Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profit - Paperback

by Anne Bahr Thompson (Author)

Increasingly today, in every age group, consumers are committing to brands that show good citizenship--from fair employment practices, to social responsibility, to charitable giving. In fact, support of these generous and socially aware companies is so high that good works and charitable giving are necessary for companies that aspire for financial success.

Do Good documents the sea of change that has impacted the twenty-first-century marketplace more than even the most optimistic of business forecasters, including examples such as:

• Toms grew into a $600 million company by giving away 35 million pair of shoes.
• Patagonia's profits have climbed year after year even as it funnels heavy investments into sustainability.
• CVS's strategic decision to start destocking cigarettes in all stores.

Customers have shown with their wallets the types of businesses they will support and that they will quickly call out negligence. Buyers today demand more than half-hearted pledges from companies who are clearly just trying to show less profits and decrease their taxes.

By implementing the five-step model for the new rules of business laid out in Do Good--Trust, Enrichment, Responsibility, Community, and Contribution--companies can take the necessary steps to embed social consciousness into their DNA, in turn capturing both markets and hearts.

Front Jacket

In a hyper-competitive, always-on world, staying relevant is tough. Will customers stick around if the economy slows or a mishap goes viral? What happens when competing products and services flood the market? Can you afford to invest in areas that might not show an immediate payoff?

Based on interviews with thousands of consumers, Do Good offers a refreshingly upbeat answer: people are drawn to companies with a higher purpose--and reward them with their business. In every region, age group, and socioeconomic level, customers connect with brands that care about them, their values, and the world at large. They're more committed and less price sensitive to companies that "do good." But doing good is not just a one-time attention-getting effort. It's an ethos that permeates every aspect of an enterprise, from how it delivers products and services to the way it treats employees, the community, and the environment. People see good citizenship in companies like Apple for making communication easier, or Walmart for making life more affordable. They admire Nike and H&M for improving their overseas labor practices and channeling funds into positive efforts: athletic shoes for people with disabilities, or grants for environmentally sustainable fashion. Do Good documents this sea change affecting every industry, and proves that doing good and making profits are now inextricably linked. Packed with dozens of examples, and grounded in data from years of original research, this groundbreaking book lays out the new rules of business, and how to win with them. Anne Bahr Thompson's unique five-step Brand Citizenship(R) model will help your company cultivate the qualities that customers demand: - Trust. Clearly communicate what you offer and follow up with reliable products and services, sincerity, and reciprocity. - Enrichment. Simplify routines, make mundane tasks less dull, and enrich daily life. - Responsibility. Treat people fairly, behave ethically, acknowledge shortcomings, and strive to be better. - Community. Connect people with similar interests, rally communities, encourage behaviors, and fix social problems. - Contribution. Advocate on issues that matter to customers, improving communities and ultimately enriching the lives of fans. Fixating on quarterly results can blind you to the bigger picture: that achieving greater value, better service, better ethics, better focus on sustainability, and social good are the real, proven measures of long-term success. It's these qualities that attract people to a brand, build trust, and cement commitment--the one sure path to profitability. Do Good will show you the way. Anne Bahr Thompson is founder of the brand consultancy Onesixtyfourth and former executive director of strategy and planning at Interbrand. She has been featured in The Financial Times, The New York Times, and on Fox Business and MarketWatch Radio.

Back Jacket

Advance Praise for Do Good

"A great read for any company seeking to incorporate a social mission into their brand, without sacrificing profits. Anne Bahr Thompson's model of Brand Citizenship offers compelling advice and creative yet practical ways to connect with all stakeholders."-- Jay Coen Gilbert, co-founder of B Lab, the nonprofit behind the B Corp movement "Do Good offers a timely blueprint for building a strong brand with social impact at the core, as customer and employee expectations for the role business plays in society continue to increase."-- Andy Polansky, Chief Executive Officer, Weber Shandwick Worldwide "Anne Bahr Thompson's five-step Brand Citizenship model offers a new lens on the challenge of stewarding brands in an era of change and increasing complexity for brand owners." -- David Bickerton, Director of Communications, BP plc "Anne's book underscores what we experience each day as we work with the CEOs and companies in our coalition, and what the research has shown: that under-standing and meeting significant stakeholder needs is critical for companies to prepare for 2020. Do Good is required reading for leaders who want to meet today's business challenges head-on." -- Daryl Brewster, CEO, CECP: The CEO Force for Good "With her remarkable background and decades of experience, Anne Bahr Thompson has succeeded in joining profitability with purpose (a long-sought synchronization seldom achieved today) and crafted an exceptional framework for businesses to attain Brand Citizenship--which virtually guarantees a business success. A compelling read for everyone in business, I heartily endorse Do Good."-- Archie Carroll, Ph.D., Professor Emeritus, Terry College of Business, University of Georgia; senior coauthor of Business and Society, 10th Edition "Do Good is engaging, insightful, convincing, and useful. In a world where consumers, employees, and shareholders demand more from the brands they engage with, this book--and the unique Brand Citizenship model Thompson proposes within it--is essential reading for any business leader looking to unlock value and help their organization earn an extraordinary and irreplaceable role in people's lives." -- Kevin Jasmin, Director of Corporate Brand Strategy, TD Ameritrade

Author Biography

ANNE BAHR THOMPSON is founder of the brand consultancy Onesixtyfourth and former executive director of strategy and planning at Interbrand. She has been featured in the Financial Times, The New York Times, and on Fox Business and MarketWatch Radio.