There is ample evidence suggesting that a happy workforce can help a business increase productivity and innovation and reduce turnover and absenteeism. Additionally, happy people tend to live longer than unhappy people and are full of hope.

But striving for a state of happiness and building on it can be a tall order. In fact, Dr. Alphonsus Obayuwana, a longtime leader in the happiness space, argues that to increase happiness for yourself, you must first find a way to measure it. And he has done just that.

In his book The Happiness Formula: A Scientific, Groundbreaking Approach to Happiness and Personal Fulfillment, Dr. Obayuwana lays out a simple but groundbreaking equation for measuring happiness: hope divided by hunger equals happiness. The formula not only offers individuals a demonstrated way to self-assess their levels of fulfillment but provides happiness seekers with a proven routine for achieving and sustaining a flourishing life.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Dr. Obayuwana, founder and CEO of Triple-H Project, which trains and certifies happiness coaches, joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss the complexity of happiness, the affects of unhappiness in the workplace, why happiness should be measured, and much more.

There are many attributes of great leaders, including the ability to motivate and inspire, make decisive decisions under pressure, show empathy, drive innovation, and build a trustworthy and respectful work environment.

But there’s another key trait that largely goes overlooked: The willingness to embrace vulnerability. In fact, by letting their guard down and acknowledging their fears and weaknesses, the best leaders come across as more relatable and human, and that can lead to personal growth, stronger relationships, greater trust with staff, and the courage to take risks.

But while vulnerability is viewed as a strength and should be embraced by workers at every level of an organization, it does require a leap of faith and belief in oneself, as well as the confidence to work through one’s emotions for the greater good.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Monica Rowe, chief marketing officer at CARE, one of the largest NGOs in the world, joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss vulnerability at length, including the importance of marketing humanity, empathy, and caring with purpose at the core.

Good Stuff Partners, a purpose-driven brand and communication agency, is emphatic when it comes to its approach to business: If you don’t stand for something, you’ll fall for anything. That clear-as-day purpose, as well as the agency’s authentic belief that you’re only as good as the company you keep, is deeply rooted throughout the business. The Certified B. Corp doesn’t just talk a good game about being purposeful and helping clients make a positive difference in the world, it confidently walks the walk.

In fact, Good Stuff Partners isn’t afraid to turn away clients if their values aren’t aligned with the agency’s. They work with and promote brands they genuinely believe in and that can make life better for people, animals, and the planet. That purpose-led mindset extends to the talent they hire and grow, the quality of its work, the communities they serve, and its commitment to giving back.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, host Ken Beaulieu catches up with Adrian Power, founding partner and brand strategist at Good Stuff Partners, to discuss the unique nature of his business, the state of purpose in these changing times, how brands can stand up to scrutiny, how to build true purpose equity, and more.

There is no denying that brands wield enormous influence and power, and they can use it to drive social change through an inclusive and rigorous marketing strategy. How to create and execute such a strategy for the greater good is the focus on the new book Cultural Intelligence for Marketers: Building an Inclusive Marketing Strategy.

Written by Dr. Anastasia Kārkliņa Gabriel, a senior insights lead at Reddit who specializes in progressing inclusivity within marketing, media, and tech, the book provides a framework for embedding equity and inclusion into every aspect of marketing. In addition to insights from former marketing leaders, the book draws on case studies from purpose-driven brands and Dr. Gabriel’s own expertise as a cultural theorist and brand strategist to help organizations drive the cultural conversation and transform society for the better.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Dr. Gabriel, who has consulted for many of the world’s top brands and agencies, joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss her book at length and what marketers can learn from it.

While total advertising spend in the U.S. last year, excluding programmatic, B2B, trade, and local cable, declined 2 percent versus 2022, overall ad investment in diverse-owned media outlets increased 9 percent, reaching $1.9 billion. That’s according to a new study by the ANA Alliance for Inclusive and Multicultural Marketing, conducted in partnership with Media Framework and Guideline. The study also found that investment in diverse-owned and targeted media increased 7 percent year over year, reaching $1.1 billion.

On the surface, those numbers might sound impressive, but the fact is, the overall share of ad spend allocated to diverse-owned and targeted media is a miniscule 1.4 percent. Black-owned media, spurred by digital, registered the largest increase in ad investment in 2023 at $55 million, followed by Hispanic-owned media at $11 million and LGBTQ-owned media at $3 million.

The bottom line is that the ad industry’s pace of progress with diverse-owned and targeted media is extremely slow, despite the high resonance, relevance, and trust delivered by such media.

So, what are the issues at play? How does the industry drive positive change? In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, host Ken Beaulieu seeks answers to those important questions and others from Justin Barton, SVP of digital strategy and partnerships at the multi-media company Black Enterprise, and Jenn Chen, CRO and president of Connatix, a full-stack video platform for publishers and advertisers.

Cleveland, Ohio-based OverDrive, a global distributor of digital content for libraries and schools, was founded on the belief that reading, knowledge, and learning make the world better. As a certified B Corporation, OverDrive not only supports literacy and empowering communities, it also works to make a positive social impact, notably in underserved populations.

Inspired by its purpose — A World Enlightened by Reading — OverDrive works with more than 92,000 public libraries, K through 12 schools, colleges and universities, and corporations in 115 countries worldwide. Its award-winning apps serve readers of all ages, reading levels, and abilities, in more than 100 languages.

Charged with building the OverDrive brand through creative marketing, advertising, and storytelling is Jen Leitman, the company’s chief marketing officer. Though she had wanted to either be an international spy or best-selling author earlier in life, Jen says the CMO role does require some detective work, from understanding human behavior and motivations to following leads to solve a problem.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Jen joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss OverDrive’s mission to create reading happiness throughout the world, the company’s purposeful marketing efforts and partnerships, its commitment to innovation, and how its operating as a force for good.

A study by Virginia Tech found that the number of wealthy women in the U.S. is growing twice as fast as the number of wealthy men. Women now hold 60 percent of the country’s personal wealth and 51 percent of all U.S. stocks. And by 2028, women will own 75 percent of all discretionary spending, according to the Boston Consulting Group.

The buying power and influence of women is not lost on Wendy Steele, founder of Impact100. The global nonprofit unites and empowers women to create transformational impact within their communities through the power of collective generosity.

Boasting chapters in more than 60 cities and four countries, Impact100 brings together groups of 100 women to donate $1,000 each. The chapters then provide grants to local nonprofit organizations in increments of at least $100,000. Since launching 24 years ago, Impact100 has granted more than $123 million dollars and become a case study in being a force for good.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Wendy Steele joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss the Impact100 and her life’s mission to leave the world a little better than she found it.

Getting the best possible creative work from your agencies requires a well-designed, well-written, and thoughtfully delivered brief. Such a brief not only provides useful direction, objectives, benefits, and measures of success, it offers the inspiration necessary for the most imaginative work.

When purpose-driven brands look to communicate how their values and products resonate with stakeholders, they place a premium on the creative brief. While similar to a traditional one, a brand purpose creative brief addresses a social need and other key elements that brands and businesses must keep in mind. Unfortunately, some brands fall short in this area, and it can later result in accusations of purpose-washing.

So, what’s involved in the development of a brand purpose creative brief? Why is it important to identify a compelling social need that a brand can “own”? And why is it critical to get buy-in on your brief from all stakeholders?

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, purpose and brand marketing expert Hope Freedman joins host Ken Beaulieu to provide her perspective on the brand purpose creative brief and how it can make a positive difference in marketing and advertising.