What do you stand for? What does your business stand for?

Purpose has to be corporate Australia's current buzzword. It is also the reason we get out of bed every day.

"Everyone has a sense of purpose. A reason for being," infrastructure and property business John Holland proclaimed in its recent re-brand. 

"It motivates, informs action and creates satisfaction. Brands should have one too. It's easier for customers, employees and partners to engage with a business that stands for something, and can articulate why they exist, not just what they do," he said.

Because we spend a lot of our time conveying this through content and strategy for clients, we brought together some of Victoria’s most influential leaders from various industries to share their insights and wisdom.  

We are so excited to be co-hosting an event with ‪our friends at Fireside Agency entitled Unscripted.

In the first of a series of events hosted with our friends at Fireside, we’re welcoming four leading figures, uniquely positioned to explore the importance of developing and communicating purpose today.

• The Right Hon. Sally Capp, Lord Mayor, City of Melbourne

• Russel Howcroft, Chief Creative Officer, PwC and Panellist, Gruen

• Stephen Donnelly, Founder, Dunn Street, and leading community organiser

  Sabina Read, Psychologist and Ch7 and 3AW host

Why did we choose this theme?

A lot of thought went into the theme of the inaugural event. In business and in life it’s important to explore our own sense of purpose and communicate it to our customers. 

In business, your ‘why’ should strongly correlate to your mission and vision statements. What is it that you are ultimately achieving?

In a marketing context, we ask questions like: who is my target audience? How can I best shape my product or service to suit this audience? How do I provide value, and how can I communicate this value?

What pain points do I solve for my customers? What pleasure points can I address for my audience?

Having a collective purpose drives employee satisfaction, keeps employees on the same page, and helps customers understand your values.

How do I define my purpose?

Find out when you attend our event! [ha!] In the meantime, here are our two cents to this question.

People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.

Perhaps the shining example of this is Apple. Its “Think different” promise, created in 1997 is still relevant today, highlighting the benefits of buying an Apple product. It’s not just a device, it promises innovation, newness, authenticity, and self-expression. It’s no coincidence Apple is one of the most recognised and valuable brands in the world.

Here are some other pointers for figuring out your purpose:

1. It should be aspirational.

   In fact – it may not ever be achievable, but something that is always relevant such as ‘think different’.

2.  Have one main purpose.

   Not two, three or four. One.

3. In what way do I want to change the world?

   Big or small, your purpose, if fulfilled, should have an impact. This can very, from changing the way people interact, improve sustainability, reduce the rate of suicide.

4.  What do you want your business to be remembered for?

   If a funeral were to be held about your organisation, what things would you like said about it? What would people speak to its ‘character’.

5.  Ask your employees at every level who, what, why and how questions.

   What are we good at? Why are we in business? Who are we at our core?

6.  Bring everything together into a short, simple and, most important, genuine message. 

   You should be able to summarise your purpose in one sentence.

Book your seat now!

Join us for a meaningful breakfast session full of insightful, practical and inspiring takeaways with some of Victoria’s most influential people.

Early Bird tickets sold out 24 hours before the deadline! Tickets are now limited so book your seat now via the link.

Will we see you there? Book now.