Somewhere along the way, a shift happened in the business world. Customers stopped just asking "what do you sell?" and started asking "what do you stand for?". The businesses that had a good answer to both questions started winning - not just ethically, but commercially.
This isn't just a trend. It's a real change in how people relate to the brands they spend money with. It has real, measurable implications for how smart businesses think about their marketing, their media, and their mission.
People Buy From Businesses They Believe In
Studies have confirmed what most of us already feel intuitively: consumers, particularly younger ones, actively prefer brands that are doing something good in the world. Not the ones that just talk about it. The ones that they can see are actually doing it.
A 2023 Edelman Trust Barometer report found that nearly two-thirds of consumers buy from or advocate for brands based on their values and beliefs. That's not a niche audience, that's the majority of the market. When a business can show, clearly and honestly, that a portion of what they earn goes toward something meaningful, it creates a depth of loyalty that no ad spend alone can manufacture.
Trust is the new currency. And purpose-led businesses are earning it.
The Patagonia Proof
No conversation about purpose-led business is complete without mentioning Patagonia. The outdoor clothing brand has long committed to giving 1% of all sales to environmental causes through their 1% for the Planet pledge - a promise that predates the current wave of corporate social responsibility by decades.
What's amazing isn't just the giving - it's what the giving did for the brand. Patagonia built one of the most fiercely loyal customer bases in retail. People don't just buy their jackets, they believe in them. They talk about them. They defend them. Because purchasing from Patagonia feels like participation in something larger than a simple transaction.
That kind of brand equity is extraordinarily hard to build through conventional marketing alone, but it starts to flow naturally when a business genuinely commits to using its revenue for good.
Your Media Should Reflect Your Values
Here's where media and mission meet. The way a business chooses to tell its story (the quality, the care, the intention behind it) says a great deal about who that business is. Polished, purposeful content signals that a brand takes itself seriously. Content that also carries a bigger meaning, signals something rarer.
When your marketing spend is connected to a cause, when the films and content you create also fund something meaningful, you're not just communicating your brand. You're showing your good character, and that’s what people will remember.
It's also simply a smarter use of your budget. Instead of marketing that only reaches your audience, you're creating media that moves them and contributes to good causes that extend beyond your business.
The 5% for Good Model
Inspired by exactly this kind of thinking, we built our entire business model around a simple commitment: 5% of our revenue from client projects, and donations are allocated to fund non-profit projects that shine light on good stories.
For our clients, it comes at no additional cost. The media we produce is professional, purposeful, and created with care, and embedded in every project is a contribution towards shining light on a good story that would have otherwise gone untold, and unknown by the world. It’s stories like the ones we find, that have real power to inspire others to do more good and create positive change.
A small percentage with a long reach. It's the kind of working relationship that lets a business owner feel genuinely good about where their money is going.
Find out more at www.doinggoodprojects.com/foundation
Ready to Make Media That Means Something?
If you're a good person with a personal and/or business story that needs a consistent flow of brand aligned ready to post content, we'd love to work with you.
Our client intake form takes less than five minutes to complete and helps us understand your business, goals, and the story you're ready to tell. From there, we can take care of the rest to create beautiful, purpose lead media for you.
Your good work will help shine light on good stories.
Fill out our client intake form HERE
Good media. Good cause. Let's do both.
We are Doing Good Projects to light on good stories
Fill out our client intake form to start working with us.
date published
May 22, 2026
reading time
3 min read
