filter by tag: Reputation

This week on Brand Channeler, a Cone employee tells her tale of experiencing a “Covert Cause.” To the detriment of any cause promotion, without adequate details and cohesive communications, consumers may find companies’ efforts inauthentic. In this post, she leaves us begging the question, “what’s the point of a cause promotion if no one knows about it?”

Check out her take and more from Cone’s brand marketing group.

As the economy struggles to rebound, it’s inspiring to see the number of organizations, programs and projects dedicated to social and environmental issues continue to multiply. This week alone, Macy’s, Nestlé Pure Life, Kmart and PNC all announced new campaigns or projects:

• Macy’s is kicking off a star-studded campaign encouraging consumers to host a dinner party and donate money to Feeding America in lieu of the traditional host gift.
• Nestlé Pure Life is encouraging families to adopt new, healthy habits with ongoing efforts within its Pure Life/Best Life campaign.
• Kmart has partnered with TIME for Kids to develop a curriculum that teachers and parents can use to help teach kids about managing money.
• PNC announced the installation of North America’s largest soil-based living wall on the exterior of its Pittsburgh headquarters, enhancing it's existing efforts to be a world leader in green building.

The economy can be good, bad or downright ugly, but no matter because doing good has staying power. Goodness builds trust, trust fosters reputation and reputation drives sales. What’s more, 78 percent of consumers expect corporate contributions to social and environmental causes to remain the same or grow, indicating it’s more important than ever to be committed to the greater good in order to stay relevant and profitable. Stated simply - perseverance pays.

Spring is in the air, and Cone is revving up for an exciting (and busy) conference season. Here is a sneak peek of where you can find us in the next two months:

The Better Business Bureau of NY

CSR Forum II: Leading the Recovery and Restoring Transparency and Trust in Business

May 12, 2009

Carol Cone will be moderating a panel entitled “Responsibility Strategies for Rough Times.” The discussion will include representatives from Verizon, Time Warner and Pfizer.

Sustainability 50

May 12, 2009

Jonathan Yohannan, SVP, will join a candid discussion among business leaders about effective environmental communications.

Entrepreneurs Foundation

May 14, 2009

Carol Cone will lead a roundtable discussion entitled “Anatomy of the Corporate Soul.”

The Bulldog Reporter Media Relations Summit

Expanding the Value of PR in the Digital Age

May 18, 2009

Mike Lawrence, EVP and Chief Reputation Officer, will speak on a panel entitled “Lightning Response: Surviving the First 24 Hours of Crisis.”

The 2009 Cause Marketing Forum Conference

May 27, 2009

Carol Cone will help kick off the event with a keynote at the opening dinner about trends in cause marketing and Cone’s latest cause research.

CECP’s Corporate Philanthropy Summit

Under a New Lens: Corporate Philanthropy in a Changed Economy

June 2, 2009

Carol Cone will moderate a panel entitled “Beyond Cash: Leveraging Your Resources.” The discussion will include representatives from Cisco, American Express Foundation and The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.

Sustainable Brands 2009

June 4, 2009

Mike Hollywood, Director of New Media and Jonathan Yohannan, SVP, will lead a half-day workshop on “Sustainable New Media” where participants will learn how to successfully integrate new media into corporate responsibility communications strategies.

We are honored to be speaking at these leading conferences and hope you can join us!

Stocks, sales, jobs and morale are plunging, so it’s not that surprising to learn about the latest victim of the current climate to hit rock bottom: consumer trust. According to the 2009 Edelman Trust Barometer, 77 percent of U.S. respondents have less trust in corporations than they did a year ago. For the record, that’s lower than the days following Enron, the dot com bust and September 11th.



Globally, the study found the ability to trust a company is one of the most important factors in determining a company’s reputation, just behind product quality and employee treatment. During a time when reputation and consumer trust is critical to market survival, what can companies do to mitigate further damage?

• Act Responsibly- Actions speak louder than words or spin, and people will be quick to call attention to any missteps. Taking a corporate jet to legislative hearings for a bankruptcy bailout is one of the most obvious blunders of late, but all companies are faced with making tough decisions every day from prioritizing investments to pricing goods, to choosing suppliers and fair treatment of employees.
  
• Be Authentic- Before communicating with your stakeholders about your positive efforts and good work, ensure that there are credible corporate practices in order to support any information you are sharing.
  
• Be Transparent- Stakeholders expect a more open book regarding financials and business transactions today. Now is not the time to hide behind closed doors. Acknowledge your struggles and the solutions you will pursue to assure your stakeholders that you are proactively addressing any issues.
  
• Engage in Dialogue- Instead of talking at your stakeholders, start a conversation and listen and respond to what they have to say. Social media offers an inexpensive and direct way to engage, so meet people where they are online and provide new forums for them to express themselves.
  
• Be a Good Neighbor- During times of crisis, companies that can prove they are more than mere providers of goods and services and demonstrate their commitment to their communities, employees and other stakeholders will stand out after troubling times have passed.
  
• Be a Resource- Your stakeholders are feeling the economic pinch too, so take the extra step to provide your organizational expertise or relationships to create a teaching moment for your stakeholders. For example, McDonald’s and Visa launched "McDonald's Practical Money Skills" program to empower employees.

At Cone, we’re heeding our own advice about the unparalleled importance of reputation management today and in the future by appointing our first “Chief Reputation Officer." In this new role, Mike Lawrence will be responsible for all client-facing reputational issues across the agency related to business issues, corporate responsibility, media relations and crisis prevention and management.