Data analytics Understanding purpose Human stories and artificial intelligence can be brought together to help brands express their purpose in a more meaningful way, says Ansie Lombaard B rand purpose is foundational. Yet, it is also one of the most misunderstood and misused business buzzwords today. Purpose-led companies can make a tremendous difference in the world, and people increasingly expect such organisations to use this power for good. In Kantars 2020 Global Monitor survey, 66% of respondents said it is important to them that the brands they buy are committed to making our society better. When brand purpose impacts brand choice, it follows that purpose impacts brand growth. Kantars BrandZ data shows that, from 2006 to 2018, brands with a stronger purpose grew their value by 175%, more than double compared with those with a weak purpose. It is clear; brands with a purpose have always been more impactful so, what has changed? A higher purpose The pandemic, along with the social justice movements of the past year, seems to have cemented, and even expanded, the importance of purpose. Concurrently, consumers are more discerning. Brand purpose must be relevant to the brand and feel genuine to the consumer not bolted on. In this environment, finding the right expression of purpose can be challenging. Many brands have found a way to do this with impact and authenticity. Nike is an excellent example, with its recent Just Do It relaunch. Firmly grounded in emotion, it champions minorities and challenges female stereotypes in sport. Other examples have drawn equal attention for all the wrong reasons from overly simplistic portrayals of complex societal issues to using charitable donations as some sort of game of chance. Moreover, once purpose becomes part of a brands marketing mix, a new set of expectations arise. Fail to deliver on that, and people are likely to perceive a brand as co-opting a cause to help promote and sell things for their benefit not for the greater good. Conversational AI offers a way to have rich, engaging, one-on-one chatbot conversations with people at scale, with the power to uncover what we did not know How can brands avoid the pitfalls of a badly aligned and poorly expressed brand purpose? To really understand people, we turn to their stories. Human stories bring empathy, understanding and connection. In the context of brand purpose, therefore, it makes sense to look for ways to access peoples human stories on a larger scale. Conversational artificial intelligence (AI) offers a way to have rich, engaging one-on-one chatbot conversations, with people like you and me, at scale, with the power to uncover what we did not know, getting to the heart of peoples stories, their passions and motivations, needs and expectations. Conversational AI leverages messenger platforms such as Facebook Messenger or WeChat that feel personal and familiar to people; where they can share their stories on their terms, through a guided, adaptive conversation that encourages these to unfold as naturally as possible. Such human-like conversations give researchers access to qualitative depth at a quantitative scale, exploring peoples evolving needs and expectations, and identifying where and how brands can and do make a positive difference. 46 Impact ISSUE 36 2022_pp46-47 dataanalytics.indd 46 08/12/2021 10:14