Post-Purpose: What Happens When Companies Go “Beyond” Purpose and Discover the Power of Obsession | Alain Sylvain

Beyond Purpose

Alain Sylvain
Founder & CEO, SYLVAIN

The concept of “purpose” is well-trodden territory. The number of articles, conferences, books, podcasts and more centered on the topic is enough to make your head spin. “Profit over purpose,” “understanding your why,” etc.. Employees, leaders and consumers alike are craving companies to have a reason to exist beyond their bottom line. At this point, the talk about “purpose” runs the risk of being a cliche in the world of business. Creating a company’s purpose has become a box to tick; a gratuitous accessory.

So now, every organization has a purpose. From veterans like Patagonia to the newest emerging startups. They’ve all written them down, and ensured the world knows it. But has anything really changed? Have they really committed to long-term action? And what, if anything, is more important than a purpose statement?

In this talk, Alain Sylvain, Founder & CEO of SYLVAIN will argue that a purpose is critical to setting a vision, but also just the surface and not always doing what we think it is. Ruthless obsession is what makes it real. Drawing from history, pop culture, psychology and contemporary brand examples, Alain will unpack why and how brands must effectively live the obsession beneath the purpose to reach the consumers of today - who are more impassioned themselves than ever.

Alain is the Founder and CEO of SYLVAIN, a strategy and design consultancy that provokes progress for companies, people and society at large. Clients include Google, American Express, Airbnb, Spotify, BlackRock, Samsung, Pepsico, Diageo, Hilton, AB InBev, IKEA, GM, Sonos, the NBA and others. Founded in 2010, the company is headquartered in NYC, with offices in Amsterdam and Richmond, VA, and is a Certified B-Corporation.

Alain is a partner and investor in several ventures, including Master + Dynamic, a design-driven, premium audio brand, So Choice Softworks, a mobile gaming company, Lilo, an açai bowl company, and PetMio, a smart pet food startup. He is on the board of Plus Pool, an ambitious project to build the world’s first floating, filtering swimming pool in NYC harbor, a Founding Member of Kindred, and a member of the New York City Mayor’s Creative Council. Alain is also an active contributor to various non-profit initiatives around the world including the Lower East Side Girls Club, The Bowery Mission and Anseye Pou Haiti.

SYLVAIN is a strategy and design consultancy that provokes progress
 for companies, people and society at large. We believe when
 commerce and culture unite, real progress is possible. Founded in
 2010, SYLVAIN is wholly independent and a Certified B Corporation.