A business communication trend that is appearing everywhere
As nationalism rises and some governments ignore the world, businesses are stepping in. Companies are embracing a purpose beyond the bottom line, striving to make the world a better place across a range of issues.
This pleases their stakeholders, which includes customers, employees, investors, and – increasingly – other members of the business ecosystem in which they operate.
This is transforming many companies into community leaders; even, in some cases, activists around important issues.
The internal communication and external marketing teams within these companies will not only be telling that story, but will also try to change the behavior of everyone else as well.
“How do you get people to thoroughly wash their hands? Or to stay six feet away from others as part of a precautionary ‘social distancing’ protocol? Or to refrain from visiting loved ones in nursing homes?,” writes Myriam Sidibe in Harvard Business Review. “These questions have taken on a life-or-death relevance during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. I’m convinced that brands can and must play a critical role in tackling global health issues, from violence to infectious disease to poor fitness and diet.”
“Think of marketing as a relationship,” says Jay Sung, CMO at Brentwood Associates. “In many ways, people think of your brand as if it were another person, and every customer has their own relationship with that ‘person.’ The better your relationship, the more likely that customer is to buy from your brand. Social impact marketing is intended to grow these relationships. By gaining a reputation for doing good work for society, your brand can both gain customers, and increase loyalty among your existing customers.”