by Anne Bahr Thompson | Jun 3, 2017 | Brand Citizenship®, Brand loyalty, Generational cohorts & differences, Reputation management, Trends and cultural shifts
More and more, employers are recognizing that HR must shift its orientation from human resources to human relationships. Since the oldest Millennials entered the workplace around the turn of the new millennium, employee engagement and satisfaction has jetted to the top of executive agendas. Putting people first is the key to a winning brand. Over our three years of CultureQ® research into Brand Leadership, Good Citizenship and Favorite Brands, participants ranked treating employees well and fairly as the number-one characteristic of a good corporate citizen, and the number-two trait of a leadership brand (behind the characteristic “produces reliable, durable products and services and offers value for quality”). A 2014 CultureQ study into how people define their ideal employer revealed that Millennials (the oldest of whom are now in their mid-30’s), more so than Baby Boomers and Gen Xers, seek a friendly, supportive work environment; opportunities for social engagement; a commitment to volunteerism; good values; and a leadership reputation. Deloitte, PWC, McKinsey and many others have conducted studies that have uncovered similar insights. And when the Supreme Court decision for Obergefell v. Hodges made same-sex marriage legal in all 50 states in the U.S. in 2015, numerous media pundits proclaimed that embracing the rainbow was smart business because Millennials were a more diverse and inclusive generation. Millennials are not the first generation looking to be treated well and fairly by their employers. Companies have contemplated ways to cultivate a happy workforce for decades, if not centuries. Indeed, since the height of the Industrial Revolution employers have equated employee benefits with the output of higher-quality products and better employee recruitment and...
by Anne Bahr Thompson | May 3, 2017 | Brand Citizenship®, Brand leadership, Featured, Movements, Reputation management, Trends and cultural shifts
The US, and indeed the world, continues to shift at an accelerating pace, one faster than we have seen before. And as it has, I’ve been asked by a number of clients and prospects if I believe the call for companies to do good will continue. Real change takes time—even when it’s a proactive choice. By nature, it’s full of competing demands, and it is far from easy. The path to fully embrace new ways of being is never straightforward. Sometimes one or two steps backward are required before we can leap forward. Although digital technology has enabled us to live in a world of also with opposites coexisting alongside one another harmoniously, populist sentiment appears to be determined to drive us back to a world of either/or, where our social identities are singular rather than multidimensional mashups of conventional distinctions. Although the recent election in France demonstrated that the current populist movement may not be as broad and as powerful as many had thought previously. An increasingly polarized socio-political climate has had many companies—large and small, new and legacy—on edge. During conferences I’ve attended and in a large number of my meetings with clients, the topic continues to come up. Ever hopeful to stay out of the political fray, executives across industries wonder which news flashes to respond to and which to ignore. In assessing each scenario, they consider their brand reputation, the interests of their business operations, multiple stakeholder concerns, and overarching public perception. People—customers, employees, investors, business partners, and fellow executives alike—have been watching closely, curious to learn which brands are stepping up to behaving responsibly...
by Anne Bahr Thompson | Jul 5, 2016 | Brand Citizenship®, Brand leadership, Brand loyalty, Featured, Reputation management
OVERVIEW People’s expectations of government, business and other longstanding institutions have been shifting since 2008.. And, perhaps more so than anything, Brexit and the US Presidential race prove there’s no going back. Business as usual—with ‘leaders’ running the show and people going along for the ride—no longer speaks to the needs, longings, and practical realities of our modern society. So, it’s no surprise that in a populist world, people are looking to the brands they value the most to have a meaningful purpose and mirror their values. FROM PUSH MARKETING TO BRAND PULL Since the late 1990’s, every agency, research company, consultancy and digital firm has hung out a branding shingle. And as they have, the word brand itself has acquired a lot of baggage. Ask any two people what a brand is and more likely than not they’ll give you two different answers, although each will associate the word in some way with creating a cool name, developing an eye-catching logo, crafting a memorable tagline or spending a lot of money on multi-media ad campaigns designed to build awareness. In other words, for most people the discipline of branding is a form of push marketing that leverages advertising and attention grabbing tactics often disconnected from delivering real value for users. Rather than being judged as a strategic investment designed to cultivate loyalty with customers, employees, business partners, suppliers, investors and other stakeholders – and thereby enhance profitability – brand development is often slated as a cost to business in financial analysis. Yet, brands matter more than ever today. In a digital and socially driven marketplace where the lines...
