Purpose-led ads lead to sales uplift for two in three brands

Two-thirds of marketers have said purpose-led advertising has led to an increase in sales.

Campaign’s annual report on chief marketers’ priorities showed 67% deemed their use of these types of ads as either “fairly” successful (54%) or “very” successful (13%), due to the rise in sales they achieved.

The majority (81%) of the 94 senior marketers from across the world who took part in a survey for the CMO Outlook report had used purposeful advertising in the past.

However, one in five said it was not possible to know the impact on sales from using these types of ads, while 13% said the commercial impact had not been successful, due to “little or no impact” on sales.

The CMO Outlook report, available to subscribers to The Knowledge, also shows to what extent marketers view the importance of purposeful campaigns for their marketing agenda in the upcoming 12 months, the impact on the creativity of the ads and the brand’s reputation. 

The report also outlines broader priorities for the upcoming year, including marketer’s split of budget on digital and non-digital channels and the changing importance of first, second and third-party data.

Earlier this year, jurors at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity said adland was now in a “post-purpose” world.

They said the era of jumping on advertising that extols a brand’s societal benefit, purely as a “piggybacking” exercise, was coming to an end and that brands must focus first on making money.