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grocergirldetroit-blog · 6 years ago

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Conscious Capitalism in 2018, aka #BrandsTakingStands

One of the very first brand sponsorships I remember was the Red Bull air race back in the 90s. Red Bull was relatively new - energy drinks were just starting to take hold as a category - and I had no idea what an air race was, so the dissonance was particularly jarring. “What even? Is this?!”

Photo credit: GeneralAviationNews.com

The brilliance in this sponsorship was that extreme sports had little to no marketing presence at all before Red Bull started to put their name all over those events. They cornered the market by creating the market, in a sense. As a result, the image they were trying to project as a brand - you can do anything if you drink Red Bull! - was encapsulated in this specific type of advertising and customer outreach. Success, defined purely as brand recognition, was achieved through a new type of sponsorship.

Fast forward, and we see brands making alliances everywhere - from the ubiquitous Coca-Cola and Olympics partnership to Rap Snacks - but marketing success isn’t so narrowly defined anymore. Basic sponsorship is table stakes, so companies are going a step beyond to ensure that their customers know what their brand stands for. Refreshingly, this now means doing more than just throwing advertising dollars at an event. In response to consumer demand, some companies are making real change to their products, practices and partnerships: the new bar is brand associations with concepts, political movements, or social change, aka #BrandsTakingStands. This isn’t always simple or easy - my favorite recent news story about stellar grocery chain Wegmans and Trump wine may give you a chuckle - but most companies are tackling it in one way or another.

Photo credit: Getty Images via NYTimes

Pepsi’s purchase of SodaStream made headlines this past week, an example of consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies amping up acquisition, an age-old business practice that is often exercised to increase that company’s market share. We know that companies aren’t just purchasing smaller brands out of the goodness of their hearts; there’s business behind that business, but what exactly is the primary motivation? I believe (as many folks do) that older CPG companies are seeing the power and relevance of their core brands fade as millennials come into their buying power. In response, some have begun snapping up the smaller brands to fortify their sales, market share and brand image. These smaller companies often lead with a social mission (like Ben & Jerry’s, acquired by Unilever), make a point of minimizing environmental impact (Sweet Earth, acquired by Nestle), have a focus on health (Rx Bar, acquired by Kellogg’s) or otherwise tout more than a single bottom line. This all goes to show that today’s consumer is very much aware of the impact of their purchases: the millennial shopper is voting with their wallet, and finally the big brands are taking notice.

An interesting aspect of this capitalistic evolution is the recognition by powerful CPGs that the future of market dominance doesn’t look like a single, megastar brand anymore. Instead, companies like PepsiCo are focusing on how to develop smaller brands that reach more niche audiences. We see the same development in grocery, with small markets reaching customers in a more personally engaging fashion, a move that giant chains can’t emulate. In fact, according to a study by GlobalData, 42% of consumers trust small grocery brands more than the big guys.

Source: GlobalData Research

Grocer Girl’s Take: This self-conscious movement gives me some hope for the future of capitalism as we know it. Conscious capitalist brands *can* help communities economically, socially, and environmentally - instead of being extractive, we can be additive. This particular approach to brand leadership is really only possible if you truly know your customer and community, otherwise the new branding is just another version of sponsorship. At Neighborhood Grocery, we’re starting a conversation with our neighbors, leading from the customer and her needs - and developing our brand from there. That’s our #BrandsTakingStands approach at Neighborhood Grocery.

#brandstakingstands #grocery #groceryshopping #branding #retail #cookingforfamily #cookingonabudget #retailtherapy

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csrgood · 6 years ago

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Speaker Proposals Now Being Accepted for 2019 3BL Forum: Brands Taking Stands

Presenter proposals are now being accepted for 3BL Forum, the annual gathering of purpose-driven corporate leaders eager to accelerate sustainable business through collaboration and learning. The theme for 3BL Forum (http://www.3blforum.com) is “Brands Taking Stands – What’s Next,” focusing on the business drivers behind innovative and impactful corporate responsibility programs that are increasingly including social activism. The event will be held at MGM National Harbor, just outside Washington, D.C., Oct. 29-30. “Corporate citizenship today is measured by progress across a broad environmental, social and governance agenda,” said Dave Armon, CMO of 3BL Media and publisher of CR Magazine. “By convening hundreds of business leaders for this important conversation, we will drive collaboration and hasten the pace of change.” Through a focus on Brands Taking Stands, 3BL Forum has become a central event both for “humble companies” intent on quietly doing important ESG work as well as brands eager to connect to social issues, said Armon, adding that the conference was used in 2017 and 2018 to release new research on corporate activism. Prospective speakers, presenters, panelists and other thought leaders should access the Presenter Prospectus here and submit via email to [email protected]. Submission deadline for presenter proposals is April 1. Key themes for 3BL Forum 2019 conference include:

