Companies would only be able to survive in the long term if they focused on overarching goals aimed at the global common good. Under the concept of "purpose", companies should primarily contribute to solving the great challenges of the time (environmental protection, racism, gender equality). Pepsi ran peace campaigns, Gillette focused australia rcs data on the new man, Coca-Cola sponsored Christopher Street Days, to name just a few of the major players. In Switzerland, the anti-loneliness Migros Christmas advert "Simply live well: storm-free" warms the heart just as much as the Coop advert "Nevi - The Snow Monster", time and massively.
With the integration of the purpose, the way was clear to address everything except the paying advertising object itself. Feelings became the yardstick for success - and not cold sales figures (can you actually pay employees with that)? The praise was all the greater when traditional companies cut off their "old habits" and appeared downright revolutionary on the communication surface by taking up themes that stood for progressiveness and new beginnings. Nothing demonstrates activity faster than a new advertising campaign. Nothing is as interchangeable.
The "meaning strategy" is not entirely new: In the 1980s, the Italian advertiser Oliviero Toscani came up with the first purpose that resonated strongly: In his Benetton campaign, Toscani addressed child labor, environmental pollution and AIDS as advertising motifs for sweaters. This was so honorable that the brand was doomed, and it is still suffering the consequences today. Dove was celebrated for its use of authentic models, but from an economic perspective, this campaign was a fiasco. The original strategy has since been blurred beyond recognition.