IDEAS AND TOOLS TO DRIVE TRANSFORMATION:
Some approaches I use to unlock potential and create value for brands and organizations.
BALANCING COMMUNICATION AND ACTION: WHAT'S YOUR SAY/DO RATIO?
In today’s marketplace, it’s not enough to say you care. Stakeholders, especially consumers, are increasingly demanding action and impact.
When it comes to social impact, many companies struggle to balance their communications with the reality of their actions. That’s why they need to use what I like to call the Say/Do Ratio. It’s simple. Companies need to take stock of how much and how loudly they’re telling the world about their commitment to social impact. Then compare this to what they are actually doing.
Companies that Say more than they Do open themselves up to risk of being exposed as non-authentic, exploitative and PR-hungry. Conversely, companies that Do more than they Say commit an unfortunate sin of omission. By choosing to not tell their story, they’re missing an opportunity to meaningfully engage their stakeholders and build both brand and reputation. Companies just need to make sure what they're doing is meaningful, delivering real impact, and is consistent with their brand.
What companies often fail to realize is that consumers want them to communicate more vs. less about their CSR commitments and impact. Taking things even further, an overwhelming majority of people expects companies to benefit from their CSR investments. The logic is no-duh simple: When companies do well that enables them to do more good.
Net, if you care about something, then do something about it. If you do do something meaningful, then tell your story—loud and proud!
When it comes to social impact, many companies struggle to balance their communications with the reality of their actions. That’s why they need to use what I like to call the Say/Do Ratio. It’s simple. Companies need to take stock of how much and how loudly they’re telling the world about their commitment to social impact. Then compare this to what they are actually doing.
Companies that Say more than they Do open themselves up to risk of being exposed as non-authentic, exploitative and PR-hungry. Conversely, companies that Do more than they Say commit an unfortunate sin of omission. By choosing to not tell their story, they’re missing an opportunity to meaningfully engage their stakeholders and build both brand and reputation. Companies just need to make sure what they're doing is meaningful, delivering real impact, and is consistent with their brand.
What companies often fail to realize is that consumers want them to communicate more vs. less about their CSR commitments and impact. Taking things even further, an overwhelming majority of people expects companies to benefit from their CSR investments. The logic is no-duh simple: When companies do well that enables them to do more good.
Net, if you care about something, then do something about it. If you do do something meaningful, then tell your story—loud and proud!
FOUR BIG QUESTIONS: THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF STRATEGY
To identify opportunities for brands and organizations, start with Four Big Questions. These are the core building-blocks of both business and societal impact strategies: 1) Why? (Purpose), 2) Who? (Stakeholders), 3) What? (Actions) and 4) How? (Impact).
Why? unlocks your brand/organizational purpose--it's your raison d'être, a statement of why you exist. Put your helmet on: This usually requires some deep thinking and existential bewilderment.
Who? is about understanding the needs of your full array of stakeholders, both internal and external. This spans consumers, employees, partners, key influencers--anyone with a vested interest in who you are and the products/services you provide. Don't leave anyone out, but do prioritize those most important to you.
What? addresses the tangible products/services you deliver, and the benefits, both functional and emotional, that you provide your stakeholders. This means identifying what you uniquely offer, and how you can harness your assets and resources to drive impact. or both business and society.
How? opens up how you engage your stakeholders. It's about what specific, focused strategies and tactics you deploy to actually achieve the outcomes--both business and societal--that you desire.
What do these Four Big Questions mean to your brand or organization? Can you answer them, simply? How can you use them to unlock change?
Why? unlocks your brand/organizational purpose--it's your raison d'être, a statement of why you exist. Put your helmet on: This usually requires some deep thinking and existential bewilderment.
Who? is about understanding the needs of your full array of stakeholders, both internal and external. This spans consumers, employees, partners, key influencers--anyone with a vested interest in who you are and the products/services you provide. Don't leave anyone out, but do prioritize those most important to you.
What? addresses the tangible products/services you deliver, and the benefits, both functional and emotional, that you provide your stakeholders. This means identifying what you uniquely offer, and how you can harness your assets and resources to drive impact. or both business and society.
How? opens up how you engage your stakeholders. It's about what specific, focused strategies and tactics you deploy to actually achieve the outcomes--both business and societal--that you desire.
What do these Four Big Questions mean to your brand or organization? Can you answer them, simply? How can you use them to unlock change?
