State of Marketing Spotlight 22 While Tech Makes Waves, a Major Messaging Trend Surfaces Barriers to Delivering Purpose-Driven Marketing Purpose-driven marketing is on the minds of more marketers, but it brings its own challenges. The right technology can empower marketers The main hang-up is that marketing leaders don’t want to risk sending a message that could polarize their audiences. to drive 1-to-1 connections — but the tech itself is still just a vehicle. The message that’s being delivered matters more than ever. Top Issues Hindering Marketing Teams from Delivering Purpose-Driven Marketing Customers increasingly have opinions about what a company stands for and how it behaves as a corporate citizen. Recent research has shown 1 We don’t want to risk putting out a message that polarizes our audiences that 60% of consumers are likely to switch brands if a company isn’t socially responsible* and 80% of business professionals believe companies have a responsibility to go beyond 2 Unsure how to connect our values to our marketing strategy profit to make an impact on society.** This shift is why more marketers are talking about purpose-driven marketing — defined in 3 Insufficient executive buy-in the survey as any positioning that represents an organization’s greater purpose and beliefs. For examples, look no further than recent Super Bowl ads from international brand giants. Marketing, often the broadcasting voice of a company, holds a unique position to navigate this values-based positioning. In the last 18 months, 60% of marketing leaders say they’ve become more focused on purpose-driven marketing. Top marketers are 2.2x more likely than underperformers to leverage purpose-driven * State of the Connected Customer survey, Salesforce Research, June 2016. Data may or may not be represented in the “State of the Connected marketing to reflect the values of their company, Customer” report. brands, and customers. ** Workforce Values and Equality survey, Salesforce Research, February 2017. Data may or may not be represented in the forthcoming related report. Salesforce Research