Ep. 19: Ken Beaulieu, EVP, Editorial and Content Development, Association of National Advertisers

Hello Everyone - When it comes to your favorite brands what sets them apart? What are the defining characteristics that make you fond or better yet more than willing to patronize them? Is it the service provide or product they make, or perhaps it’s the intangibles — meaning by giving your money to this brand you know that money will go to continuing to provide a superior product or service and in addition, allow that brand to advocate for specific causes important to you or continue to be a pillar in the community it serves? Is it their brand purpose that sticks out? I had the ANA’s Ken Beaulieu, who leads their Center for Brand Purpose on the podcast to discuss ‘brand purpose.’ How do we first define it? Ken’s explanation below: “We [ANA Center for Brand Purpose] define it as the reason your brand exists beyond profit, beyond making gobs of money. It's your North Star, it's your DNA, it's your ethos. And it should be tied to your business strategy and inside and out. It's gotta be rooted in everything that you do.” — Ken Beaulieu, ANA What are brands which you associate with being purposeful? Patagonia immediately comes to mind. Their reason-to-be is to serve, protect and save Planet Earth. What are some other brand examples that fit this description? Watch my full interview with Ken on YouTube or you can listen to the audio on wherever you enjoy podcasts. Ken lays out the ‘8 Characteristics of Purpose-Driven Brands.’ To learn more about brand purpose along with Ken and his team’s work head over to the Center’s website. This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit worthyforthirty.substack.com