In our world of turmoil and uncertainty, where financial disaster seems always just a FTSE index away, it seems disingenuous to talk about brand purpose in the sense of a ‘higher calling’. Even Unilever, the king of purpose-led FMCG, has recently committed to no longer trying to shoe-horn a purpose for every brand.

 

Too often, a brand’s purpose is characterised by transparency – e.g., clean label – which is surely a fundamental consumer right. Or, by the promise of perks which insidiously tie you to the workplace beyond normal working hours.

 

Brands that are successful today are those that have been able to demonstrate the theory of ‘Brand Happiness’.

 

Take Cadbury, who have used an RTB of ‘A glass and a half’ to spread a spirit of generosity through its actions in the community. Or Patek Phillippe, who have elevated the idea of delayed gratification to an artform: ‘You never really own a Patek Phillippe. You simply look after it for the next generation’.

 

Or look to Yvon Chouinard – a half century after founding Patagonia, the outdoor apparel maker and eccentric rock climber-turned-reluctant billionaire, with an unconventional spin on capitalism, has given the company away.

 

However, the idea of Brand Happiness goes beyond the philanthropy of a billionaire, the hedonistic pleasure of chocolate or the gratification of ownership of luxury goods.

 

At BigT, we believe Brand Happiness is the ultimate expression of a brand that delivers on its purpose.  Whether that’s a cleaning product delivering the satisfaction of a job well done, or a life-saving drug that ensures we see another happy day.

 

The messy, chaotic clutter of emotions that make us human are going through the sieve of Generative AI and the received wisdom of the past made present, and future, through machine-generated algorithms.

 

Happiness is a fundamental human asset which, as Aristotle said, ‘depends on ourselves’.

We (humans) create our own happiness, brands are of our own making, ergo Brand Happiness is ipso facto human. Let’s keep it so.