Brands and doing good
Patrick Collings
Sagacite Brand Agency
February 2009
photo by Kevin Dooley

from the perspective of the brand

because it is the right thing to do
commentary: would be ideal, but often brands felt obliged or pressured into funding causes

1960s | 1970s | 1980s
doing good to look good
commentary: funding in a shotgun approach often not even related to the brand’s business

2
change
reasons
commentary: two developments changed how brands funded social causes

commentary: the first development was when exxon needed environmental allies to help with the
exxon valdez spill. the organization found their social giving had not nurtured environmental groups

commentary: the second development concerned public outcry and boycott of goods as
experienced by shell with plans to sink the brent spar oil rig and nike with child labour (next slide)

commentary: no logo was a rallying cry against the perceived bad that organizations did

1990s | 2000s | onwards
doing well and doing good
commentary: funding was more aligned with the business and strategy of the brand

the corporate is not distinct to the offering

resonance
opinion
understanding
awareness
commentary: use the cbbe pyramid to demonstrate the importance of opinion towards a brand

90% want companies to focus on more than
profitability
60% said they form an impression of a company
based on perceptions of social responsibility
40% said they responded negatively about
companies perceived as not socially responsible
17% said they avoided the products of a company
perceived as not being socially responsible

consumers are increasingly
caring about societal issues
and they want to associate
with brands that care

also
commentary: doing good is important for inside the company

help attract and retain staff

decrease operating costs

appeals to investors and analysts

brands that do good in the
eyes of their market are being
rewarded for their efforts

and those that don’t are being
punished, even being neutral can
put a brand at a disadvantage

commentary: video that talks about large scale greenwashing by brands

how to get into the
of the brand
photo by Mark Dodds

does this fit with our business strategy and focus?
is the issue being tackled of importance to our stakeholders?
isn’t government handling this?
are our competitors already in this space and do they own it?
is the organization approaching us credible?
what are the risks of becoming involved in this?
how will this give visibility and credibility to us?
how will we communicate this to our stakeholders and market?

not only about giving but also about doing
commentary: brands are not just been asked to give money to organizations but
also to take active steps to improve how they operate

Global Carbon Exchange
commentary: slide dealt with the number of organizations that were considered /
approached / by one brand on on environmental and society issues

resonance
opinion
understanding
awareness
the same applies

“For many years, community development
goals were philanthropic activities that were
seen as separate from business objectives, not
fundamental to them; doing well and doing
good were seen as separate pursuits. But I
think that is changing. What many of the
organizations that are represented here today
are learning is that cutting-edge innovation and
competitive advantage can result from weaving
social and environmental considerations into
business strategy from the beginning.”
Carly Fiorina
November 2003

the book corporate social responsibility by philip kotler and
nancy lee was used as a reference for several of the slides
presentation by
patrick collings
patrick@sagacite.co.za