Claiming to have a brand purpose without demonstrating positive impact on society doesn’t cut it with consumers. They expect brands to make a positive contribution to the world, to educate them, and to help them engage in sustainable behavior versus force feeding products the world doesn’t need.

Indeed, according to Dr. Emmanuel Probst, the global lead of thought leadership at Ipsos, the most purposeful brands transform the people they serve and the world we live in. That’s a point he drives home in his new book Assemblage: The Art and Science of Brand Transformation. By combining personal, social, and cultural components, he argues, brands can make a positive impact on people, society, and the economy.

In this episode of Beyond Profit, a podcast of the ANA Center for Brand Purpose, Dr. Probst joins host Ken Beaulieu to discuss key aspects of his book, including embracing the villains in your category, the need for brands to practice responsible consumption, and what we can learn from great artists like Picasso.