Fruitful

Heroic brands

Like heroic individuals, Heroic Brands are motivated by something bigger than themselves. They believe it just might be possible to change the world. Heros are usually ordinary people who end up doing extraordinary things; likewise, heroic brands might sell t-shirts or software or skin care, but they do it with the awareness and intention to make a much wider positive impact. Heroic brands employ big-picture people who actively seek ways to turn day-to-day business activities into catalysts for social and ecological improvement.  ROI becomes Return on Intention, where intention embodies what is good for the business AND good for the ecosystem in which it operates. Heroic brands act like magnets that attract employees and customers who share the intention to make a difference. They remind us that making a living can actually feel good.

Words and meanings

I've been thinking about brands that are making a difference in our lives and society, and I used the term "worthwhile brand" to define them. However, I don't think that term sets the bar high enough; as one reader commented, there are plenty of brands that are "worth" my time and effort.

So why not just call it corporate responsibility? A widely quoted definition by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development states that "Corporate social responsibility is the continuing commitment by business to behave ethically and contribute to economic development while improving the quality of life of the workforce and their families as well as of the local community and society at large." There's also a more easily quoted slogan, Doing Well by Doing Good. All of this sounds great and admirable... so why am I searching for a new term?

A few reasons. First, words carry a lot of underlying meanings and associations. When you think of the words responsibility and behave, what pops into your mind? Maybe I'm the odd one out here, but I think of my mother and house rules. I think about times when I was a young girl getting into trouble because I didn't behave the way I should.  I think of what I have to do vs. what I want to do. I think of chores. I think "not fun." The term "corporate responsibility" implies that the people at corporate HQ -- execs and board members -- are responsible, taking the emphasis off the individual. And perhaps that's why corporate responsibility has typically been encoded into rules, programs and accounting standards. Sometimes it's delegated to HR to initiate charity or volunteer programs. Other times it's used as a tactic for good PR (note Enron's yearly "Corporate Responsibility Annual Report" and tobacco corporations' social reports.) Rarely is it a mentality that's embedded in the DNA of the culture.

Back to definitions: responsibility and behavior are things that you do. Character is something that you are. If you're focused on actions, you create your to-do lists and check off the fact that you did your one good deed for the day. If you're focused on character, then your identity and intentions naturally create win-win opportunities for everyone involved. It becomes fun and rewarding to give back and "do the right thing." Corporate responsibility is the effect, not the cause.

Brand building focuses on character. If we're interested in how companies can act for the good of employees, customers, communities and the world, then we must choose words that are motivational and aspirational... words that define character (cause) not behavior (effect). Initially I used the word worthwhile, but in hindsight I see that I was still focusing on the effect. Now I'm thinking along the lines of noble, upstanding, honorable, and integrity. These are aspirational character traits for a brand. When used as hiring criteria, these traits can create formidable brands that make measurably positive impacts on the world. 

Good vs. Worthwhile

I'd like to elaborate on this morning's post on Worthwhile brands, ask a lot of questions, and then open this up for discussion. My earlier post discussed some initial ideas for defining a worthwhile brand: does it measurably improve quality of life, make the world a better place, or leave no trace on the Earth? But of course nothing is so black or white. I'm trying to find the line between worthwhile and the rest, and it's pretty damn hard.

I'm going to ramble a bit, so bear with me. First I started thinking about brands that are the opposite of worthwhile: cigarette brands, perhaps, or gambling (but of course smokers and gamblers would disagree with me.) Then there are the irrelevant brands, those running 10th or 20th in their categories with marginal points of difference, doing no harm but contributing to the clutter (I'll come back to this one in another post.) And finally there are good brands -- plenty of them -- that don't make my original Worthwhile cut but they're part of our lives.

The brand that I've thought a lot about is Apple. By all traditional accounts, Apple is a great brand... probably one of the best. But are they worthwhile? According to whom? Objectively speaking, they make computers and music players with an original spin. How does that benefit the world? I think that purists would say: they're not following sustainable business practices or giving to charity, and therefore they don't qualify. But are sustainability and charity the only two ways to create a brand that makes a positive impact on the world?

I think not. And yet there's a danger in opening the criteria too wide; too many marketing and advertising folks latch on to words like "meaningful" and "purpose" and "passion" and dilute their true meanings. I think it's time to raise the bar. But where to raise it, and which brands to exclude? Ahh, now things get tricky. What is the difference between good and great? Between great and worthwhile (ie. making positive contributions to individuals, society and/or our planet)? How is "positive contribution" defined?

Back to Apple. One could say that without Apple, this world would be rather dreary. Many people can't imagine life without their Apple computer or their iPod. It's their form of self-expression, and there isn't a comparable alternative. Does this qualify as a worthwhile and positive contribution? I could argue both sides. And Apple's a member of the coveted club called "cult brands:" Harley Davidson, Ikea, eBay, and the list goes on. These are the guys everyone's striving to be like, right? But do passionate customers make a brand Worthwhile? Not necessarily... but again, where do you draw the line?

Lastly, while I like the term 'worthwhile' because it hasn't been completely diluted from marketing-speak, I feel a bit bad for the good companies excluded by my definition. Does that imply they're worthless? Not my intention, but it could come across that way.   

I could keep rambling but I'll stop. I haven't come to any conclusions yet, and I'd love to hear from you.

