Brands must become sustainable or risk irrelevance

The marketing boss of Unilever on why consumer expectations mean brands need to lead for positive change

There has been much talk in marketing circles over the past few years about brands with purpose, brands with meaning, brands that matter - whatever you chose to call them. In fact purpose was one of the three most used words at the Cannes Lions festival back in 2013 along with storytelling and data.

What people actually mean when they talk about this can be hard to pin down. What's key for me when thinking about how this is different to corporate social responsibility is that deep and intrinsic connection to the brand and what it stands for. Purpose must sit at the core of the brand, driving everything it does. It cannot be an add-on or something that comes and goes according to whim or budget. It's this authenticity that consumers recognise and reward, because today's consumers, especially millennials, can smell bullshit a mile away.