Leading with purpose: the PIVOTAL Infinity Marketing Canvas for strategy, innovation and long-term value

Purpose This paper introduces the PIVOTAL Framework and the PIVOTAL Infinity Marketing Canvas®, a next-generation strategic model designed to link organizational purpose with innovation, stakeholder value, and long-term relationship building. The aim is to provide leaders with a practical, integrative approach for navigating strategic complexity in a rapidly changing environment. It is particularly relevant in transformation and innovation contexts, multi-stakeholder environments and ecosystem settings where legitimacy, adoption and long-horizon value matter. Design/methodology/approach The paper is conceptual in nature. It synthesizes established perspectives from strategic management, purpose-driven leadership, stakeholder theory, dynamic capabilities, service-dominant logic and relationship marketing to highlight theoretical gaps in existing models. Based on this analysis, it develops a unified framework and visual canvas that support strategic alignment and managerial decision-making. Findings The PIVOTAL Framework reconceptualizes strategy as a continuous, purpose-driven cycle connecting seven elements: Purpose, Innovation, Value, Outreach, Transfer, Advocacy and Lifetime Value. The PIVOTAL Infinity Marketing Canvas® operationalizes this logic by integrating organizational perspectives (purpose, innovation and value creation) with stakeholder perspectives (problems, pains, gains, values, advocacy and Lifetime Value). Illustrative examples demonstrate how organizations can apply the framework to enhance strategic coherence, stakeholder engagement and sustainable value creation. The framework helps leadership teams diagnose common disconnects (e.g., strong purpose but weak transfer; high outreach but unclear value; innovation without advocacy) and align initiatives accordingly. Research limitations/implications As a conceptual and practitioner-oriented paper, the PIVOTAL framework has not yet been empirically validated across contexts. This limitation offers clear avenues for research: future studies can test whether the Canvas improves strategic alignment, innovation focus, adoption (“transfer”), advocacy and long-term value outcomes using multi-case designs, executive surveys or longitudinal data. Comparative research could assess incremental usefulness versus established canvases and strategy tools, and identify boundary conditions (e.g., industry turbulence, regulation, ecosystem dependence, cultural context). Further work can refine measurement approaches for transfer, advocacy and lifetime value in purpose-led transformation initiatives. Practical implications As a conceptual and practitioner-oriented article, the PIVOTAL framework has not yet been empirically tested across settings. Future research could examine how well the Canvas improves strategic alignment, innovation focus, adoption (“transfer”), advocacy and long-term value outcomes, using multi-case studies, executive surveys or longitudinal designs. Studies could also explore boundary conditions (e.g., industry turbulence, regulation, ecosystem dependence, cultural contexts) and compare PIVOTAL with established canvases to assess incremental usefulness. In addition, research could refine measurement approaches for transfer, advocacy and lifetime value in purpose-led transformation initiatives. Social implications The framework encourages organizations to move beyond short-term optimization by embedding purpose, stakeholder value and long-term relationships into strategic decision-making. By strengthening “transfer” from intent to adoption and fostering advocacy, PIVOTAL supports more responsible implementation, trust-building and transparency—especially in contexts where societal legitimacy matters. This can contribute to better stakeholder outcomes such as fairer value creation, more sustainable innovation choices and stronger customer and employee relationships. When applied thoughtfully, the approach can help organizations align growth objectives with broader social value and long-term resilience. Originality/value The paper contributes a holistic strategic model that bridges theory and practice by positioning purpose as the central organizing principle of strategy. It extends existing frameworks by integrating innovation, stakeholder value, relational dynamics and long-term advocacy into a unified strategic logic. The Canvas offers leaders a practical, action-oriented tool for orchestrating strategy, collaboration and organizational alignment across functions. Unlike specialist tools that focus mainly on business model design or value propositions in isolation, PIVOTAL provides an end-to-end leadership architecture linking purpose to execution (“transfer”), advocacy and long-term value outcomes. It is designed to complement rather than replace established canvases by making the missing links between strategic intent and adoption explicit.