Marketing With Purpose Kit: Positioning with Purpose

**SPEAKER_2** (0:03)
The Bliss Business Podcast, the show about empathy, connection, and consciousness in business. Today's episode is brought to you by Zero Company, your paid search, social media, and programmatic ad experts.

**Stephen Sakach** (0:17)
Welcome back to The Bliss Business Podcast series, Marketing With Purpose. Our 10-15 minute series where we explore how embedding purpose into every level of your marketing transforms, not just your messaging, but your momentum. I'm Stephen Sakach, joined by Tullio Siragusa and Ash Maher. Hey, guys.

**Ash Maher** (0:36)
Hello.

**Tullio Siragusa** (0:38)
Good to have you back, Ash. You haven't been on for a while. It's good to see you.

**Ash Maher** (0:41)
Glad to be back.

**Stephen Sakach** (0:43)
So today's topic is positioning with purpose, how brands can carve out their white space, not by selling features, but by taking a stand for a belief. So in marketing and brand strategy, white space kind of refers to this unoccupied or under addressed area in the market where you can brand and position yourself uniquely. So not by competing on features, but by owning a belief or a perspective or emotional territory that others haven't claimed. So Ash, let's talk about the traditional feature focused approach.

**Ash Maher** (1:19)
Of course. Well, Steve, in traditional marketing, we were taught to differentiate by what we do. Our tool is faster. Our widget is cheaper. Our platform has more integrations. But let's be honest, those kinds of advantages are temporary. Features are easy to copy, but beliefs aren't.

**Tullio Siragusa** (1:38)
Exactly. So when you're positioning around a feature, you're really selling a commodity. When you're positioning around a belief, you're actually creating an emotional connection, something that's hard to replicate and something that deeply resonate. So in a white space, this is where you say things like no one is talking about this, no one is standing up for that, or no one is serving these people in a human way. So it's tied to a belief, not some feature.

**Stephen Sakach** (2:09)
So yeah, let's talk about why that's powerful. So it's harder to copy than a feature, right? So it builds emotional resonance with your customers, like you mentioned Tullio, and it lets you attract like-minded talent, partners or customers who rally around that belief. And as we've said, you know, most customers don't remember all the details of your brand, but they do remember how it made them feel and whether it stood for something they care about. And there was a study by Harvard Business Review that showed 64% of consumers say shared values are the primary reason they have a relationship with a brand. Ash, what does it mean to own a belief?

**Ash Maher** (2:51)
Well, Steve, owning a belief means planting a flag in the ground saying, this is what we're here to change. This is what we believe should be different in the world. They're not just selling a solution. You're selling a total shift.

**Tullio Siragusa** (3:04)
Exactly. Now, let's take an example. Instead of saying a message like, we build electric bikes, you could say, we build electric bikes because we believe freedom shouldn't come with a carbon cost. So that's a totally different message. One speaks to what, the other speaks to why. So it combines mobility with climate purpose. Another feature-based example, we sell meal kits, right? The purpose-driven approach, we believe cooking should connect you to what matters, your time, your people, your food. It's purpose woven into a lifestyle and values. It's subtle but very distinct differences that ring differently and feel differently when you hear them.

**Stephen Sakach** (3:55)
Yeah, and that last example shows it doesn't have to be like a social cause. I think a lot of people are always thinking purpose tied to that. It's just a why we believe this is important, right? So when you own a belief, you also filter who you're for and who you're not, and that's powerful. You're not trying to win everybody. You're building trust and loyalty with those who believe what you believe. So we're advocating for brands to own a belief or emotional territory that competitors haven't claimed. So that's going to help you stand apart in a crowded marketplace.

**Ash Maher** (4:29)
Yeah, that's amazing. Well, on that note, we're shifting over to segment three, Brands At Position With Purpose.

**Stephen Sakach** (4:35)
Okay, so let's talk about some good examples here.

**Ash Maher** (4:38)
Absolutely. So a couple of brands that came to mind are reshaping the healthcare experience. One is GoodRx and another is Cost Plus Drugs. They didn't just launch platforms to find cheaper meds. They launched a movement to restore dignity to healthcare. Their shared belief, access to life-saving medication, shouldn't depend on your zip code or your insurance plan. GoodRx brought price transparency into the spotlight.