I have had projects for brands where we couldn't do enough. And couldn't do it fast enough.

In a frenzy to drive conversions and sales, we'd pump out tactic after tactic. We hoped we'd hit on something that resonated. Or at least try so many things that the broad net would haul in the prospects.

It's a miserable way to operate. You don't feel like you're doing worthwhile work. And you never feel like you're doing enough.

Ugh.

What's lubricating this hamster wheel from hell?

The lack of a good brand strategy makes any tactic seem like a viable option. We could all agree that that's the culprit and stop there.

But, you know, I've seen brands with a strategy that still operate in this fashion. It's a little more dialed in. But it's still havoc. Focused chaos.

And you know what? It still sucks.

A brand strategy doesn't stop a bad actor in charge of the brand from stirring up the mayhem.

Before we all fall into despair at that thought, please know that there is a way to create an environment where lack of strategy and bad actors have a hard time existing.

Purpose quells the pandemonium

When a brand embraces its purpose, some pretty wonderful things happen. I've written about what it can add to a brand. But it's important to understand what it can take away as well.

At purpose-driven brands, it's hard for bad actors to thrive. Because purpose amplifies an ethos of focusing on others and doing good. Put simply, in the purpose-driven organizations I've worked with, people just treat each other better. There is a kindness. And an esprit de corps that unites efforts and helps teams self-correct when things threaten to get out of hand. Anyone at any time can ask, "Is this helping to further our purpose?" And not feel like they are putting themselves at risk.

This is the beauty of a culture of purpose.

It doesn't mean they get any less done. In fact, it gives the brand incredible clarity to act as well as an invaluable touchstone with which the brand can use to guide decisions. That streamlines and accelerates everything.

A brand is the embodiment of an organization. And organizations are messy, unpredictable beings. Because they're full of different kinds of people with different backgrounds and different opinions. That doesn't bode well for an organization and a brand without a purpose. In fact, when you stop and think about it, it feels like a breeding ground of pandemonium. Chaos just waiting to happen.

Wouldn't it be great to inoculate your brand from all that? There is a remedy. It's called purpose.