Ditch the purpose-driven branding

🙏🏽​ I beg you. (Plus a particularly fire 🔥​ list of The Good Links)

Today, my dear subscribers, you’re in for a treat. I’ve been sitting on a specific frustration for a while, and if past experience has taught me anything, this space—and this community—is the perfect place to unpack it and hopefully turn it into something meaningful.

We need to talk about the brands in the football world that are taking a purposeful, impact-driven approach but aren’t genuinely committed to it. Well, I need to talk about it because, frankly, it’s been driving me crazy. As someone who advocates for brand strategies rooted in real purpose, I feel compelled to call out those that only want to look like they do.

So, I've compiled a list of circumstances to help you know when you should not build your case around purpose and impact.

1. If you don’t mean it.

Here’s a simple test you can do to figure out if you fit this category: read your brand’s mission, vision, values, and tagline, and if you and your business plans don’t align with them, you’re it. Don’t take these brand aspects lightly; they should guide all efforts and teams communicating it to different audiences and stakeholders.

2. If you’re unwilling to pay the price, figuratively and literally.

When you claim to be driven by a bigger purpose or offer to respond to a pressing need, you must pay a price to keep that promise. Generating lasting impact demands investing resources in the right places, being informed by experts, and addressing a real need. The path of purpose is the best but also the narrower, and if you are not committed to the process it takes to achieve impact, don’t go there.

3. If you’re doing it just to fit the trend.

You already know it: trends come and go. Gen Z is out there proudly wearing everything we, the survivors of the early 2000s, thought we had left behind for good. We know that one day, they will look back in regret because time and a bit of wisdom have shown us that not everyone needs to embrace every trend. Maybe this one isn’t for you. In fact, trying to be a purpose-driven brand just because it’s trendy defeats the entire point.

4. If you haven’t spotted an actual need.

The core of defining and acting on your brand’s purpose is identifying what the world genuinely needs and how your brand can address it effectively. If you read the news or scroll through endless feeds, you know the world needs plenty. Finding a need isn’t the hard part—but addressing it meaningfully is key if you want to make a real impact. And if you’re not asking those who genuinely understand the need, that’s the best place to start.

5. If you won’t be transparent about it.

If you say your brand will tackle a specific problem, you need to walk us through it. Why is your brand the right one for the job? How will you achieve your goal? How will you measure success? And what progress, wins, and setbacks have you faced along the way? A purpose-driven brand needs to show and tell. If that’s not your cup of tea, then this isn’t the path for you.

Phew. Is anyone still here?

If you’re wondering why I am so sassy passionate about it, it’s probably because of the countless conversations I’ve had with people who don’t believe me when I make my case for impactful brand strategies in football. When brands fake their way through these campaigns, they only prove the skeptics right. Their inauthenticity makes it harder for those of us who are trying to do things the right way to be taken seriously. And that drives me nuts. They also waste our time and their money.

Trust me, people are savvier than you think. They can see through the fluff. Sometimes, just offering a solid product or service—without pretending to change the world—is just what they might be looking for. If you don’t care, don’t pretend to. Stick with what you truly are and offer.

Bad branding is the Wizard of Oz curtain. Sooner or later, what’s behind it gets exposed—the mediocrity, the deception, the lack of real commitment. And when that curtain drops? Consumers lose trust. Not just in your brand but also in the whole concept of purpose-driven companies. That loss of trust is hard to win back, and it affects all of us.

Good branding aligns what you are and do with what you say you are and do. It’s not about catering to trends or slapping an inspiring slogan somewhere. It’s about impact—not just for today, but for the long haul.

That said, I don’t believe all hope is lost for brands that have taken a misguided approach. Authenticity isn’t forever out of reach—it’s a choice. Brands willing to reflect, recalibrate, and make genuine efforts to realign with their purpose can absolutely change course. It’s about shifting from a surface-level commitment to one that’s meaningful and measurable. Yes, it takes work. Yes, it takes humility. But brands that embrace this transformation regain trust and can become even stronger and more resilient because of it. And most importantly, they genuinely inspire hope amidst the chaos of today’s football industry, helping to cultivate the good football.

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THE GOOD LINKS

👧🏿​ This editorial (the whole series that Copa 90 is doing on Black History month x football is worth checking out, by the way).

😲​ This photo of the northern lights shining over a football pitch.

🙏​ The best short vlog you’ll see today. For an even fuller experience, read the first comment.

🪡 This work of art.

👎​ The sad highlights from a report on fossil fuel companies using football as a platform for promotion.

👀​ This grandma.

👏 This incredible project of a football kit that raises awareness about breast screenings.

✨​ Her.

📸​ An exhibition of football photography by women photographers.

🤤​ The new AS Roma tracksuit and this presentation.

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