Communication with a Purpose

Last night I dreamt we were unstoppable heroes making a positive impact in our communities and around the world

Like Martin Luther King Jr advocacy and political movement on inclusion and freedom rights of black americans back in the 60's or Harvey Milk on diversity for the gay rights in the 70's, businesses around the world realized the powerful drive of Purpose. Or more recently in the 10's Winnie Harlow that throughout her career has been a huge advocate for the vitiligo disorder, hopping to push the fashion industry to include more models with vitiligo in its campaigns. Succeeding despite do not letting her disease defining her.

“I don't‘ suffer ’from vitiligo, I’m not a ‘model with vitiligo’. I'm Winnie, I'm a model, and I happen to have vitiligo. Stop putting those titles on me or anyone else.” - Winnie Harlow

Winnie Harlow, 2018 Victoria's Secret Fashion Show ? Dimitrios Kamobouris / Getty Images

And companies are also taking advantage of this powerful model. On it’s 10th Edition, the Global RepTrack 2020 “Corporate purpose and social impact are strengthening business reputations, and consumer goods brands are among those witnessing the fruits of their labor. Retailers that prioritize corporate purpose are seeing the ROI in their business reputations. and companies that experienced increased scores largely did so by enhancing the perception of their corporate social responsibility (CSR).” says Lisa Johnston.

Either to gain employees engagement, customers and consumers loyalty, trust by partners and key stakeholders or increase effectiveness and value for shareholders, strategies with a meaningful Purpose attract admiration and foster aspiration to do great and make a difference. This requires matching concern with strategic thinking, bringing head and heart together.

For example, the latest Gucci Campaign mascara product, L’Obscur, stars Ellie Golstein, teen with Down Syndrome, on its newest face for the gloss, showing that beauty has no bounderies.

Gucci Beauty "Unconventional Beauty" stars model Ellie Goldstein, ?David PD Hyde Vogue Italia/Gucci Beauty

Walt Disney is launching a new line of adaptive costumes designed specifically for fans who use wheelchairs or have other accessibility needs. Thus fostering accessibility, equality of opportunities and inclusion for challenged, disabled fans.

Hilton was recently ranked #1 on the 2019 Fortune 100 Best Companies to Work For? list. Hilton "Hospitality For All” explains what Hilton has done to successfully elevate the experience for hourly team members and front-line managers. Microsoft, the 5th most reputable company worldwide according to Global RepTrack 2020, is investing in employee engagement and efficiency to boost results, being one of the most admired workplaces and granting the support of communities that inspire its progress. As referred on their Inclusion and Diversity report " Our mission is deeply inclusive: empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more.".

And the Chang Zuckerberg Initiative is being driven by leveraging technology, community-driven solutions and collaboration to accelerate progress in Education, Justice & opportunity and Science.

The abundance of individuals and businesses making a difference, while fostering their effectiveness, trust, equity and healthy reputation are fortunately increasing on fast pace worldwide.

" A heart is not judged by how much you love, but how much you are loved by others" - L. Franck Baum, The Wizard of Oz

Credibility, Integrity, Relevance, Results: a matter of Trust.

Trust is something common to any individual, team or organization in the world. Something that if missing will destroy the most well succeeding business, the most influential leadership, the most strong character, the most powerful reputation.

Trust is

“the organization’s willingness, based upon its culture and communication behaviors in relationships and transactions, to be appropriately vulnerable based on the belief that another individual, group, or organization is competent, open and honest, concerned, reliable, and identified with common goals, norms, and values.” - Pamela Shockley-Zalabak

Basically it all comes down to your integrity, your intention, your skills and your results. An organization credibility dependes on these four drivers. The key to success is to make a set strategic initiatives functional, making a commitment to carry them out, fulfilling them. As a result of this high organizational trust value increase, growth accelerate, innovation intensifies, collaboration improves, partnerships become stronger, better execution and loyalty increase.

