Commercial brands are increasingly engaging with social movements in order to better ground and express their core values. Working out the ethical implications of this sort of approach can be tricky; they have to be considered carefully on a case-by-case basis. We know that brands capable of recognizing and aligning with social trends can attract attention through – and reciprocally reinforce awareness of – the causes they espouse. But this raises the question of distinguishing positive social trends from negative ones.
Elections, CSR, Hurricanes and Common Threads
The US electorate has been locked into a bitter divide over the Presidential election for the past year and a half, and while voters can get caught up in issues of the moment, in some ways, it really doesn’t matter who wins. The basic realities of the global market will continue to come into sharper […]
A World of Customers is Sustainable, a Consumer World Isn’t
We believe that “consumer” is a kind of four-letter word. When we hear it we can’t help but wonder if people are really thinking critically about what they’re saying.
Brands Are Accountable To Society as a Whole Beyond Their Customers
We live in a time where a quick Twitter search can deliver the pulse of the global community on any topic imaginable in real-time, including a brand’s activities in the marketplace.
Brand Value is a Direct Result of a Brand’s Values
As customers gain access to more information about brands’ activities in the market and on the global stage, they naturally develop affinity with brands whose values align with their own.
Brands Should Be Who They Say They Are
Successful brands are associated with products, services or offerings that deliver on the brand promise. Brand claims and customer experience must demonstrably coincide.