In the year 2010, long before "brand purpose" hysteria infected the marketing industry, I wrote the following blog post.
Several years ago, a very sincere guy who ran a chain of donut shops came to see me. He wanted to do an advertising campaign.
"We're different," he explained. "We're a commune. Everyone who works here owns an equal part. We work cooperatively. It's a model for how businesses should be run. It's a vision of the future. I think we should do an ad campaign about it. I think people will really respond."
"How are your donuts?" I asked.
"They're very good." He said.
"Then forget the philosophy," I said. "Nobody buys philosophy. They buy donuts."