The Examined Brand. or “How Patagonia earned its peaks” October 2008

“ My heart’s desire is to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race. And then see if I can get them mass-produced in plastic ” Woody Allen

“ My heart’s desire is to forge in the smithy of my soul the uncreated conscience of my race.

And then see if I can get them mass-produced in plastic ”

Woody Allen

Transparency 101

infomediaries standardisation compliance social technology visible processes accountability Drivers Accelerators Enablers doubt regulation risk Why?

infomediaries

standardisation

compliance

social technology

visible processes

accountability

doubt

regulation

risk

ethical high involvement high risk civically engaged educated info-seekers Industries Communities Brands globalised mature shopper-led Who?

ethical

high involvement

high risk

civically engaged

educated

info-seekers

globalised

mature

shopper-led

Co-creation Supply-chain integration Collaboration Social engagement ‘ Backstory’ development Corporate Marketing Revenue Reputation Relationships Build advocacy Build trust Build stretch What

Co-creation

Supply-chain

integration

Collaboration

Social engagement

‘ Backstory’

development

Corporate

Marketing

Build advocacy

Build trust

Build stretch

Who’s getting it?

Opacity heroes…

Translucency heroes…the master storytellers…

Transparency leaders…the new market-makers…

Social Communication Limitless brand extension Validation Sharing Visualisation Rich detail Remove barriers Assurance Real time!

Patagonia’s Journey…

Summary of Patagonia experience Challenges Making the business case Understanding the issues How to talking to the community Getting buy-in Empowering employees Opportunities Extending engagement Influencing others to ‘give it a go’ Following through on change in the supply-chain

Challenges

Making the business case

Understanding the issues

How to talking to the community

Getting buy-in

Empowering employees

Opportunities

Extending engagement

Influencing others to ‘give it a go’

Following through on change in the supply-chain

Involving Consumers?

Source: AccountAbility/NCC Consumer Accountability could change the world…

Source: AccountAbility/NCC Actively seeking engagement…

Source: AccountAbility/NCC We want to trust you…

Source: AccountAbility/NCC And ethical rewards are on the rise…

Lessons Learned…

Debate and Discuss

Speaker biography Tim Kitchin, Partner Brand Strategist Tim Kitchin is a broad-based branding expert with extensive experience of CSR, environmental and policy-making arenas. His passion is to help brands build social capital . Tim is a founding partner of Glasshouse Partnership and an associate senior adviser to the ethical thinktank AccountAbility, He is also a member of brand think-tank, the ‘Medinge Group’, responsible for the annual ‘Brands with a Conscience’ awards. He was a member of the international advisory panel for the UN Environment Programme’s ‘Talk the Walk’ initiative; and was special editor of the journal of brand management for its first issue on CSR. He was a co-author of ‘Managing Corporate Reputations’ and ‘Beyond Branding’ (both Kogan Page). Contact: [email_address]

Tim Kitchin, Partner

Brand Strategist

Tim Kitchin is a broad-based branding expert with extensive experience of CSR, environmental and policy-making arenas.

His passion is to help brands build social capital .

Tim is a founding partner of Glasshouse Partnership and an associate senior adviser to the ethical thinktank AccountAbility,

He is also a member of brand think-tank, the ‘Medinge Group’, responsible for the annual ‘Brands with a Conscience’ awards.

He was a member of the international advisory panel for the UN Environment Programme’s ‘Talk the Walk’ initiative; and was special editor of the journal of brand management for its first issue on CSR.

He was a co-author of ‘Managing Corporate Reputations’ and ‘Beyond Branding’ (both Kogan Page).

Contact: [email_address]