You likely have noticed the sea change in
the market’s demand for brands to reinvent how they engage with customers. It’s
the mandate to embrace Brand Citizenship. Which means “doing good.” Doing good
for customers, employees, local communities, and the planet overall.
“People want the companies they do
business with not only to ‘do good’ and make the world a better place, but also
to advocate on their behalf and make them feel like they are part of a larger
community or grander mission,” explains Anne Bahr Thompson, author of the new
book, Do Good: Embracing Brand Citizenship to Fuel Both Purpose and Profits.
Furthermore, Thompson explains that
“doing good has come to mean taking responsibility for more than traditional
philanthropy or corporate social responsibility initiatives.”
First in the book, Thompson sets the
stage for what caused this growing trend where people are drawn to companies
with a higher purpose – and consequently reward them with their loyalty and business.
Then, through insightful examples, she teaches
you how to achieve Brand Citizenship principles through five steps:
- Trust
- Enrichment
- Responsibility
- Community
- Contribution
“The five-step model of Brand
Citizenship enables a brand to move from satisfying people’s individual needs
to addressing their desires to belong to communities that reflect their values
and concerns to their interest in contributing something meaningful to the
wider world,” says Thompson.
Embracing Brand Citizenship does not
mean abandoning profit, however. Thompson teaches you how to strike the balance
needed to achieve both.
Exceedingly useful in the book is the
illustrative Brand Citizenship position worksheet where you can score and diagnose
where you are on the Brand Citizenship continuum, and then set goals and
initiatives to reach your optimum positioning on the scale.
“Brand Citizenship is a journey, not an
endgame,” says Thompson. “It requires courage to step forward and an
understanding that experimentation and trial and error are parts of the
process.”
Comments
Post a Comment