Brands, branding, doing good and sustainability

Seth Farbman, Ogilvy Earth president, said, “We are reframing sustainability not only in the economic sense, but also in the environmental impact, because environmentalists are driving the way we do business and live our lives.”

But what is good? Farbman asked. While he was satisfied that marketers define ‘good' through the lens of corporate social responsibility, he believes that is too short and not enough.

“Doing good is not definable, but it is about defining your brand in the broader societal context.” He said.

“What is ‘good' is about making fundamental changes and decisions why we give a damn. Everyone needs a comfort, meaning a product, so we have a problem.”

Create real change

Therefore, Farbman said, companies need leadership that can create real changes, make fundamental decisions and find partners to find a sustainable brand for the future.

A good company must be mission-based and committed to doing good, and the more consumers support this type of a company, the more that company will do good and that will create a notion of sustainability, he said.

Farbman called on marketers and advertisers - as culture-shapers, influencers and a fabric of society - must use their tremendous power to become agents of change.

He also said that Government, citizens and corporates need to do more to help create sustainability, but that should only be based on what he called ‘Twin Peaks of Good', namely tell the truth and be specific.

Corporate responsibility

Gail Klintworth, Unilever SA chairman, said corporate responsibility must be central to the way of doing business. “As culture shapers, we should ask ourselves what kind of culture we are trying to create.

“A brand imprint must force brands to take a broader view of their impacts of the world,” she said.

Andrew Welch, Landor Associates executive director, told delegates that one should not confuse a brand and branding.

“Brand creates a new meaning and branding creates signals that reflect that meaning. A brand is a commercial vehicle that develops loyalty (churn) preference (market share), premium (margin) and trial (growth).

“As we are emerging from the world of turbulence, opacity characterised by major dislocations and major discontinuities, we will live in a world of much greater regulation and higher taxation, and we will strive for authenticity and focus on relationships and less on conquests.”

Learn from past mistakes

Welch believes that businesses will learn from past mistakes, listen more and be creative and drive for greater efficiency for the sake of their brands' sustainability.

“Trust and experience will matter more. You say it, do it. Don't say it if you can't do it.”

“If a brand is not good, it will not do well at all. Brands must adapt and change as the world moves on. Brands are long-term entities and products are short-term entities. A sub-brand is dead and a new paradigm is required.

“If you want to have great brand experience, you must stand for something, have strong business basics, act like a leader, deliver a great experience and bring in innovation.”

For more:

• Live tweeting from various delegates on Twitter: BB4G or B&B4G