I had the pleasure of attending the 2014 BSR Conference last week, and was blown away by the number of interesting, thought-provoking speakers the event featured. There were many inspirational moments during the three days of convening, and so I thought I’d share my top 5 quotes from the conference. These comments not only sum up some of the key themes that ran through the entire event, but are also great food for thought for the GlobeScan nexus of brand, … “BSR 2014: Five Quotes to Make You Think”
After touching on the relationship between brands and consumers on Day One, Day Two of the Sustainable Brands conference in London offered a wealth of insights and real life experiences in how to embed sustainability into an organisation. Three “must-do’s” stood out for me: First, embedding sustainability starts with identifying a corporate purpose and a set of values which will guide how employees behave as individuals, and collectively. David Wheldon, Head of Brand, Reputation and Citizenship at Barclays Group shared his … “Sustainability Starts From Within: 3 Key Takeaways from Day Two at Sustainable Brands London 2014”
Three themes stood out for me in the midst of all the great presentations and discussions on the first day of the Sustainable Brands conference in London. First, we kept hearing about shifts in the relationship between brands and consumers and the opportunities that are opening up for marketers. James Goodman (Forum for the Future) reflected that brands need sustainability and that the relationship with consumers is moving from the linear to the circular. There’s also increasing complexity in channels of influence, … “Opportunities to Reimagine Brand Purpose: 3 Key Takeaways from Day One at Sustainable Brands London 2014”
I had the honour to moderate an insightful and inspiring webinar on October 27 with three diverse and remarkable thinkers, all of whom have recently published excellent books on the topic of enlightened business leadership: Sir Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of the Foundation for the UN Global Compact and former Chairman of Shell and Anglo American, and author of Responsible Leadership: Lessons from the Front Line of Sustainability and Ethics. Christine Bader, a visiting scholar at Columbia University,former policy manager at … “On the Front Lines of Progressive Leadership: Lessons Learned for Shared Success”
On September 9, 2014, GlobeScan and HP will host the HP Living Progress Exchange, an online forum bringing together experts and opinion leaders from around the world to create a dialogue where we can learn from others, inspire fresh thinking and share good practice. The Exchange will take place using GlobeScan’s new approach to stakeholder engagement: a real-time, online, text-based Collaboration Forum hosted at www.GlobescanForum.com/HP-Living-Progress. The Exchange will bring together experts from academia, business, civil society, and government in a discussion … “Join the HP Living Progress Exchange: Creating a Better Future Through Actions and Innovations”
On Wednesday, June 25th, along with our partners at BBMG, we hosted a webcast titled:The Aspirationals: Shifting Sustainability from Obligation to Desire. We had a lively conversation in which Raphael Bemporad of BBMG, Chris Coulter of GlobeScan, and Jennifer Kho of The Guardian Sustainable Business explored the demographics, psychographics, key sustainability behaviors and brand preferences of the influential Aspirational consumer segment and outlined five ways to reach, engage and unleash the Aspirationals to drive business growth and positive social impact. Watch Full Recording … “Webinar Recap: The Aspirationals – Shifting Sustainability from Obligation to Desire”
On Wednesday, June 11th we hosted a webcast titled: Where the World is Going and How to Navigate its Complexity: A Data-Rich Conversation with GlobeScan and Polecat. Presenters Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan, Yasmin Crowther, Head of Strategic Research at Polecat, and Bronwyn Kunhardt, Managing Director of Polecat, took participants through our perspective of the world via digital and public opinion data. The webinar featured: Insights from GlobeScan’s very recent 24 country public opinion tracking Radar research on trends in trust … “Webinar Recap: Where the World is Going and How to Navigate its Complexity: A Data-Rich Conversation with GlobeScan and Polecat”
On Wednesday, May 14th, along with our partners at SustainAbility, we hosted a webcast on our 20th anniversary survey: The 2014 GlobeScan/SustainAbility Sustainability Leaders Report. Presenters Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan, and Chris Guenther, Research Director at SustainAbility had a lively conversation about which companies our 900+ experts believe are leading the sustainability agenda in 2014. For the fourth year in a row, and by the largest margin yet, Unilever is regarded as the number-one corporate sustainability leader, with 33 … “Webinar Recap: Results of our 20th anniversary GSS Leaders Survey”
Following the release of the 2014 Aspirational Consumer Index, BBMG and GlobeScan today announced they will co-host a free webinar to help companies understand the latest data points and what they mean for driving growth and positive social impact by engaging Aspirational consumers. The webinar will feature Chris Coulter, CEO of GlobeScan, and Raphael Bemporad, co-founder and chief strategy officer of BBMG. Jennifer Kho, U.S. editor for The Guardian Sustainable Business, will moderate. Discovered in 2013, Aspirationals are a powerful new … “Webinar: The Aspirationals: Shifting Sustainability from Obligation to Desire”
I recently attended another interesting and enjoyable BSR Conference, this year focused on the Power of Networks (and conveniently for the GlobeScan San Francisco team – located in our own fair city!). At the conclusion of the conference I left having spoken to many interesting people who are doing fabulous and formative work in the sustainability arena. My own personal network is always expanded, and I am buoyed by the efforts of these people who are leading their companies to … “A Sustainability Conference, Without Sustainability Professionals?”