MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
How does identifying with a certain political party, generation or minority group influence whether consumers think more highly or more disapprovingly of a brand taking on a cause? Here is what we learned.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
For most readers, bribery or corruption aren’t part of your everyday experience — though they should be part of due diligence processes on your business partners and supply chain. However, the danger that one department says one
thing and another does something different and inconsistent is clear in every company.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
If we continue to be distracted by our biennial game of political ping-pong, we are unlikely to avoid the most devastating impacts of climate change — unless we fundamentally address the underlying causes of polarization and disinformation as part of our sustainability agenda.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
Fridays for Future reminds US voters about the real existential threat to our planetary health, while UMG launches new installments of its ‘Use Your Voice’ and ‘Pull Up to the Polls’ initiatives to support voter education and to help get young people to the polls this week.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
New survey of US adults and C-suite about the role of business in addressing environmental justice shows disconnect for the latter on the link between the environment and racial equity.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
Setbacks such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade offer brands the opportunity to demonstrate their true commitment to supporting a healthy, equitable future for all.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
The heat is on — from Greenpeace protesting Cannes to concerned citizens and legislative pressure — for advertisers to make their work count for more than selling more products to the Western world. Here are six key takeaways from this year’s Cannes Lions, and how your campaigns can be and do better.
MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS -
Marketers, this one’s for you: Just a few pearls of wisdom dropped on day two of Brand-Led Culture Change — including understanding and eliminating
microaggressions, the secret sauce of shareable content, what matters to each target demographic, and rethinking assumptions of who the ‘sustainable consumer’ could be.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The law is a direct response to the widespread, well-documented reports of crimes against humanity in the Uyghur regions — and the fact that the reactions from most global brands to the issue have been, to put it lightly, disappointing.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
To truly help individuals and ourselves, we need to bust up the system, swim upstream and avoid the herd mentality. We need to take a step back and truly
understand our own roles in society — and by doing so, to let go of outdated notions.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY -
Reducing plastic waste is a winning issue for consumers. With so many examples of early success and ROI, there’s no better time to join the movement by committing to reduce plastic pollution and limiting the need for virgin plastic.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
Thanks to the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the British grocery chain has been cut off from its supply of sunflower oil; the company says it must temporarily revert to using palm oil, which it eliminated from its products in 2018.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
The reality of living in a capitalist society is that we can't simply cut off the production of products and services; the brands that will succeed in the upcoming decades will be those that function holistically, with sustainable actions built in.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
SB amplifies the actions of its global community and governments in support of Ukraine and reflects on the conflict’s potential impacts on long-term sustainability efforts.
CONSUMER BEHAVIOR CHANGE -
Why are so few brands and retailers partnering to communicate their sustainability attributes at the moment of truth — when shoppers are in the right mindset to buy? A new guidebook offers 10 guiding principles and many inspirational examples to help guide brands and retailers through the process.
COLLABORATION & CO-CREATION -
The Music Climate Pact marks a significant step in aligning the global music business around a coherent and industry-coordinated strategy — and unify existing climate initiatives.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
The move comes following an investigation by Repórter Brasil and Mighty Earth that tracked deforestation-linked beef to European retail store shelves. JBS, the world’s largest beef producer, has long been on the radar of environmental NGOs and forward-looking investors due to its destructive practices.
SUPPLY CHAIN -
China’s importance to global supply chains as a key source of raw materials and labor puts brands at high risk of inadvertently supporting forced labor. Right now, the focus is on the garment industry; but other industries should pay close attention and ensure they are closely monitoring their entire supply chains.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
In his new book, “Lead With We,” Simon Mainwaring urges business leaders to adopt a ‘first-responder’ mindset — and provides a blueprint for a proactive, ‘prepare for anything’ approach that enables them to lead with purpose in an increasingly challenged world.
ORGANIZATIONAL GOVERNANCE -
At SB’21 San Diego, leaders from a variety of industries and disciplines seemed to agree on three key drivers necessary for the regenerative leadership our world needs.