Will the real Responsible Brand please stand up?

There's something in the air this year.

Between the tear gas, ash, and infected droplets floating around all over the world, I'm probably not the first to tell you that things will never be the same after the many tragedies 2020 has brought us.

For one, we've seen unprecedented activity (shifts?) in the world of corporate social responsibility. 

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) used to be simple. A CEO would wake up, slip on a hard hat, have a limo drop them (him or her) off at a construction site, and pose for pictures with an oversized check. Someone would write a press release, and the deed was done. The act of philanthropy had nothing to do with the core competencies of businesses and was simply a really nice-looking extracurricular activity that mostly made the CEOs happy about their life choices.

Then, things got interesting. Social enterprises like TOMS Shoes, Bombas and Soapbox Soaps took the world by storm, changing the fundamental discipline that CSR exists within from one of Public Relations to one of Product Development.

In tracking close to 100 corporate responses to COVID-19 that were released in March 2020, I've found an overwhelming number of initiatives that aim to support both the cause and effect of the virus.

Here's a graphic that summarizes all of the brands I tracked in March of 2020:

Take for example LVMH, the French luxury conglomerate. In a moment's notice, they pivoted their manufacturing operations to produce hand sanitizer. Or CROCS, the shoe company. They announced a program to donate 10,000 pairs of the company’s signature product per day to frontline workers until supplies run out.

But we've seen this before. In times of crisis, first-wave executives make public statements and major gifts appear. Shortly after the announcements are made, second-wave executives panic about not having been the first to take action, weigh what it might look like to participate or not, ultimately decide they have to participate, and scramble to conceptualize and launch programs in order to secure their brand image. Then comes the third wave, the fourth, the fifth, and so on, until consumers are faced with a bunch of programs and initiatives that are either too little, too late or a combination of the two. 

Do initiatives like these change the world? No.

Do they make an impact? Yes, but it is important to recognize that the impact is temporary by design. In addition, when you look at these memos and commitments, the impact most commonly focuses on "helping" external communities in which the businesses are not authentically connected. 

The fact that most CSR initiatives can be boiled down to short-lived marketing campaigns, and the reality that most "purpose-driven" businesses avoid internal or systemic issues within their own company is worthy of consumer critique. 

But there are exceptions.

Take Not Pot, the hipster CBD gummy brand that donates a percentage of sales to providing bail bonds that support people who have been incarcerated for obtaining the very ingredients Not Pot has been able to build a business around.

Or Patagonia, the outdoor clothing company that, beyond its catchy activity taglines, is known for having an ethical business strategy and healthy internal organizational culture.

Or &Pizza, the fast food company that is trying to change the fast food industry by investing in its culture, offering livable wages, and flaunting a "no ceiling policy”, which means "you can start at the bottom and go just as high as your wings will take you". (https://careers.andpizza.com/)

These, and other brands, are rare breeds, but a sign that a greater good is trying to take hold and root.

Over the years, social impact has grown to become an incredibly hot topic. And we’re seeing it now more than ever. The many tragedies 2020 has brought have sparked a ton of noble attempts for businesses to make a difference, but many of these initiatives have been under the guise of quick-fix, marketing and creative messaging. The result is an overabundance of surface-level responses that fail to challenge organizations to look inward.

That simply isn’t good enough anymore.

It’s time for corporate social responsibility to be timeless. To be deeply intertwined with the brand, the business and the culture of the organization.

Enter the Responsible Brand.

Responsible Brand is complete in its intent. It knows what it stands for, has a business strategy that delivers on that purpose, and artfully demonstrates itself in the marketplace. It’s the perfect trifecta of organizational culture, business strategy and brand marketing. 

The Responsible Brand is an ideal that’s time has fully come. The world we now live in demands nothing less than this level of commitment, and it must drive the work of every organization, in every sector, of every size. 

That’s why verynice joined forces with our long-time colleagues at Riggs Partners to create the Responsible Brand Toolkit. The toolkit is a free, open-source curriculum designed to teach businesses, nonprofit organizations, foundations and social enterprises how to build socially impactful brands.  

Check out the toolkit at www.responsiblebrand.com and commit your organization to the process of defining what you stand for, and living it out every day. 

Matthew Manos is the Founder and Managing Director at verynice.