What makes someone apply to a company they’ve never worked for? It's rarely the benefits. It’s almost never the job title.
The answer, more often than not, is the story they’ve heard. About the kind of place it is. About the kind of people who work there.
That’s where purpose comes in.
When Culture Tells a Real Story
Purpose isn't a vision statement. It's not a tagline written in workshops. It’s lived. Or it’s not believed.
Companies with strong employer brands don’t just talk about values. They show how those values come to life.
Consider Heineken, as an example.
One recruiting campaign that Heineken did was in 2016 where it created Go Places. It wasn’t about beer. It was about personal growth. The videos followed real employees across roles, cultures, and cities. Each shared one idea: “You can go places here.”
It didn’t try too hard. It didn’t make false promises. It showed growth, curiosity, and personality — Heineken’s real culture.
Applications surged. But more importantly, the people who applied aligned with the culture.
Employer Brand Isn't a Marketing Task
When employer branding is left to HR or PR teams alone, it shows. You get buzzwords, but no soul.
A purposeful employer brand needs three things:
● Stories from within, not messages from above
● Consistency across channels, from Glassdoor to the CEO’s LinkedIn
● Proof, not polish — candidates want authenticity, not marketing spin
People don’t want to work for perfect companies. They want to work for honest ones. Ones that
try. That care. That own their flaws.
Purpose Has to Be Lived, Not Announced
An empty mission statement does more harm than none. Employees see the gap. Candidates
smell the disconnect.
But when purpose is clear, small moments become brand touchpoints:
● A team lead who takes a risk on a junior
● A company that lets engineers build tools for local nonprofits
● A business that actually supports mental health, not just posts about it
These are stories that spread — internally and externally.
So, Can a Story Build a Brand?
Yes. But only if it’s true. Only if it’s backed by decisions, not just slides.
And only if leaders understand:
● Culture is what people feel when no one’s watching
● Purpose is what guides choices when nobody’s clapping
● Storytelling, when honest, does more than attract — it builds belief
Final Thought
In the end, people join companies. But they stay for culture. And they trust what they see — not
what they’re told.
So if you're building a brand, don’t start with a campaign. Start with the stories your people are
already living.
Make those your brand. And let the purpose speak for itself.
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