TACKLING POSITIVE SOCIETAL CHANGE: THE CSR IMPACT CYCLE
Tackling positive societal change as a brand can be complex, even overwhelming: Where to begin? What to focus on? How much to invest? Who to involve? How to know if it’s working? I like to break this multi-faceted challenge into more manageable chunks by using a simple framework that I call the CSR IMPACT CYCLE:
1. UNDERSTAND: First, make sure you have a clear understanding of what you uniquely care about and what’s important to you as a brand. This includes understanding your impacts, across your value chain. A clearly articulated brand purpose can be a useful asset here (Don’t have one? Work to develop, as part of your brand strategy toolkit, a concise, compelling, higher-order motive for your brand’s actions). Next, understand your brand’s level of capacity and commitment. Ask yourself: “What are we good at? What resources (knowledge, assets, people) do we have? How much are we willing to invest?”
2. ACT: This is about converting your intentions into action and driving tangible positive impact. Ask yourself: “What will our brand uniquely do? How can we leverage a commitment to societal impact to build our brand? How might we address a specific societal issue while driving our key brand/business objectives?” Take a page from Pampers—a stellar example of what Procter & Gamble terms a “purpose-driven, benefit-focused brand.” To meet a business objective of strengthening the brand’s equity (fostering babies’ development), Pampers partnered with UNICEF on its "1 Pack = 1 Vaccine" program. Since 2006, the brand has helped protect 100 million moms and their babies against maternal and neonatal tetanus, while at the same time becoming one of P&G’s biggest and fastest growing brands (Pampers recently hit more than $10 billion in revenues).
3. COMMUNICATE: Equally important as doing good work is sharing it. Many companies fail to communicate effectively— or sometimes at all—about their CSR commitments and the positive results they’ve delivered. This requires identifying and taking steps to reach multiple stakeholder groups—both inside and outside your organization. Don’t be afraid to tell your story—from your commitments and aspirations, to the results you’ve achieved, to the barriers and obstacles you’re struggling to overcome. Today’s consumer wants to know where you stand as a brand.
4. MEASURE: Finally, it’s critical to design anything you do to deliver tangible, measurable results. As CSR continues to mainstream and become a part of core business strategies, brands are experiencing increasing pressure for these investments to deliver a return—just like any other business activity. This means setting clear and measurable objectives up-front, assessing progress against goals, and stopping, redirecting or concentrating investments to maximize productivity.
1. UNDERSTAND: First, make sure you have a clear understanding of what you uniquely care about and what’s important to you as a brand. This includes understanding your impacts, across your value chain. A clearly articulated brand purpose can be a useful asset here (Don’t have one? Work to develop, as part of your brand strategy toolkit, a concise, compelling, higher-order motive for your brand’s actions). Next, understand your brand’s level of capacity and commitment. Ask yourself: “What are we good at? What resources (knowledge, assets, people) do we have? How much are we willing to invest?”
2. ACT: This is about converting your intentions into action and driving tangible positive impact. Ask yourself: “What will our brand uniquely do? How can we leverage a commitment to societal impact to build our brand? How might we address a specific societal issue while driving our key brand/business objectives?” Take a page from Pampers—a stellar example of what Procter & Gamble terms a “purpose-driven, benefit-focused brand.” To meet a business objective of strengthening the brand’s equity (fostering babies’ development), Pampers partnered with UNICEF on its "1 Pack = 1 Vaccine" program. Since 2006, the brand has helped protect 100 million moms and their babies against maternal and neonatal tetanus, while at the same time becoming one of P&G’s biggest and fastest growing brands (Pampers recently hit more than $10 billion in revenues).
3. COMMUNICATE: Equally important as doing good work is sharing it. Many companies fail to communicate effectively— or sometimes at all—about their CSR commitments and the positive results they’ve delivered. This requires identifying and taking steps to reach multiple stakeholder groups—both inside and outside your organization. Don’t be afraid to tell your story—from your commitments and aspirations, to the results you’ve achieved, to the barriers and obstacles you’re struggling to overcome. Today’s consumer wants to know where you stand as a brand.
4. MEASURE: Finally, it’s critical to design anything you do to deliver tangible, measurable results. As CSR continues to mainstream and become a part of core business strategies, brands are experiencing increasing pressure for these investments to deliver a return—just like any other business activity. This means setting clear and measurable objectives up-front, assessing progress against goals, and stopping, redirecting or concentrating investments to maximize productivity.