What makes a brand meaningful? We sought to answer this question in our recent report, Nine by Nine: 81 Brands Changing Our World. In this episode, Part 2 of 2, we sit down and reflect on the report and the categories included.

See Part 1: Episode 165: What Makes A Brand Meaningful?

Purpose Driven Brands

• Purpose driven brands are focused on having alignment with their worldview. They state a purpose behind their brand and provide that to their customers. They make it clear what kind of world they want to build and are actively working to achieve that world.
• For these consumers, they base their purchasing on their lens through which they see their world, which is especially true for Gen Z and millennials.
• CEO and co-founder of Good On You says in the report that “It just goes back to having a core purpose and a core connection to the person that your brand is intended to serve and the problem that your brand is intending to solve.”
• REI is number one on our list because they’re doing so much more than just sustainability and ecology - even if they are a retailer and not a DTC brand.
• Bowery Farming is on the list - they do indoor farming without pesticides. Bowery Farming is tech centric and tech forward, using less water and producing more food in a more sustainable way.
• Sunday, who was recently on the podcast, gives a better understanding of home and garden from a philosophical perspective.

Late Stage Retail

• As retail has developed, we’ve seen more companies move to capture attention through subversive techniques, FOMO, etc. for conversion rate optimization.
• From the report: “These retail heroes are seeking to uplift underserved communities, create and market sustainable products, pay their employees a living wage and treat their suppliers ethically and fairly. They’re the founders of numerous DTC brands who are focusing on sustainable and ethical products, B Corp certified companies and even members of the Business Roundtable, which recently redefined the purpose of a corporation that speaks directly to our Future Commerce values.”
• Patagonia is at the top of this list for many reasons - they have stood against the encroachment of federal property on native lands, they’ve stood for Black Lives Matter, and they’ve led the movement of countercultural anti Black Friday events.
• This category is all about doing right by all people all the way across the board - even to your own detriment.
• After releasing the report, Everlane has undergone heavy criticism because of their practices - which in rethinking our list, they should not be included.

Audience First

• This category belongs to those brands who create an audience and then market products, goods, or services to them - like Kanye and Yeezy, Emily Weiss and Glossier, Virgil Abloh and Off-White, Ryan Kaji and Ryan’s World, Marie Kondo, and of course, five different Jenner/Kardashian brands.
• Joanna Gaines and Magnolia stands out - truly leading with content and then taking the steps to give their audience ways to buy in.

Local Heroes

• Chick-Fil-A tops this list. We wanted to cover more than just venture-backed or private equity backed brands. Chick-Fil-A, as a franchise model, has a great record in investing into its local communities. They’ve given an incredible amount of money back towards COVID relief.
• Ace Hardware is another on this list, allowing for local ownership just as much as Chick-Fil-A.
• Thistle Farms, with Becca Stevens, have created a brand carried in a lot of retailers including Whole Foods. Thistle Farms creates products that give work to survivors of abuse, having a 100% female employee base.
• Costco made the list for being a pioneer in wages and supporting their local communities.

100 Club

• These businesses are defined as having raised no outside capital in exchange for giving up an ownership stake in the business. These businesses are on the long path to prominence.
• Many businesses in this category have been on our podcast, including - Industry West’s CMO Ian Leslie, Frank & Eileen’s Founder Audrey McLoghlin, and Farm Girl Flowers’s CEO and Founder Christina Stembel.
• “The 100 Club has the ability to stick to the core tenets of your brand and not sacrifice them for a bunch of suits.” - Brian Lange

Links

• Check out our Nine by Nine report: 81 Brands Changing Our World
• See our webinar with Klaviyo on Nine by Nine: 81 Brands Changing Modern eCommerce
• Check out where our Nine by Nine report was featured:
• GQ: Not So Vain: C.A.R.L.Y.s Love Crocs, Memes and Social Justice
• Adweek: These 81 Brands Are Shaping the Future of Commerce
• Business Insider: Meet the ‘Carlys’: The meme-loving young shoppers who ‘can’t afford real life yet’ - but will soon enjoy the biggest cohort of spenders in the US
• Morning Brew: Meet CARLY: Gen Z’s New, Socially Conscious Shopper
• Independent Retailer: Meet The New Customer Demographic: C.A.R.L.Y.
• Women’s Wear Daily: New Report Asks What Makes a Brand Meaningful?
• Sourcing Journal: New Cohort of Young Consumers Values An Iconic Brand Aesthetic

If you have any comments or questions about this episode, you can reach out to us at [email protected] or any of our social channels. We love hearing from our listeners!

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