One of the coolest and most thought-provoking sites I've been on in ages... check out Sputnik Observatory for the Study of Contemporary Culture. I think the name's a bit misleading, as the site includes a lot of scientific thought that isn't connected to culture.
A great spoof by The Onion about Taco Bell's environmental efforts. "Taco Bell's new green menu takes no ingredients from nature." It's pretty funny.
IBM recently released its 2009 report on sustainable enterprises, and the findings were similar to last year's: "Develop new sources of operational, supply chain and customer information to gain new levels of insight for meeting strategic sustainability objectives." Astonishingly, 37% of respondents have done no research to understand their customers' expectations around sustainability. If you work for one of those companies, we need to talk.
I was recently interviewed for Gennefer Snowfield's Philanthropy In 5 series at TriplePundit.com on the subject of values-based business and aligning philanthropy with strategy. You can read my responses on my business blog.
This has to be the funniest and -- sadly for Honda -- worst review I have ever seen in print.
It's a review of Honda's new Insight 1.3 IMA SE Hybrid.
Definitely worth a read.
Great summary of the different types of meetings from Rands in Repose:
Alignment meetings sound like this: “It’s red, are we all in agreement it’s red? Ok, swell. Wait, Phil thinks it’s blue. Phil, here are the 18 compelling reasons it’s red. Convinced? Done now?”
Creation meetings sound like this: “We need more blue. How are we going to do that? Phil, you’re our blue man. What should we do here?”
There are other meetings out there, but you will learn to avoid them. One being the therapy meeting. They sound like this: “Show of hands, who likes to talk about blue? Or red? I don’t care. Let’s explore our color feelings for the next 60 minutes.”
Very true.
I'm looking forward to attending Sustainable Brands '09 on May 31 in Monterrey CA. This conference sits at the intersection of brands and ethical business, an area that is essential for marketers but can dominated by CSR departments in many companies. If building a values-based brand reputation is on your to-do list, I hope to see you there. Here's the current attendee list; pretty impressive.
As consumer expectations rise and trust in corporations decline, the need for ethical business practices is greater than ever. Yet in a recession, companies seeking to cut costs will likely postpone important CSR initiatives or cut spending in favor of core business initiatives.
But it doesn’t have to be either-or. Companies that consider social and environmental initiatives as potential innovation platforms and brand builders — not expenses — will come out ahead...
For prioritization frameworks and retail industry example, continue reading on my business blog.
There's been a lot of discussion about elevating corporate responsibility to become a strategic driver of your business. Most companies would like to benefit from their ethical efforts in the form of increased customer attraction and loyalty, yet few have figured out how to do it successfully. When marketing and PR are relied on, it can often backfire in accusations of greenwashing. The secret is to apply brand strategy principles to build your ethical reputation.
Continue reading on my business blog.
Just wrote a new post on Building the Ethical Reputation: Strategic CSR in Hospitality on my business blog... it includes an Opportunity Audit comparing initiatives for Fairmont Hotels, Marriott and IHG and mapping how well they support the brand strategy. Come visit and contribute your thoughts.