Brands Taking Stands...the evolution continues

Employee activism

AI, blockchain and tech drivers for sustainable development

Not legacy VERSUS sustainable companies, but legacy AND sustainable businesses

Investor perspectives on ESG and sustainability

Imperative of a diverse and inclusive workforce and corporate culture

Filling the pipeline of talent for the future

Sustainability communications beyond ratings and rankings

Expectations of an activist, action-driven generation

Amplifying voices, not standing on the sidelines

3BL Forum will feature two days of dynamic and engaging speakers, panelists, conversations and interviews. In addition, many presenters will use the conference to announce new corporate initiatives or release significant research findings on corporate responsibility, talent acquisition, progress toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and more. Conference attendees bring an array of corporate responsibility experience and expertise as they seek to learn and engage. To maximize the audience experience, the conference agenda will be fast paced and designed to cover a variety of topics and issues. A key feature of 3BL Forum is the Awards and Recognition Dinner, where recipients of the CR Magazine Responsible CEO of the Year Awards will be announced. Nominations for this prestigious award may be submitted here. We welcome submissions by CEOs, CR practitioners and senior leaders on topics related to Brands Taking Stands. If your proposal is accepted, 3BL Forum’s executive producer will work with prospective presenters to identify where topic fits into the agenda and how to best showcase content at the conference, whether a main stage panel discussion, one-on-one interview, “issue table,” break-out session or other format. Companies participating in 3BL Forum in 2018 included ACCP | Aflac | Allstate | American Sustainable Business Council | APCO Worldwide | Aramark | Arrow Electronics | ascena retail group | Astellas | AvalonBay Communities | BCD Travel | Becton Dickinson | Berkshire Hathaway Energy Co. | Blackbaud | Bridgestone Americas | CBRE | CECP | Cone Communications | Corporate Citizenship | CR Miami | Crowe LLP | Danone NA | Discovery Education | Dix & Eaton | DoSomething Strategic | eBay | ERM CVS |Finn Partners | General Mills | GlobeScan | Good360 | Great Lakes Advisors | GRI | Hallmark Cards | Harris Poll | IBM | ICON | KraftHeinz | LG Electronics USA | LA Times | Mars Wrigley Confectionery | McCormick & Company | Medline |MGM Resorts International | MSL | National Basketball Players Association Foundation | New York Life Foundation |Nike | NPR | Owens Corning | P&G | Penguin Random House | Pirelli Tire NA | Points of Light | PwC | PYXERA Global |Quicken Loans | Realized Worth | Rolland Paper | Scotts Miracle-Gro | Smithfield Foods |Social Driver | Southbox Ventures | Silicon Valley Community Foundation | Swarovski | TD Bank Group | The Mosaic Company | TGR Foundation | Timberland | Tupperware Brands | U.S. Chamber of Commerce | UNDP Business Call to Action | Univision | UPS | VF Corporation | Waste Management | WGL Holdings | World Central Kitchen. Titles of those in attendance included 33 C-Suite officers 21 CEOs; 47 SVPs, EVPs AND VPs; and 58 directors. The event generated more than 2 million social media impressions using the hashtag #BrandsTakingStands. About 3BL Media 3BL Forum is an annual gathering of corporate responsibility and sustainability practitioners with emphasis on networking, case studies, new research and compelling presentations from companies committed to making progress against an ambitious ESG agenda. The theme for 3BL Forum 2019 is Brands Taking Stands. The event is produced by 3BL Media, the world’s leading communications partner for purpose-driven organizations. Through content distribution, multimedia promotion and hands-on learning experiences, we connect organizations to an unrivaled audience that is passionate about sustainable business. We know your stories, perspectives and experiences only matter if they’re heard, shared and acted on by the right people. We cut straight through the clutter so you always break through to the audiences who matter most.

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source: http://www.csrwire.com/press_releases/41695-Speaker-Proposals-Now-Being-Accepted-for-2019-3BL-Forum-Brands-Taking-Stands?tracking_source=rss

#CSR #corporate social responsibility #social good #philanthropy #employee engagement #workplace givi

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