Oops: No One Cares About Your Product

Why it’s not enough to simply talk about your product

I mean that in the nicest possible way.

It’s not actually about your product at all. It’s about how you communicate and take action towards a defined, real purpose.

Our current existence can feel like an endless onslaught of products. Everything about our lives is a product-ified, and every product is a must-have that will make you more complete. Canned lattes, Elfbars, streetwear, a revolutionary skincare regimen, supplements, gluten-free pea protein bars, another fucking subscription.

But this one is different!!

Is it, though?

Humanity has created an abundance of products. More than it can even consume. So many, in fact, that there is an Texas-sized trash heap floating in the Pacific ocean. It feels like the very fabric of our humanity has been commodified. The mental fatigue of living in a time of unceasing consumption leaves us feeling empty, numb, and frustrated.

People don’t want more products. People crave purpose.

This is what I mean when I say, “No one cares about your product.” We’re all tired of feeling like our identities are based around our status as consumers. We’re tired of being constantly sold-to every day of our lives.

Whether what you create is a physical product or not, it’s time to rethink product-focused communication for your brand. It’s outdated in an oversaturated world dominated by billion-dollar corporations. If what you’re putting out there feels like an ad for a product, people aren’t paying attention. In fact, they might be scrolling right past you.

What Purpose Is and Isn’t

“Purpose” isn’t just words you say to look good.

Purpose is active. It’s the driving force behind what you do. It’s what gets you motivated to do all the shitty tasks so that you can do the stuff you love doing. It’s that heartfelt sense of “why”. It’s what led you to start your business in the first place.

To understand purpose, we need to see it beyond the context of marketing. We need to feel it in ourselves, and know how it can become action.

Here’s a blurb from the Porter Novelli’s 2023 Purpose Priorities Report:

“Consumers and stakeholders are increasingly scrutinizing companies’ specific actions, while they have slightly downgraded the concept of Purpose as an overall desired characteristic in this year’s survey. This indicates that consumers have become more sophisticated, and seek purposeful actions, not words, from brands.”

What does this tell us?

It tells us that people are becoming more discerning. There is a broader awareness of the disconnect between companies’ words and their actions when it comes to purpose. I mean, how many times have you seen a news story about a company that acted out of alignment with their stated or implied values? How many times have you been disappointed by the quality of a product which promised to bring you some kind of fulfillment, joy, or relief?

If you can see through the bullshit brands put out, your audience can, too.

Yes, there are lots of brands out there whose main purpose is to make profit. We all want to succeed financially. But, in my experience working with small businesses, most folks are motivated by something much deeper: a desire to help people, to make the world better, to share their voice and their vision, to bring beauty to the world, to encourage others to think differently, to bring folks together, to show love through food and crafts and care.

And ultimately, this is what led them to create whatever it is they sell. This is why the best food is often found at dingy, hole-in-the-wall joints.

Connect Product to Purpose

So, your product is great and you know it. But leading with, “Hey, check out this great product!” isn’t enough on its own.

The more sophisticated our consumption awareness becomes, the less appealing product-focused communication is. We’re desensitized to this kind of approach because our lives are so saturated with products and brands. On top of that, consumer trust has eroded when it comes to what companies say they care about.

This doesn’t mean your product doesn’t matter. It means your product needs to be an extension of your brand purpose.

Your product is a reflection of your purpose, not the other way around.

We’ve learned to read between the lines when it comes to brand communication. While products may grab our attention with their features, we’re subconsciously seeking more. The subtle feelings we associate with brands—be it through language, images, or design—have a profound affect on how much value we place on a product.

The advantage that small brands have is capacity for human-based trust. We might trust a big company to provide a quality product because of their history of success, but we trust small brands because they’re relatable.

Being relatable is your superpower as a small business owner.

The key to this is orienting around people, not products. Connect the product to human feelings and qualities. If your product is handmade jewelry, it’s less inspiring to say, “My jewelry is unique,” than it is to say, “I create jewelry that reflects the uniqueness of the people who wear it.” See the difference?

This is where purpose comes in: don’t just focus on what you create, focus on why it matters and who it matters to. Then, show that you take action on your purpose through your products. Do this consistently. That’s how you build trust.

How to Find Your Brand Purpose

To act on your purpose, you need to define it. In order to define it, you need to use language. In order to discover the right language, you need to do a little self-discovery.

There are many ways to do this when it comes to brands. The way I do it is through a self-inquiry approach to brand strategy. Defining purpose is an exercise in exploration through narrative. Stories help us make meaning. The more you’re able to step back and look at your own story, the more you’re able to connect it to your brand purpose.

In any good story, a character’s purpose defines the actions they take. Their actions, in turn, have influence on the world and the people around them.

Sometimes, a character not knowing their purpose defines the entire plot. That’s how important purpose is to the human experience.

By exploring your experience and perspective, you can shape your brand story to reflect who you are. The clearer you are on that, the more you can lead with purpose. When your purpose is aligned to what your audience wants, needs, feels, you’ve got yourself a strategy.

Here are some questions to ponder as you work to hone in on your brand purpose:

1. What’s the story of how you ended up doing what you do as a business? What did it teach you about yourself and the world?


2. What life experiences influenced your business and product/service?


3. How do your personal values influence how you work and what you create?


4. What makes you feel excited, inspired, and motivated to do your work? 


5. What impact, big or small, do you want to have on peoples lives through your business?