Creativebrief’s Post

Great piece. Thank you Kirsty Leighton and PRWeek UK. As I've mithered on before, way too many folk have inauthentically jumped on the B Corp and ESG wagons to make money. Brands and agencies. You can't f around with things of such import. Either do something right and proper. Or don't. & woe betide pretending in order for you to worship at the altar of Mammon. Honestly, money makes monsters of people as Zeno London taught me when I sold 3 Monkeys to Richard Edelman and Barby K. Siegel. For me, honest and kind values are baked into my personal DNA, and so, with hope, those of the companies I've built and nurtured. Until, of course, I sold them to the Mammonites. None of us is perfect; but I'm proud to have resigned a few accounts in my time. More to do with the way clients have treated my team as well as our precious planet tbh&f. Personal accountability is easier to call out and challenge than corporate accountability. Though if you're an owner/manager the two should go hand in hand. Well done the B Corp team. Your mojo is marvs x

B Lab’s decision to revoke B Corp status from all Havas agencies after one of them — Havas Media — signed Shell as a client feels like a potential inflection point for the professional services industry. The decision was driven — at least in part — by activism from within the industry itself and signals a shift in B Lab’s assessment of professional services firms. Client selection is now on the table in a way it wasn’t before. The B Corp designation carries significant weight in the US and the UK, but Havas’ choice to sacrifice it for the benefit of its revenue stream demonstrates that it either; 1️⃣ cares more about profit than the planet, or; 2️⃣ views B Corp status as an inferior measuring stick of sustainability (it smartly highlighted its ongoing engagement with EcoVadis and SBTi in its pitch-perfect response to B Lab’s decision) Or both. We’ve already seen capital markets quietly draw back enthusiasm for ESG. Perhaps Havas is simply following the trend. But sustainability is an increasingly important factor in procurement decisions for large organizations. Maybe all Havas is doing is selling the future to buy the present.

We polled over 2,000 people and asked them what they think about businesses whose PR and marketing is predominantly focused on the organisation's ESG claims. The results weren't great for these businesses. Here's why: 1. 1 in 3 people - customers - are 'put off' by companies overly banging the green drum. 2. 1 in 5 respondents are suspicious of such claims. 3. Only 1 in 6 were impressed by such claims. What about you, how do you feel when you see a business/brand focusing their core messaging at you from an ESG-led rather than service/product-led perspective? #esgcomms #branding #pr #greenwashing

Purpose has power. 💥 Brands with high levels of social- and value-driven impact consistently see great performance, and even greater reputation association. But the "purpose priority" has also resulted in a surprising, potentially damaging side effect. Here's why purpose-washing could be the next big challenge for your brand or client's PR and reputation. #PR #PurposeBrand #BrandValues #ESG #Reputation

Don't settle for superficial campaigns; instead, aim for authentic, accurate, and powerful storytelling that captivates hearts and minds. At Uplift, we believe that responsible and sustainable business is more than positive press and catchy campaigns. Our communication, branding and ESG experts work together to ensure your communications and reporting are accurate, humble and compelling. For us, sustainability isn't just a buzzword; it's the core of who we are. We work hand in hand with businesses like yours, translating your purpose into impactful communication strategies that drive meaningful results. As your partner, we empower your business to stand out in a crowded market by communicating with authenticity and impact. When you choose Uplift, you're not just gaining a consultant; you're gaining a passionate ally in the pursuit of a better world. We are dedicated to uplifting your brand, your mission, and your sustainability, to leave a positive legacy for generations to come. Contact our experts to advance your brand, mission, and sustainability. https://lnkd.in/dfMkbcU3 #ESG #communications #esgcommunications #sustainabilitycommunications #ESGreporting

Purpose-driven strategies are the pathway to successful businesses. Accelerating brands' reputation, revenue and growth and their ability to survive and thrive in economic uncertainties. But, it's also resulted in a surprising side effect, and a new threat to brands' reputations. Here's your 3-minute read on why purpose-washing isn't just doublespeak, and how it could be the emerging challenge to watch out for in your business' PR. #PR #Purpose #Talent #BrandReputation

“The big question in my mind is what role the industry can play to help brands walk back from the guidelines and the pointy end of communications to inspire a narrative of sustainability at the developmental stage of product and service design. Sustainability needs to start with real action not ads.”   Sustain by TBWA’s global practice lead, Kimberlee Wells, sat down with AdForum to talk about how our industry’s influence can be put to best use to protect our planet. 🌍 #EarthDay Check out the full interview here 👉 https://lnkd.in/ek4nUeb5

Is #sustainability becoming a non-topic for communicators? Maybe only for advertising. I noticed that while sustainability might become more absent from advertising, #ESG is still a massive topic on the #publicrelations side, maybe even bigger than ever before. Is this a consequence of if you overdue the paid media part for such topics, it hurts your credibility as it gets easily seen as overdoing it and becoming a kind of #greenwashing? This may be less of an advertising topic by default than an earned media discussion domain at this stage. What do you think? Check out the article by Phoebe O'Connell. #communications #marketing #greenreporting #webePRecious PRecious Communications Robin Chang Arundhati Saha Pauline Y. Anuroopa Pereira Allanjit Singh Sharon Koh-Mitchell Paolo Alba Joey Gan Oddie Octaviadi Busakorn Srisongkhroh Thanh Hien Pham https://lnkd.in/gsJeTD_i

No, ESG and DEI don’t just have a branding problem Fortune 1000 companies pledged $340 billion to social justice following George Floyd's killing in 2020–but it's impossible to measure the amount spent. We won’t win this debate by tweaking our words. We’ll prevail by defining the business imperative of initiatives that promote opportunity, targeting investments more precisely, and measuring results with the same rigor we apply to core financial metrics. #dei #socialjustice #branding #sustainability Must Read--->

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