ABSTRACT
The social purpose was an important driver for Domestos to come up with those individual-use packets. They might have spent their R&D funds instead on new features for existing products, maybe new scents or a proliferation of bottle sizes and delivery mechanisms for every conceivable situation. Those ideas had a better chance of meeting Domestos’ margin requirements, at least in the short run. Marketers know all about this desirability challenge—it’s the core of their job, and they’re pretty good at it. Marketers have a special challenge with shared value. Realising the benefits of differentiation, some brands broadcast their social purpose before they do much actual good. The marketers are using social purpose to boost the brand’s reputation, rather than embracing the purpose itself. Making a real difference with social problems is hard enough; to succeed, it has to follow from an authentic, company-wide commitment to the purpose.
