The @BIC Fall 2020 LEAD IN Lecture Series kicked off on Wednesday, October 26th with StrawberryFrog Founder and CEO Scott Goodson's insightful @BIC Lecture on "Brand Purpose." During the jam-packed hour, Scott talked to an engaged audience of nearly 100 attendees about the work he and StrawberryFrog do to help brands measure and activate brand purpose. Scott also expanded upon his recent Inc. Magazine article, "How does your brand purpose stand up?" which introduced the Purpose Power Index, the world's first empirical study of purpose-based brands with over 17,500 responses. 

Partnering with well-regarded research firm the RepTrak Company, Scott's team at StrawberryFrog has cracked the code on how to measure brand purpose -- finding that purpose does indeed matter to the public, clearly driving behavioral intent. Fast Company has recognized this as one of the biggest ideas in the world for 2020. During the lecture, Scott spoke about the Purpose Power Index and provided examples from brands he'd worked with, including Northwell Health and SunTrust bank.

Highlighting the philosophy of StrawberryFrog -- and echoed in his book Uprising -- Scott emphasized that "movements are more powerful than advertising." With StrawberryFrog's laser focus on activating purpose through movement, Scott remarked that "we built a company that started as a creative agency, but then became a movement company -- which has now evolved into a movement thinking company." People and companies often come to StrawberryFrog with a purpose, but without a strategy for activation. Movement thinking helps drive that activation and is StrawberryFrog's key differentiator.

The lecture wrapped up with a lively Q&A where students and attendees got to ask Scott a number of questions on everything from navigating employment to how brands should act during a climate of social unrest and change.

When asked his career advice for young people, Scott suggested that when interviewing, "don't just ask for a job; instead, go in and tell people what you believe in.” He also encouraged the audience to think about being an entrepreneur: "If I were you, I'd start my own company. You know so much more about your generation than Madison Avenue." This was refreshing advice for both current BICsters as well as prospective students who joined the @BIC following our Fall Open House.

A big BIC thanks to Scott for his brilliant and thoughtful lecture on purpose-driven marketing. Now more than ever, society needs business leaders who put purpose front and center. As BIC Program Director Nancy R. Tag said during her introduction "Scott truly lives his philosophy. He knows that leading without intentionality and purpose isn't really leadership at all." We're grateful that Scott, who's both a visionary and in the trenches, brought this valuable conversation to BIC this semester. 
Don't forget to register for next month's @BICs "Leaders. Mentors. And Vice Versa," featuring Paul Kim,  Founder of Capital vs Humans and Senior Fellow atThe City College of New York, and Sarah Irby, Brand Director of New Brands at Unilever, on Monday, November 16 at 6:00PM-7:00PM. RSVP here.

Missed the lecture? Watch the full recording here.