Beyond purpose: How brands that care build sustainable competitive advantage
Abstract
This paper addresses the differentiation crisis in which 77 per cent of brands could disappear without consumer concern. It argues that purpose-driven strategies prove insufficient because purpose operates vertically towards singular causes while stakeholder capitalism demands horizontal care across multiple dimensions. The paper introduces two complementary frameworks. Firstly, a four-stakeholder model (people, product, customers, world) that maps where care must manifest across the organisation. Secondly, an extraction–creation–distribution cycle that explains how internal operational care translates into external competitive advantage through a continuous, always-on process distinct from conventional campaign thinking. Drawing on empirical evidence, including findings that stakeholder-oriented firms deliver higher annual returns, the paper demonstrates that care operates uniquely at the intersection of authenticity, differentiation, and growth, creating competitive advantage that traditional strategies cannot replicate. Three operational principles and a practical diagnostic for brand leaders provide actionable guidance for implementation. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
Oliver Duffy-Lee is Chief Executive Officer of 21six, a London-based brand and purpose studio that helps organisations compete on the strength of genuine stakeholder care. 21six works with clients who have chosen to take a stand and build their advantage around authentic commitment to their people, their product, their customers, and the world. With more than a decade of experience, Oliver speaks regularly on brand differentiation, stakeholder capitalism and the operational foundations of care-driven growth, and conducts primary research with chief marketing officers on the realities of building organisations that stakeholders trust.
Manolo Fournier Castillo is Head of Strategy at 21six, a London-based branding and creative agency. He holds an MSc in Prosperity, Innovation and Entrepreneurship from University College London’s Institute for Global Prosperity, where he deepened his focus on the role brands can play in addressing systemic challenges. He brings this thinking to his work at 21six, developing positioning strategies for global organisations across technology, pharmaceuticals, education, retail, and real estate, underpinned by a conviction that authentic care is a genuine source of competitive advantage.
