Purpose-driven branding

Winning customers in today's age of 'woke' advertising calls for more than a great product or service. More than ever now, brands need to have authentic stories with a social impact, says Nirvik Singh, Singapore-based global COO of Grey Group.

Sharon See

Published Fri, Apr 17, 2020 · 09:50 PM

Raffles Conversation

WHEN the Covid-19 pandemic finally comes to an end, whenever that may be, the world would want to be a kinder place, says veteran adman Nirvik Singh.

Much has been said in the past months about how the novel coronavirus has exposed the crippling flaws of our capitalist economy, but history has also shown that pandemics have an epochal ability to reshape our society for the better.

After all, the Black Death in the 14th century, said to have decimated a fifth of the world population then, was what precipitated the decline of serfdom in Europe in its wake. Some historians have argued that it was also the radical disruption that ushered in the Renaissance period.

"I think people will want a kinder world, people will want to be more connected," says Mr Singh, who is global chief operating officer of New York-headquartered advertising agency Grey Gr…