The most socially, environmentally and economically purposeful companies of the world have been released by independent marketing and communications agency Radley Yeldar (RY) in its Fit for Purpose Index for 2018. RY ranked each company based on its purpose and story, communication, performance, and behaviour.

At the top of the chart for the third year in a row, Unilever shows itself as commited to its long-standing plan and its excecution. With no surprises, as both of the companies have been featured in the top three every year,  Lloyds Banking Group and Royal Philips took the second and third place respectively.

Although the top three was dominated by brands that have been featured before, the top ten included company’s that entered it for the first time. Specifically, Johnson & Johnson, was seen in sixth place, improving tremendously from last year’s 32nd,  while Danone moved from 18th to 10th place.

According to the Fit for Purpose Index 2018, the companies that are the most successful are those that prioritise  purpose and recognise it as the solution to various business issues. Purpose has been found to help with discovering and retaining talent, improving brand image and motivating the staff, which in turn results to an increase of productivity.

Paulina Lezama, brand director at Radley Yeldar, says, “Having carried out research into the world’s most purposeful brands since 2015, it has become clear that purpose is more than a passing trend.”

 “It is an integral tool for any brand wishing to create wider value than financial profit and remain relevant to consumers, investors and employees.  The results of the index reflect this, proving that purpose is well and truly alive in multinational organisations across all sectors. These brands know that they don’t need to compromise financial profit for purpose,” Lezama continues.

It is no coincidence that the highest-scored companies in the Fit for Purpose Index 2018 are those which not only utilise purpose in their marketing communications, but also employ it into their business strategy, include it in their annual reports and apply it when measuring performance.

The healthcare sector has the biggest presence in the top 20, such as such as GSK, AstraZeneca and Novo Nordisk, due to the fact that because of its nature it is one of the few sector in which every brand has a purpose. RY ‘s index has also shown progress in the utilities and industrial sectors. however, the tech, media and telecoms, basic materials, and oil and gas sectors have still a long way to go.

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