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The future of sustainable society driven by

Power of Purpose

The future of sustainable society driven by "Power of Purpose"

Afdhel Aziz
Afdhel Aziz
Founder and Chief Purpose Officer Conspiracy of Love
http://www.conspiracyoflove.co
Profile

Afdhel Aziz is Founder and Chief Purpose Officer at Conspiracy of Love, a brand purpose consultancy. He is an award-winning marketer who has led brands for Procter & Gamble, Heineken, Absolut, and Nokia. Currently, Afdhel is working on business innovation based on the concept of “Purpose” which maximize the brand’s reason to exist by making a new business model that drives positive social and environmental impact.

He has been a speaker at the Forbes CMO Summit, Cannes Lions, SXSW, and more. His co-authored book with Bobby Jones “Good is the New Cool: Market Like You Give a Damn”, which is published in 2016, is acclaimed internationally. He is as well as a regular FORBES contributor where he writes about how purpose drives business and social impact.

Summary

It has been a long time since the impact of human activity on the environment is recognized as a serious societal issue. However, many companies are still struggling to figure out practical solutions. One report shows that the apparel industry accounted for approximately 8.1% of global climate pollution.
Afdhel Aziz is one of the pioneers who engaged in inventing the new business model which contributes to helping make the world a better place socially, or environmentally or both based on the concept of “Purpose driven”.
While society, companies, and individuals are still seeking a new model, where business should go to realize a sustainable society.

Contents

Good is the New Cool |
Make the world a better place

Please tell us your background and what kind of practice you are working on.

I was a brand marketer for 20 years, working for companies like Procter and Gamble, Nokia, Heineken, and Absolut Vodka. I now am an international speaker and consultant on the topic of brand purpose, and I run my own consultancy called ‘Conspiracy of Love’ which has worked with brands like Oreo, Levi’s and THE NORTH FACE to help unlock the power of purpose in business and their employees.

What did you bring to co-write “Good is the New Cool: Market Like You Give a Damn”?

I became very disillusioned with the legacy I was going to leave behind. I think having a son made me realize that I didn't want to set him the example that my time on this planet was spent helping sell more products. I wanted to show him that it was possible to find ways to be successful by doing good. So I embarked on a journey to explore what inspires me, with my friend and co-author Bobby Jones, and I found a passion for the idea of business as a force for good.

“Good is the New Cool: Market Like You Give a Damn” highly recognized.
Why do you think this book goes out to a wide audience?

I think the book struck a chord with many leaders in business who felt the same way as I did and wanted to find deeper meaning and purpose in their lives. I think the timing of the book also helped: when society is going through things like Brexit, Trump being elected, climate change and the 2008 financial crisis, it all accelerated the desire for people to want to help solve social and environmental issues.

The new business model driven by the power of purpose

Why do you think the existing business approach which only pursuits profit is reaching the limit?

Because it hasn’t worked. It hasn’t worked for the vast majority of employees. It hasn’t worked for the vast majority of consumers. It has succeeded in making a tiny amount of people very wealthy and created catastrophic climate change and massive inequality. It’s time for a revolution in business, and purpose is the key to unlocking a model of capitalism that is for the many, not the few. And that can help heal the planet not destroy it.

Will not the ethical approach and traditional business model contradict?

Actually, all the data shows that doing good is good for business. For instance, the Kantar Purpose 2020 Report shows that purpose-driven brands can grow twice as fast as those of their competitors. has also written extensively on how purpose can drive employee engagement and commercial success. In the long term, consumer wants to trust the brands they buy; so doing business in an ethical, transparent, sustainable way will only help brands thrive.

What is your relationship with THE NORTH FACE

THE NORTH FACE is one of my favorite brands. For example, their campaigns such as “WALLS ARE MEANT FOR CLIMBING” or “SHE MOVES MOUNTAINS” successfully show up in the world in a way that brings people together and champions diversity and inclusion. While I didn’t work directly on these projects, I had the privilege of conducting a workshop with THE NORTH FACE employees where we helped unlock the connection between their individual purpose and that of the brand. The people I met there were fantastic and I felt like they really lived the brand philosophy. I loved the purpose of 'Dare to lead the world through exploration' and I found that ideal to be deeply embedded in the culture and values of THE NORTH FACE, which was an amazing experience.

The future of sustainability and consumption

The apparel industry is said that the world’s second industry who pollutes the environment after the petroleum industry. How do you think we can update the apparel industry?

The apparel industry has a massive opportunity to completely reinvent itself- from using sustainable materials to reducing the amount of energy and water to finding new models to create a circular, sustainable model that fairly rewards the workers who create clothes, keeps them safe and pays them a living wage. It’s time for a change now.

What technology or industry you expect to realize sustainable society the most?

I think the current revolution is being powered by the decarbonization away from a fossil-fuel industry to one that is being powered by renewables. I believe the next revolution is in the business model itself; every company needs to be thinking of rapidly transforming itself into a circular economy model, where it is zero-waste and what the write William McDonough refers to as ‘cradle to cradle’ thinking, encompassing the whole lifecycle of the product.

What is your ideal vision of the relationship between consumers and brands?

I believe great brands should optimize life. That they should be there to serve their customers in ways that help benefit individual and global society. So, companies need to get out of the cycle of focusing on short-term quarterly profits and think for the long-term. You cannot future-proof your company if your head is down only thinking about the next three months. In return, I believe customers will then reward them with purchase and advocacy ….and love. That’s why I called my company Conspiracy of Love; to me, that is the ideal metaphor between a brand and its consumers. A shared experience that is loved.

Do you have any expectations on THE NORTH FACE in the future?

I would like to see THE NORTH FACE (and in fact all outdoor brands) really tackle the issue of climate crisis directly. After all, if we don't fix this problem there won't be an outdoors left to enjoy.