• “The crucial ingredient in the success of any brand is its claim to authenticity” – Al Reis and Laura Reis
• “CSR is not a marketing tool.  It is a value which requires belief and commitment” – Anon
• “It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it” – Warren Buffet
• “Ethics is the new competitive environment” – Peter Robinson, CEO Mountain Equipment Co-op
• “The future belongs to those who understand that doing more with less is compassionate, prosperous, and enduring, and thus more intelligent, even competitive” – Paul Hawken
• “Always do what is right.  This will gratify some people and astonish the rest” – Mark Twain

Borrowed with pride from all over the place.

“There is a spiritual aspect to our lives – when we give we receive – when a business does something good for somebody, that somebody feels good about them!” (Ben Cohen, Ben & Jerry’s)

“Ethics is the new competitive environment” – Peter Robinson, CEO Mountain Equipment Co-op

“There’s no dividing line between brand management and corporate responsibility” – Ken Peattie

“I want to work for a company that contributes to, and is part of, the community. I want something not just to invest in – I want something to believe in” – Anita Roddick

“Business and the environment: Who Cares, Wins” – Anon

We are delighted to announce that our director of branding, Giles Lury, has been featured in today’s The Times supplement ‘Business Ethics’.

The article by Michael Dempsey discusses brands and ethics questioning if linking an ethical stance to your brand boosts its impact and strengthens its standing with customers?

Giles points out “that the notion of what is ethical has changed over time. Look at our attitude towards smoking and tobacco companies, or our shifting approach to alcohol!” Giles thinks that businesses have to identify when an ethical stance becomes pertinent to their consumers, rather than trumpeting about ethics for their own sake. Marks & Spencer scored a palpable hit with its Plan A environmental branding, dispensing with large carrier bags and stressing the recyclable nature of packaging. But Giles asks: “Would they have done it without the wider social shift to green consumption?” Ethical activities do tend to be led by marketing. And how much of this is really relevant to sales? Is ethical airbrushing just a temporary phenomenon? Giles uses the example of Primark for its cheap clothing but subject to harsh criticism recently from the Children’s Society over the sale of padded bikinis aimed at very young girls. Did this ethical furore, which caused the bikini to be withdrawn, damage Primark’s relationship with its customers? …..

The full article can be found in today’s The Times ‘Business Ethics’ supplement.

Please feel free to contact Giles on giles.lury@thevalueengineers.com or on +44 (0) 1494 680999 for any questions you should have relating to this article’s topic or any other brand related questions.