“When customers are loyal to (have trust in) your brand, they are more likely to listen to your message, read more carefully the information disclosed by your organization and more willing to accept the disclosure of your new products and services [and to improve the management of an eventual reputational crisis ]” – Charles Giordano, Bell Canada International

As referred by Zalabak, Trust is important because “We are faced daily with creating "on-the-spot" agreements and relationships with co-workers, leaders, customers, and other organizations to make things happen. With every business transaction, we create these spontaneous connections – sometimes without face-to-face contact – and we do so in good faith and trust. Our day-to-day work requires that we, and our work teams and organizations, make good efforts and judgments about trust with others. There are serious consequences for not being able to do this well.”

As reveals the 2020 Edelman Trust Barometer, a growing sense of inequality is undermining Trust in institutions. Richard Edelman said “Trust today is granted on two distinct attributes: competence (delivering on promises) and ethical behavior (doing the right thing and working to improve society). It is no longer only a matter of what you do—it’s also how you do it.”

Developing Trustworthy Relationships

"Trust men and they will be faithful to you, treat them with greatness and they will be magnanimous." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Perceptions are real. The good thing - as already mentioned in my previous article - is that Perceptions can be managed and changed in order to meet our desired ultimate goals. To put this into place, Stakeholders’ perceptions and expectations must be aligned with with the strategic business goals.

The main process includes: aligning strategy with communication / dissemination - People, Leadership, Organizational Culture; defining Off and Online Tools; and incorporate Change Communication techniques.

This positive change related with the brand awareness and engagement requires: what procedures and abilities will we need to put in place?, what must we change (mind set, skills, resources…)?, How to change in harmony with our main key values?

Following, the communication / dissemination awareness and engagement strategy must be defined according a double framework: communication change based on its four attributes - Awareness, Understanding, Engagement, Change -, and proactive flow - Information, Dialogue, Engagement, Recognition.

So, why Purpose matters? Integrating strategic communication with cause branding.

We live in an increasingly fast-paced global world, driven by technology and social media and characterized by ruthless competition and replication of products, strategies and business models. With everything in flux, and every advantage fleeting, reputation and brand equity can become a primary, bedrock asset.

What companies need to understand, however, is that corporate reputation is becoming increasingly based on not only whether companies are delivering reliable, performing products and services, but on how they operate and drive positive societal impact. People want to know who is the company behind the brands. What are the values? Are they interested in more than making money? What is its purpose?

Cause branding captures the deep integration of social impact into the core of a brand’s strategy, equity and operations. The objective is to drive brand and corporate reputation, and make brands more viable over the long term by ensuring they are meeting the needs of a broad array of stakeholders. Foremost among these: Consumers.

People around the world have increasingly higher expectations of brands, with a vast majority declaring companies exist to do more than just make money. Companies that employ cause branding utilize a wide range of channels and tactics—which can include interventions like employee engagement initiatives, cause marketing programs, public relations (PR) events, and advertising to express the company’s commitment to social impact.

The message for companies is clear. They need to do the hard work of building a reputation as a company that is focused on creating both economic and social value. This means following the lead of compassionate, principled, forward thinking companies that have deeply embraced cause and a commitment to positive societal impact to navigate today’s complex, values-driven environment.

“These organizations are making themselves more productive now and viable over the long term. The formula: Communicate clearly to the world WHO you are, WHAT you are doing, WHY you are doing it, and HOW others can help. Whatever companies take on, they need to be open and transparent, authentic in their commitments and communication, and act with a strong sense of urgency to deliver real impact.” says Craig Bida.

Case Study Building Healthier Communities Through Digital Prevention Education. Prescription Drug Safety Network, powered by EVERFI.

In conclusion

Aligning strategic communication with strategies like cause branding, cause marketing, corporate social responsibility, means utilizing commitments to social and environmental issues - such as advance equal rights, greater opportunity, or better health in communities - to generate bottom-line business and social results. The above examples tap into the power of smart communications to make a positive impact in local communities and around the world. That's all about Communications for Good or with a Purpose.

“When you start communicating to change people, you leave a lasting legacy. You profit from your impact, not in spite of it.” - Michelle Mazur