| Having been in the publishing field for more
than 20 years now, albeit all of it spent in editorial, I have
had my fair share of encounters with the advertising/ marketing
side. During that time I have grown to appreciate this element
of the communications game; advertising and marketing communications
is an essential part of any organization’s success. To quote
consumer behavior expert Stuart Henderson Britt, “Doing business
without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You
know what you are doing, but nobody else does.”
In fact, the results of the fourth annual Corporate Social Responsibility
(CSR) Monitor Survey makes me think that a lot of companies are
operating in the dark, so to speak. The survey, conducted by Environics
International, found that significant proportions of people in
most countries are unable to name a socially responsible company.
There could be two reasons for this: one is that no socially responsible
companies exist. Two is that those companies who are acting in
a socially responsible manner are doing a poor job of letting people
know about it.
More than three years into my role as editor of green@work, I know
that the former is simply not true. We have been able to easily
fill the pages of each and every issue with news of positive environmental
actions from many players in the corporate arena. Could it be,
then, that socially responsible companies are not adequately tooting
their own proverbial horns?
While it’s true that CSR reporting is becoming more commonplace—some
2,500 companies worldwide, including half of the Global 250, produce
environmental/social reports—its potential remains underutilized
from a marketing standpoint. Indeed, reports the Environics study,
corporate social responsibility has great appeal to consumers.
Three of every four people across the world who were surveyed expressed
interest in learning more about corporate social responsibility
initiatives by companies. Consumers, especially in wealthy markets,
also feel empowered to influence corporate behavior—thus
suggesting that corporate communications may be well received by
consumers.
In this issue, we turn our attention to two companies who have
told their corporate stories in an award-winning manner. While
the pair have traveled different paths in their social responsibility
journeys, Chiquita Brands International and Ben & Jerry’s
Homemade, Inc. shared the limelight as co-winners of the first
annual U.S. Sustainability Reporting Awards sponsored by CERES
and the ACCA. Ben & Jerry’s, long-admired for its environmental
commitment, set an example, said the judges, for capturing “the
feel and scope of sustainability, both in the balance of social,
environmental and economic coverage, as well as the balance of
vision, policy and management systems and performance information.” Chiquita,
once the target of environmental criticism, impressed the judges
with its willingness to openly discuss the company’s goals,
challenges and areas for improvement.
We happily promote this pair’s progress. Why? Because although
we do not advocate greenwashing or the production of a corporate
social report simply for the sake of saying your company has one,
what we are championing is the widespread promotion of solid and
factual corporate social initiatives. If you have a great story
to tell, why not proclaim it—and loudly at that?
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