The promise (and pitfalls) of the purpose pivot

Anine de Wet of Cache Studio on the creative industry’s reckoning with authenticity, impact, and uncomfortable truths

The New Language of Branding: From Market Share to Meaning

The creative industry is undergoing a transformation. What was once a conversation dominated by metrics like margins and media buys has evolved into a dialogue about values, authenticity, and social impact. According to Anine de Wet, Client Relationship Lead at Cache Studio, the era of purpose-led branding is here — but it comes with hard questions.

“You can’t sit through a pitch without hearing how brand storytelling can ‘change the world,’” she says. “But is this shift real — or just another buzzword we’re packaging into our decks?”

Purpose as Trend vs. Purpose as Practice

Saying a brand has purpose is easy. Proving it — and living it — is far more difficult.

At Cache, where brand storytelling is a central craft, the team is reckoning with this complexity. Clients want to align with culture, appear inclusive and ethical, and make a quick impact. But according to de Wet, the desire to “do good” is often tangled with the need to protect the bottom line.

“That’s PR, not purpose,” she notes. “Real purpose asks brands to confront uncomfortable truths. It demands agencies challenge their clients, not just charm them.”

Braver Conversations: Managing Client Expectations

Purpose-led work isn’t a KPI. It’s a commitment.

Clients often expect purpose-driven campaigns to go viral while keeping shareholders happy. But true purpose work is slow, iterative, and frequently invisible at first. Cache Studio has learned that meaningful campaigns begin with difficult conversations.

“Putting a Pride logo on your homepage isn’t allyship,” de Wet explains. “And one CSI initiative won’t erase labour issues. Our job is to push for honesty — even when it’s not sexy.”

For startups especially, staying true to a purpose-led vision means turning away from easy wins — including partnerships that don’t align with deeper values.

The Audience Isn’t Naïve — They’re Vigilant

Millennials and Gen Z aren’t just receptive to purpose — they scrutinize it. Raised in a saturated media landscape, these audiences are highly attuned to what’s genuine and what’s performative.

“They’re not waiting to be inspired — they’re waiting to be convinced,” de Wet says. “And that takes credibility and consistency, not cookie-cutter campaigns with soft filters and generic voiceovers.”

Creativity That Cuts Through the Clutter

The irony of the purpose pivot is that the more brands talk about impact, the more diluted the messaging can become. According to de Wet, real purpose is often provocative. It doesn’t seek to appease everyone — it seeks to matter.

“Purpose has sharp edges. It asks questions. It provokes. To stand out, brands need creative bravery — and agencies need to stop playing it safe.”

Cache advocates for fewer, bolder ideas that let the work speak louder than the marketing. Sometimes, the most impactful campaign is one where a brand simply walks the talk — quietly.

Can the Purpose Pivot Work? Only if We Earn It

For de Wet, the answer is yes — the pivot is possible. But not without honesty, patience, and a willingness to challenge the status quo, including within the agency itself.

“We need to ask ourselves: are we helping brands create impact, or are we just making it look good?”

In South Africa, where purpose-led work has long been a ticket to international awards, the pressure to engineer social-good campaigns has sometimes overshadowed authenticity. But globally, the tide is turning.

“The world is no longer rewarding work that looks like it was made for judges,” she reflects. “They’re rewarding truth. And that’s where we want to be.”

The Final Word: Less Spin, More Substance

The purpose pivot isn’t a campaign. It’s a discipline. It means telling fewer stories, but telling them with conviction. It means choosing real over viral — and giving clients more than applause-worthy taglines.

At Cache Studio, de Wet says the team is committed to making work that earns its impact.

“We believe in purpose — not as a pitch point, but as a practice. And we’ll keep holding ourselves and our partners to that standard. Because the work can be good and do good. But only if we mean it.”