You can't sit through a pitch without hearing how brand storytelling can "change the world". And we get it. The new generation of consumers makes purchasing decisions based on how good or bad a brand is for the world.

At Cache, we've built a practice around helping clients tell better stories. But lately, we've started asking: Is this pivot to purpose real, or just another shiny buzzword we slap onto decks and campaigns because it's trending? We're not trying to be cynical. We're trying to be honest. Because truly pivoting to purpose means changing the rules — and if we're being honest, most of us haven't.

Purpose as Trend Versus Purpose as Practice

It's easy to say you care about purpose. It's a lot harder to live it. You might post about boycotting a brand, but still queue for your favourite coffee.

In business, we've all seen the briefs: a corporate client wants to be seen as ethical, inclusive, sustainable- but are they? They want to "tap into culture" and "drive real impact," but also please the board, play it safe and land a 20% sales bump by Q3. That's PR, not purpose.

True purpose work is uncomfortable, and it asks brands to confront where they've fallen short. It asks agencies to challenge their clients, not just charm them. It often means saying no, saying less, and doing more. It's asking the brand for proof before you present it as fact to your consumers

Managing Client Expectations

Clients want it all: to do good and go viral. To lead with values and protect the share price. But purpose-led work isn't a performance metric — it's a mindset. It takes patience and consistency.

Not every campaign gets applause. Not every audience wants to be told what matters. Impact often looks like slow, quiet, internal change long before it becomes a headline.

So we've learned to have braver conversations. Like explaining that slapping a Pride logo on your homepage isn't "allyship". Or that one CSI initiative won't fix the optics of poor labour practices. Real impact takes time, and it's rarely sexy at first.

It's also very tough for a startup to admit and stick to, but choosing your clients carefully and not just partnering with anybody prepared to part ways with their budget is part of the journey to become truly purpose-led.

The best clients get it. They lean in. They let the work challenge them. And the result? The kind of creativity that can actually shift culture.

What Audiences Actually Engage With

People can smell performative purpose a mile away — especially Millennials and Gen Z.

They're bombarded with "purpose-driven" content daily. Most of it looks the same: soft colours, heartfelt voiceovers, smiling kids or green hills. But when purpose is real, it lands differently.

Audiences want to believe in brands. But they're not waiting to be inspired — they're waiting to be convinced. And that takes consistency, credibility and, above all, humanity.

Cutting Through the Clutter

Ironically, the more we talk about impact, the less impactful the work can feel. The clutter isn't just quantity — it's sameness.

Everyone's saying the same thing, using the same references, chasing the same safe forms of purpose. But purpose isn't always polite. It has sharp edges. It provokes. It asks questions.

To stand out, brands need more than good intentions. They need creative bravery. Agencies need to push for weirder ideas, bolder narratives and less predictable formats. Not every piece of work needs to be a manifesto. Sometimes, the most impactful thing a brand can do is shut up and do the thing they say they care about.

So, Is the Purpose Pivot Possible?

Yes. But only if we stop treating purpose like a tactic and start treating it like a discipline. It means doing fewer things, but doing them better. Choosing clarity over coverage. Letting go of the need to be liked by everyone. It means giving clients the truth, not just the tagline.

And it means interrogating our own role in the machine. Are we amplifying impact — or just making it look good?

In South Africa, there's an added layer to this conversation. Our industry has a long-standing obsession with purpose-driven campaigns, especially the kind that win awards. Look at our track record at Cannes or D&AD: many of our accolades have come from NGO-style work or social issue campaigns. But the global industry has moved on. Today, work that feels overly engineered for awards is often viewed as inauthentic or out of touch.

We're not perfect. But we believe this pivot matters. And we'll keep holding ourselves and our partners to a higher standard, because the work can be good and do good. But only if we earn it.

For more information, visit www.cachestudio.co.za. You can also follow Cache Studio on LinkedIn or on Instagram. 

*Image courtesy of contributor