by Anne Bahr Thompson | Dec 7, 2015 | Brand Citizenship®, Featured, Generational cohorts & differences, Reputation management, Trends and cultural shifts
Understand the me-to-we continuum. as printed in HBR.org There are some companies we look at, admire, and say, “Wow, I really want to work for them.” These companies understand that employees are as important as the paying customers who consume the products and services they sell. And they know that the transparency of social media means the company’s reputation is highly dependent on what its employees say. It’s never been more important for companies to treat employees well and fairly—but it has also never been more complicated to do so. With so many different generations in the workforce, each expecting different things from their employers, exactly what kind of relationships should companies be fostering with employees—and how should they go about doing so? My research (quantitative and qualitative studies of Millennials, Gen Xers, and Baby Boomers as part of my company’s Culture Q project) into how cultural sentiments impact people’s relationships with brands has shown that nurturing faithful employee relationships today is no different than cultivating loyal customers. Both begin with a “me-first” orientation—that is, companies must “satisfy my wants and needs first”—and then stretch across a continuum, culminating in a “we” orientation—“address the issues that are important to my community and the broader world” (see the “me-to-we continuum” below). Just as consumers now look to do business with companies that advocate for causes they care about, employees are looking for employers who advocate for them and on their behalf for causes that matter to them. Companies are no longer “just” companies. As technology has removed the boundaries that historically divided our work and personal lives, we are now...
by Anne Bahr Thompson | Aug 25, 2015 | Brand Citizenship®, Brand loyalty, Featured, Reputation management
The playing field for marketing has changed. Business as usual—with marketers and ad agencies running the show and consumers coming along for the ride—no longer speaks to the needs, longings, and practical realities of our modern society. The global economy, technology, climate change, and generational shifts have all dramatically impacted the ways in which we all consume, engage, and even abandon the brands in our lives. The unprecedented level of transparency social media has generated places great power in the hands of consumers. People want more from companies than ever before: better value, better service, better ethics, and a better focus on sustainability. Brands, especially the ones we’re most loyal to, represent more than things and services. They signify an ethos—one that mirrors our values or that we aspire to. As consumers grow more concerned with fairness and sustainability, they – in other words we – naturally seek “relationships” with brands that link us to a larger purpose, simultaneously enriching our modern lives and sustaining the planet. So it’s no surprise that more consumers are calling for, yearning for—and paying for—brands to do good for their customers, their employees, other stakeholders, and the world. A 5-Step Model to Do Good Our 5-step model of Brand Citizenship® is not about sacrificing to better the world. Nor is it boasting about sustainability or social responsibility efforts. It is about integrating do good activities such as fair employee policies, CSR, sustainability programs, ethical sourcing, charitable giving, etc., with brand development to strengthen a brand’s reputation, foster greater loyalty, and enhance value creation. The 5 Steps Step 1: TRUST: Don’t let me down....
by Anne Bahr Thompson | Dec 29, 2014 | Brand Citizenship®, Featured, Movements, Reputation management, Trends and cultural shifts
For decades, many people have considered corporate efforts to fund social and environmental programs public relations campaigns designed more to boost brand reputation at best and, at worst, a way to right wrongs. Positive reactions to exposed negative actions – part of a zero sum game (negative behavior + positive response = zero sum) rather than a net positive for society. Since the Great Recession, Deepwater Horizon, Occupy Wall Street, record long-term unemployment and government cutbacks on funding of social programs, the zero sum corporate responsibility game has come under even greater scrutiny. And as a result, doing good is becoming a practical reality for corporate survival across industries. A growing cost of doing business, that is at odds with our historically idealistic images of doing good. Yet, in a technologically interconnected world where coopetiton, hybrid cars, mixed racial backgrounds and gay marriage are becoming mainstream concepts, should the notions of idealism and realism remain at odds with one another? Should integrating sustainability and social responsibility initiatives into brand development be considered self-promotion? Or should it be seen as operating transparently and enabling consumers to buy products from companies that share their values and invest in things they care about? Intrinsic values produce consumer value More and more CEOs are acknowledging that fair and ethical business practices are as essential a criteria for lasting business success as is earning a profit. In a world where businesses are forced to adapt to the challenges globalized sourcing, production and sales present, economics and ethics cannot be viewed as separate constructs. In other words, values have become essential for value production. And,...
