Do people still care about mission-driven brands like Tom’s and Patagonia?

I think the trend has leveled out, but the intention and spirit of the movement is evolving into something better for both the economic and sociocultural landscapes.

According to the Census Bureau, 55% of the US population is younger than 35. I don’t think it’s fair to say that we know what young people care about, but the market is certainly at an inflection point. Empathy, evaluation and evolution are cost of entry for any brand that wants to out-motor legacy brands. If past performance is a company’s only goal post, there’s a great chance it will join the ranks of other ghosts which failed to keep up.

So, what are some components of competitive differentiation? I don’t have empirical data, but here are a few observations that stick out from my work with organizations across diverse industries, ranging from Google, Applebee’s, to the National Park Service.

People want products and experiences which provide a genuine life-enhancing benefit.
Building and maintaining customer trust is on trajectory to become the primary emotional and functional benefit.
As consumers become more socially connected, brand affinity becomes more susceptible to detriment.
Brands which foster a community and sense of belonging or status convert customers into loyal advocates.
Younger consumers’ shopping habits are much more intentional, thought out and researched thanks to connectivity.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution to future-proofing a brand, but there are tools to approach innovation and human-centered design is one of them.

The process has 6 key steps towards arriving at a desired outcome. From framing the problem and gathering data, concepting a high volume of new ideas to prototype and test, to launching, evaluating, and adjusting — the design thinking behind the process utilizes research, evidence, ingenuity and intuition to create innovative ideas, products and brand positioning.

It’s not magic. With a little help, any team can learn how to employ the tools and exercises. Which is where brand strategists like me come in.