ABSTRACT
Brands on a mission need to do more than win over partners and consumers. They must also convince their colleagues across the corporation to support their efforts. After all, brands rely on the larger organisation for budgets and special expertise. The imprimatur of the big corporation is often essential to gaining partnerships with nervous governments and non-profits. In seeking corporate support, marketers need to keep in mind the structures and constraints that all large corporations work through. They need to become intrapreneurs roaming their large organisation in search of supportive leaders and colleagues. While social purpose is likely the biggest opportunity for most consumer brands, marketers should not forget to take care of other important areas. Many projects for social purpose involve risky activities that can backfire and damage the reputation of not just the brand, but the overall company. Either the programme itself might make something worse, or a partner might turn out to be disreputable.
