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In search of purpose for Fairphone
To really connect with consumers, brands can no longer present a facade and sell. To thrive, brands need to create an emotional connection with people, stemming from a clear brand purpose. A purpose that addresses a real societal issue and that strives to create a movement to resolve this issue. In May 2017, we organized…
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Can sustainability sustain your brand?
Sustainability is becoming an imperative rather than an add-on for companies and brands. Nielsen research shows that brands with societal commitment grew faster than those without. In 2015, 50% of Unilever’s growth came from its “sustainable living” brands. In June 2016, I had the honor of presenting on sustainability contributing to marketing and brand value at the Wharton Global Forum.…
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The verdict on the S-word – sustainability
At the 2016 Global Reporting Initiative conference, I much enjoyed moderating a panel on the S-word: sustainability. Prior to this conference session, my blog post Naming, claiming, framing the S-word, generated interesting commentary on social media. This input, great speakers and over 100 sustainability professionals (voluntarily in the room by 7:30 AM), made for an inspiring session. Reclaiming agency Kicking off…
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Wayne’s World: the Sustainable Frontiers Forecast
In September 2015, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by South African author Wayne Visser. The lecture started with an interesting timeline of the development of sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility. He then presented a model to create integrated value, his vision of the future of this movement. This blog post is about…
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Creating local connections for positive change
Meet Nick Davies, the founder of Neighbourly, an online platform that connects community projects with businesses that want to help. I recently met Nick at the launch of the platform in the Netherlands – and followed up with an interview. Here’s what he said about corporate responsibility, opportunities for brands and the leadership to drive…
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A human narrative on sustainability
Meet Christophe Fauconnier, the CEO and co-founder of Innate Motion, a unique marketing agency that helps companies craft purpose brands and shared value strategies. In 2014, Christophe and I wrote a book together, Activists Dare to Care. To celebrate the second edition which was released as a hard copy in 2015, I interviewed him. Here’s…
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Brands as activists for a better world
The book I co-authored is out! Thanks to all the people who sent in great cases – and supported me otherwise to see this project through. So what is it all about? An invitation: Dare to Care Do you think of activism as something that can attack and weaken a brand? It doesn’t have to…