UPDATE:  I do want to clarify that I'm trying to broaden the perspective from "corporate responsibility." I believe that corporate responsibility is vitally important (Brandchannel has a great article on it). However, I'm not a fan of the word "responsibility" because it sounds like a chore, and I think its definition leaves a lot of beneficial businesses out. For example, a number of large tech companies are trying to solve the digital-divide challenge in emerging markets. They're starting to create a virtuous circle where everyone wins (including themselves, of course). And  when companies initiate sustainable business practices, everyone wins too. No corporate action is completely altruistic, but I think there are plenty of opportunities for brands to think more creatively about how to benefit more people than themselves. This is what I'm terming a worthwhile brand... but it's broader and harder to define than corporate responsibility.   

Worthwhile Brands

In the next few posts I'm going to play around with the idea of a worthwhile brand. I like this term because a) it's not overused, b) it implies important, valuable and rewarding. Along these lines, the manager of a worthwhile brand would answer "yes" to at least one of the following questions:

Will this product/service/company...
- measurably improve quality of life?
- make the world a better place?
- leave no trace on the Earth?

And you can't weasel out of the first one with marketing-speak. "Our customers' lives will be improved by yet another brand of toothpaste because they have been long-deprived of grape flavoring." Sorry, that doesn't cut it. However, if part of the proceeds from the new grape-flavored toothpaste goes to provide dental care for underpriviledged children, you've introduced a worthwhile purpose into the brand.  Not every product is going to change the world, but brands like Starbucks are, at the very least, "walking softly on the earth." Starbucks' recycled-content cups are expected to lower the company's dependence on tree fiber annually by more than five million pounds. The Gap's RED line is contributing 50% of proceeds to fight AIDS in Africa.

Let's all expect more from the businesses from which we buy, and expect more of the companies where we work.  Marketers and executives: how can you can make your brands more worthwhile? Even from a pure business perspective, it's worth thinking about. As Hugh says, "the market for something to believe in is infinite."   

Working Purposefully

I haven’t written in a while, I know. I find that when I’m resisting something, it’s a sign that I need to do some thinking and reevaluation. So that’s exactly what I’ve been doing, and it’s time to start sharing my thoughts.

 I’ve been struggling with the age-old dilemma of doing something that satisfies the soul OR doing something that pays the rent. Yes, I’ve read plenty of books on the subject and had long talks with friends. I’ve thought about teaching, writing, coaching, counseling… even moving to some godforsaken place in the world in order to “make a difference.” I've envied a good friend of mine who took a year-long sabbatical to figure this out for herself.

 One thing I haven’t thought about until recently is whether I could make a difference in my own profession. Seems a bit odd in hindsight, but I’ve finally recognized that I’ve been suffering from cognitive dissonance: I believe that over-commercialization is leading to the demise of our society, and yet I’m in a profession of helping companies sell stuff that people don’t really need.

 Hmm. That’s a problem. Somewhere down the line I subconsciously accepted the message that business isn’t meaningful. Looking back at some of my employers and clients, I can see how I could come to such a conclusion. I've been fortunate to work with some companies filled with passion and purpose, but I saw them as a rare exception.

 And yet there are plenty of companies out there that do stand for something. They’re serving a need and making a difference. But typically these companies don’t need much branding help; their single-minded passion is the brand, and it fuels success. Whole Foods wants to improve the way America eats. Nike wants to inspire people to reach for their best. The Body Shop stands for the pursuit of social and environmental change. Starbucks is committed to social responsibility. 

Many small companies are seeking to make a difference as well. A good friend of mine has wanted to make a positive impact on education for years, and he just launched his social education site www.edu20.org. Another friend wants to help people reach their goals; she maintains a thriving community goal-setting site called Superviva. I recently met the founder of Sustainable Marketing and he definitely walks his talk.   

What all these companies have in common is a strong sense of purpose that attracts employees of a certain mindset. The purpose creates a virtuous circle: passionate leaders and employees attract passionate customers. The purpose acts like a magnet. This is what building strong brands is all about. And yet the people who started these companies didn’t think in terms of branding; they simply followed their passions.

 Execs who are looking to marketing, advertising and sales to become successful are barking up the wrong tree. They’re looking for an external fix for an internal problem: they either got sidetracked from their original purpose, or they never had one to begin with. I have heard more than one executive say, “I’m not paying employees to be passionate; I’m paying them to do a job.” Ouch. These are the same people who keep tweaking the sales comp plan to figure out what’s really going to motivate sales people. Hmm… how about giving them a product they’re really excited about selling?  Marketing and sales people are only as good as the products & services they have to work with.

 So to wrap up a rather long post, I’ve finally realized that I don’t have to switch careers or join a non-profit in order to align my values with my work. We live in a capitalistic society where businesses have a huge impact on how we live. It’s time we all expected more from them. I’d like to work with companies who are either doing something they believe in, or else they recognize the need to create a purposeful brand. I’m currently working with some great folks at “evil empire” Microsoft who are passionate about helping small software companies – especially those in emerging markets – become successful. And that means that I feel good about putting my energy and time into this project.

Are your values and your work in alignment? Do you feel great about what you do and who you work for? Kudos to those who have already figured this out; perhaps I’m just a slow learner. If you answered “no”, what can you do to help shift your corporate culture to one that is meaningful to you, your co-workers and your customers? My next few posts will talk more about creating brands with passion and purpose.