done-before brands are just that — brands.”

B Corp itself has run into some trouble after certifying Aussie fast-fashion brand, Polly Princess. Amid a torrent of criticism, the founder of EcoCult, Alden Wicker, put it best: “You can’t run a certification like this based on vibes”.

Balancing the often entirely legitimate mission of a brand with the reality of its true purpose to make money is often at the heart of the corporate world’s biggest communications challenges.

Vibes are no longer enough. But equally, neither are substandard shareholder returns. But as we seek a precarious balance, perhaps we all agree to leave overweight cats out of it?