Dear CEO,

A tectonic shift has taken place, and the age of conscious capitalism is here: 181 of the world’s largest companies have signed a manifesto to do business that is socially responsible. Is yours one of them?

The choice is clear—master the pivot to purpose, or cede future market share to your cooler, more conscious competition. Thought leader Afdhel Aziz can illuminate the zero-fluff strategies you need to make the quantum leap that will future-proof your business, with next-gen strategies rooted in the 9 essential principles of purpose-driven business. Afdhel’s cutting-edge practical tools and inspiring stories will create a framework that delivers business growth and social impact, so that you can be known as a leader who walks the talk. The best-selling co-author of Good Is The New Cool, Afdhel has advised some of the world’s biggest brands—Adidas, Oreo, Microsoft and more—on how to market with purpose. His visionary approach won’t just change your business—it will change the world.

01 How do we discover our corporate purpose?

Some companies are lucky to have purpose built into them; others need more time to either re-discover the purpose that was at the core of their founding, or unearth a new purpose that meets the un-met needs of the next generation. To help you discover your corporate purpose, we dive into the origins of the company. We talk to your employees to get a sense of their reasons to get out of bed in the morning and bring their whole selves to work. We study your market, your customer, your category and your competitors. After extensive research, we work with you to define a purpose that is authentic, powerful and rightfully yours. 

02 How do we meet our business and growth goals in pursuit of our higher aim?

Purpose and profit are not opposite forces. In fact, they work together and reinforce each other in big ways. All you need to do is look at consumer purchasing statistics and the math is clear:

❖     66% of consumers are willing to switch from a know brand to an unknown purpose-driven brand (Cone/Porter Novelli)

❖     78% of consumers would tell others to buy from a purpose-driven company (Cone/Porter Novelli)

❖     70% of purpose-driven shoppers pay an added premium of 35% more upfront cost for sustainable purchases, such as recycled or eco-friendly goods (IBM)

❖     95% of Millennial consumers would switch for a brand with a good cause

Yes, there are times when purpose requires taking a short term financial hit but over the medium to longer term, brands recognized for high commitment to Purpose have grown more than twice the rate of others (Kantar).

03 How do we engage our shareholders as stakeholders? 

One of the key principles of purpose-driven business is “think citizens, not consumers.” Your shareholders are also citizens of the world. They are also purpose-driven individuals, like the rest of us, who see injustices in the world they want to see eliminated, problems they want to see fixed, opportunities beyond making money they want to see realized. If you change the way you think and look at your shareholders as citizens of the world, the conversation changes immediately and becomes one of collaboration, co-creation and transformation as opposed to transaction and short term thinking.