Tag Archives: reputation

Corporate brands must add value to society

In my previous posts, I made the case that corporate branding is out of step with the reality of the market. Why, when given the ability of companies to adapt quickly to technological change, would corporate brands be out of step? To some degree, I think companies have been forced to adapt their operations and product marketing to technology because it has hit them over the head like a sledgehammer. The market quickly makes winners and losers, but the corporate brand doesn't cry out in the same way. It is harder to diagnose the harm a brand suffers from being left behind, making it less likely to get attention. There is, however, very tangible science available that documents the value of the corporate brand and its ability to predict things like sales, customer and employee loyalty, and even market capitalization.

Posted on Tuesday, December 6th, 2011 By SharedPurpose
Catogories Business Alignment/Integration Communications What's Next for CR | Also tagged corporate brands, shared value, societal value | Leave a comment

It’s time for corporate brands to step up

Corporate brands need to step up. Now is the time to rethink your corporate brand in light of the new expectations and interactions it faces. Once upon a time, we could categorize stakeholders by their occupations. Today, stakeholders can create themselves by their level of advocacy, and the tools to create that advocacy have become much more democratized and scalable. Individuals can become influencers quickly and with global reach. Their advocacy may be aimed at a particular product, but as often as not, they pierce the corporate veil and go straight to the corporate brand. Why do this? Because people are smart. They understand that products don't make decisions, companies do; products don't run afoul of labor standards, companies do; and products don't have environmental problems, companies do.

Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 By SharedPurpose
Catogories Business Alignment/Integration | Also tagged corporate brands, corproate responsibility, CSR, influence, stakeholder engagement | Leave a comment

Brand comms strategies must evolve with technology

Let's talk about brands for a minute. I think this may be an area where semantics have overtaken common sense. I've read heated online exchanges about the difference between brand and reputation, but the difference when discussing corporate brands seems only one of perspective. The brand is the promise, the reputation is the success in delivering on that promise. When we talk about corporate brands, what are we really talking about? It is the promise those brands are making to a range of potential stakeholders about what they can expect from the company. With that in mind, I am always stunned when a company gives short shrift to its corporate brand under the delusion that “no one is buying the corporate brand – they're buying the products.”

Posted on Thursday, December 1st, 2011 By SharedPurpose
Catogories Business Alignment/Integration | Also tagged brand, Champion Brand, corporate responsibility, ROI | Leave a comment

What’s the Return for Being Responsible?

A company’s strategy and approach to corporate responsibility has a huge impact on its reputation. Both minor and major adjustments in programs, partnerships and processes can net in a shift—up or down—of a company’s reputation in the eyes of its stakeholders. APCO’s research group, APCO Insight, recently conducted some research for the retail industry to [...]