How brand purpose separates real values from marketing talk.

Brands are proud of their values, and that’s something they show off on their agenda every chance they get — or at least that’s what most brands try to demonstrate through social media, web pages, advertising… We’re all aware of that. But as customers, we know that’s something easy to show off, and really hard to actually associate with a brand. Let me explain that with an example: when you’re in a situation that pushes you to your limits, what really reflects your values is how you decide to act, when you take a deep breath and stay calm, proving that you can hold it together under pressure. The same is true for brands. It’s easy to declare your values on a well-planned post. It’s a completely different thing to live them out when there’s no script to follow. That’s exactly what happened with Davivienda, one of Colombia’s largest banks, during the earthquake that hit the country in August 2026.

Alt text: A Davivienda relief worker in a red jacket embraces an older woman near earthquake rubble, while a customer withdraws cash from a Davivienda ATM displaying a message about fee-free withdrawals at other banks’ ATMs.

When Colombia Was Watching.

During the 2026 earthquake that Colombia experienced, Colombian big brands were the focus of public attention. Everyone was watching to see whether brands would speak up, and how they would show their support for the country. To be honest, most of them published a brief statement saying they stood with us… but then two facts started to play a determining role in brand reputation: response time and the aid they would send to people who had lost everything. It was a race against the clock, and a lot of pressure for companies — and this is where brand purpose played an important role. Because brand purpose is a reflection of your values, and this was the moment to prove whether social consciousness was really something your brand lived by, or just something on the agenda, a box to check.

Davivienda launched a dedicated campaign for the affected regions — Chóco, Valle del Cauca, Risaralda, Caldas, Cauca, and Quindío — titled ‘Aquí, estamos para acompañarlo’ (‘We’re here to support you’), focused on helping families rebuild their homes and reactivating local businesses and economies. It wasn’t just a statement — it was a dedicated plan with a name, a purpose, and a clear scope.

Some of you have experienced earthquakes, some of you haven’t — but strong ones directly affect communications. Without internet or connection, there’s no e-banking, and as a result, cards stop working. That’s a real problem for most people who are used to paying with those methods. As a result, a lot of people were heading to ATMs of any bank to get some cash to buy what they needed. Davivienda understood that need quickly and said: not only are we with you, but we’re also going to cover every fee for withdrawing cash at ATMs that aren’t ours. Their customers got an incredibly useful option to access cash easily. Even though it might seem like something small, no other bank in Colombia did that — and that, right there, is brand purpose. People who weren’t Davivienda customers saw real support and genuine care, and it made them want to become customers.

On top of that, Davivienda and its parent company, Grupo Bolívar, donated approximately $35 million toward reconstruction efforts, with an additional $3.2 million donated by clients and employees. That’s where the real importance of brand purpose shows up: while every bank eventually offered similar donations, Davivienda distinguished itself by acting fast and practically in the first hours of the crisis — before doing what everyone else eventually did. That early action is what earned them new customers and strengthened their brand perception across all of Colombia.

What Actually Earns Loyalty.

Convenience and quality are no longer differentiators — they’re the baseline. Every bank needs a functional app and reliable service just to stay in the game. What actually sets a brand apart is what it does when there’s no marketing calendar to follow, no script, no time to overthink the message. Brand purpose isn’t what you say you stand for — it’s what you do the moment nobody’s watching the clock but you. And that’s exactly what earns loyalty: not from the customers who were already yours, but from the ones who were watching from the outside, deciding who deserves their trust next.