In an age of disruption, the role of Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) has been disrupted too. Now businesses are seeking flexible leadership solutions that provides access to top tier talent without the commitment (or expense) of a full-time hire.

Recent research from key stakeholder groups across the globe advise there’s a growing scepticism towards companies that say they are purpose driven. The issue? There’s a perceived gap between what is being stated - and what is actually being executed.

Deep purpose companies are committed to both positive social impact and commercial outcomes, but also understand that they must play (and win) within the constraints of a commercial system.

Globally, purpose now plays an integral role in the leadership framework. The role of the CEO has expanded to include driving purpose throughout the organisation and managing its performance.

In much the same vein as greenwashing, there is also a term used to describe the misuse of ‘purpose’ for commercial gain called ‘purpose-washing’.

Did you know the concept of a brand first dates back to the Ancient Egyptians? Today, the most dominant kind of branding is cultural branding—the technique of giving products deeper, more emotional associations and experiences.

It would be a tragedy if misinterpretation of definitions (aka jargon) could play a key role in us not achieving the 2030 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs). Yet when it comes to the terms ‘purpose’ and ‘sustainability’, there’s often variance in how they are defined, leading to market confusion..

Let’s call it what it is. There really is a level of ‘messiness’ to purpose in business. How can you know which companies are truly committed to their purpose, and those who are merely paying lip service to the concept, or worse?

Let’s be clear, CSR programs and purpose are different. While they both may share the intent to improve the planet, people or profit, they are not the same.

Purpose is core to driving growth organically and has been established to be a key determinant of success in inorganic growth strategy too.

Did you know that you can’t authentically be a purpose-driven business without a robust sustainability strategy? While purpose and sustainability are not the same thing, there are clear overlaps.

Brand this, brand that, there’s a multitude of competing jargon, terms and meanings which can be both time consuming and confusing for all involved.

Across the business landscape, companies can interpret the use and application of these terms a little differently. Some may just have a purpose, some a vision statement. Some have a mission and a vision statement, some have all three.

Outside of the world of journalism we tell stories to amplify awareness, create engagement and drive commercial objectives. How is this managed ethically?

Employee well-being and resilience has always been a consideration on the executive agenda. Purpose has now become central to achieving this goal in the workplace.

The ‘we’ I refer to above are from two culturally opposed disciplines, journalism and marketing. These worlds have slowly transformed, and continue to do so due to media convergence, citizen publishing, social media – even blurred jurisdictional boundaries. It’s an all-out morphing sensation.

Put simply, purpose can be interpreted in two ways - either to represent the underlying motive behind why a brand sells its products and services, or it can be the platform that articulates why the organisation exists in the world.

With deepening inequities across the world - (healthcare, education, climate change, racial equality) there’s an increasing urgency for these issues to be addressed. Businesses are now expected to fill the void left by the government.

In stark contrast from the world of baseball, in global business, there’s an emerging application of another type of triple play - the growth triple play.

In general, established or traditional accounting practices records the costs, incomes, assets and liabilities of the company - as well as the costs of the resources a company employs, and the earnings it derives from them. As a result, current accounting methods do not provide all the information that is relevant to promoting responsible, purposeful business practices.