FleishmanHillard Fishburn (FHF) today announces its latest expansion, Purposeful Business, a dedicated consultant team to help organisations “understand the millennial manifesto” on corporate purpose.

The team emerges as FHF’s response to increasing demands from businesses and brands to help them meet a higher bar of expectation from millennials, whose collective annual income will exceed $4tn by 2030 according to the World Bank.

Headed by Partner Paul Reza Afshar, Purposeful Business has strengthened its expert team with the hire of Rima Sacre, Associate Director, who joins from Golin. The team of ten is sponsored at Board level by deputy chief executive Ali Gee.

The offering builds on FHF’s award winning client work with Philips, J&J, Danone and Shell and will see the team work cross-practice, including with FHF’s corporate and ESG reporting team on clients such as Barclays. The team will provide senior counsel across every step of the purpose communication spectrum, from auditing CSR and sustainability programmes through to building purposeful campaigns.

As part of their offering, FHF has launched a call to action, the #BeMoreKane campaign. Driven by insights from millennial focus groups, #BeMoreKane is a call to action for brands to ensure purpose is at the heart of their business to meet the millennial manifesto.

Paul Afshar said, “Our approach is simple. In less than a decade three quarters of the working population will be millennial. They want more from brands. They expect them to speak out on social issues, and won’t buy from or work for companies that don’t have purpose at their heart. Understanding the ‘millennial manifesto’ is critical to brands continuing to meet the expectations of a new generation on the ascendancy.”

FHF’s latest survey with clients and prospects further affirms this trend amongst businesses as they graduate from environmental challenges to tackling social issues. More than half (56%) of business leaders confirm how their company and employees respond to automation will define their purpose in the next five years. This is closely followed by 40% of respondents who believe mental health and wellbeing will be a key issue for their businesses.  In contrast, only 9% say the Sustainable Development Goals will be their key focus in the coming years. 

Ali Gee, deputy chief executive commented, “Increasingly, we’re seeing businesses champion social purpose, but too often brands are missing the mark as they struggle to make it a core part of their brand offering. Our insights-driven offer brings together a cross-practice expert team that will help companies make their purpose synonymous with their business to tap into the millennial manifesto and create a new generation of ambassadors.”