SM Live 2022: Purpose, in the Post Pandemic World 

Purpose in the Post Pandemic World doesn’t just focus on small and non-luxury brands. The purpose is a non-negotiable thing that every brand needs to focus on.

The pandemic made sure to raise questions in everybody’s mind about whether the things they were doing had any purpose or not. But these same questions have made a comeback post-pandemic as well. Discussing this exact conundrum, Pooja Manek and Aarushi Periwal, from Talented helped us break down the definition of Purpose in today's day and age

The Objective

Pooja Manek, Talented, talked about how ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ took this exact ‘purpose’ which dwelled on how schools teach you about museums but never question how the things inside ended up in their hands.  

Pooja explained how the blend of ‘good use of social media' and ‘use of social media for good’, helped ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ innovate, and relocate the use of Instagram for good. 

She also added, how the pandemic had forced people to re-evaluate our own ‘purpose’ and it caused a shift and pushed them to relook at things.  

Speaking about the current situation and consumer behavior, Aarushi Periwal added, how strong intent is a gift that keeps on giving and purpose has now made its way into the DNA of the brand, and it’s definitely not optional.  

She also mentioned how the industry has seen a rise in the number of conscious consumers. People don’t want to engage with brands that don’t stand for a purpose.

“Purpose is a day in and day out thing. Its non-negotiable.”

Actionable Activism 

The panel then focused on campaigns that exactly turned to their own purpose and found ground and delivered to the consumers. From Dove’s Real Beauty to Better Half cookbook.  

Talking about the power of Purpose, Aarushi explained how the brand can go beyond the usual scale of approach the brand can actually take. 

Branching out to ‘Loyalty programs’ Aarushi pointed out Calsberg’s ‘Adopt a Keg’ campaign during the pandemic that changed the system where the loyalty program helped small bars and pubs generate traffic.  

Aarushi added, “Purpose has the potential to unlock customer bases, that you weren’t even aware of, also it retains and unlocks loyal customers.”

Also Read: Arun Srinivas, Meta on winning new consumers in times of change & innovation

Lifting the Underrepresented 

Aarushi and Pooja shared how brands can use their platform to showcase the undermined and unappreciated sector of the mass by showcasing them in their campaigns, thus reflecting purpose.  

Giving examples of such cases, Aarushi pointed out ‘The Unfiltered History Tour’ and ‘Made by Dyslexia’.

She recommended brands should make meaningful connections by approaching them in a friendly manner all on the back of purpose.  

How to work better and make better work 

Aarushi stated that to work better and make better work can only happen when everyone involved in the process is empathetic, is all about inclusivity and diversity.  

She added that to achieve this, brands must start at the end credits. And brands need to initiate and show what actually happens behind the camera.  

“It's not just the output, but also the process that needs to show the purpose” 

Business un-usual 

Pooja advised brands on how to be more than usual by having an idea of long-term commitments. The commitment doesn’t have to be virtuous each time. She said, “Brands shouldn’t be just walking the talk” 

Pooja also stated that if brands want to drive real progress, then have to take the bonus of correcting what’s within the system before putting things out in the open.  She added, “If you really imbibe in diversity hiring, it doesn’t just have a great culture-building potential but also has great profitability.” 

Life-Work Balance 

Pooja explained how the true approach isn’t work-life balance but life-work balance.  

Quoting The 3 percent Movement's founder Kat Gordon, Pooja stated, “Rock when you have to, but as long as you make sure to restore yourself you will actually perform better”

To conclude her thoughts, she added saying that to figure out a sustainable approach to being more creative and productive – brands shouldn’t just focus on metals but also look at the process.

Pooja Manek and Aarushi Periwal shared his thoughts at the 6th edition of #SMLive, Social Samosa’s marquee annual conference, organized on World Social Media Day.

You can watch SMLive Sessions here!