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By Alison DaSilva
As we take stock on the past 365 days, there's no doubt that 2016 has been a turbulent time for business and society. From the ballooning refugee crisis to unexpected political outcomes from all corners of the globe, the world is a different place than just 12 months ago.
Yet with this instability has come progress and awakening. Many organizations took the opportunity to redefine what “responsibility” looks like – beyond just material issues or products and services – to what a company’s larger role in society could be. We saw moments in time grow into movements, employees roll up their sleeves on sustainability, and technology play a leading role in communicating to consumers. As the year draws to a close, our firm, Cone Communications, evaluated a years’-worth of corporate social responsibility (CSR) trends to bring you the top 10 trends of 2016:
For example, just two weeks after announcing expansion plans in North Carolina, PayPal released a statement saying it would halt the plans due to legislation the company felt invalidated protections of the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender citizens. Meanwhile, Salesforce’s Marc Benioff has been a vocal proponent of equal pay – even going so far as to corner other CEOs into making similar commitments, and Ben & Jerry’s* founders, Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield, were arrested with hundreds of other activists as part of the Democracy Awakening’s protest on the steps of the U.S. Capitol.
Heineken took the reins this year by enlisting Dutch rapper and spoken word artist, Kevin “Blaxtar” de Randamie, to deliver its sustainability report as a dynamic two-minute video entitled, “Let’s Be Frank.” The video was accompanied by an online game where users could play through the brewer’s CSR commitments. Patagonia’s report eschewed the text-heavy standard for a high definition image-laden report focusing on action and the outdoors.
This was the case for Virgin Atlantic. The airline saved around 21,000 tons of carbon and $44 million just by educating pilots on what behaviors could save fuel and then asking this group to participate in a fuel-saving challenge. Starbucks’ landmark FoodShare program launched in March was the result of employees urging the company to reconsider the pounds of unsold perishable food thrown away every day.
TOMS allowed consumers to take “A Walk in Their Shoes” by using VR to share the moment a consumer met the beneficiary of his one-for-one purchase. Diageo employed VR to put consumers in the passenger seat alongside a drunk driver in a shockingly real video to emphasize the power of choice while the National Autistic Society showed what it’s like to be a child with autism in a crowded mall to bring empathy for people living with the disorder.
In addition to Google’s $1 million commitment to help fight Zika virus, the tech goliath is also embedding a team of Google engineers and data scientists to help UNICEF organize the data they collect to make the massive amount of information easier to work with. Chicken of the Sea is harnessing data to bring more transparency to consumers’ dinner plates. The seafood brand launched a digital traceability initiative that allows consumers to enter a code to learn a wealth of information about their can including the region the fish was caught, the method used and even the vessel that caught the fish, with start and end dates of the trip.
As a result of a Change.org campaign, Whole Foods joined the ugly vegetables trend with a partnership with Imperfect Produce. The company test-drove flawed fruits and veggies in Northern California stores this April. At the FIRST* LEGO League Arabia Open, the “TRASH TREK Challenge” was launched, tasking children in grades 4 to 8 to research a waste-related problem, then develop a solution and design, build and program a robot to solve for the issue. Meanwhile, trash became treasure with Timberland’s* new partnership with responsible fabric manufacturer Thread, turning recycled bottles into footwear.
The newest evolution in technology helping consumers make responsible shopping decisions comes from DoneGood, a Google Chrome or Firefox extension that suggests more sustainable options right within the online browsing experience. We also saw giving become easier thanks to technology, as both YouTube and Apple Pay launched new donation add-ons.
Sabbaticals were all the rage in 2016. In an effort to attract and retain Millennial talent, Citigroup has created a new immersive service experience – allowing junior bankers to work on a four-week microfinance project in Kenya. In a similar move, boutique investment bank Moelis & Co. is now offering four weeks paid sabbatical for employees to pursue a passion area after five years with the company.
Ikea created an immersive in-store experience by transforming one of its showrooms into a Syrian refugee home – allowing consumers to see what refugees call “home.” The replica also included Ikea’s trademark branded hangtags, but this time with a call to action to donate to the Red Cross. LinkedIn leveraged its unique business model for its initiative, “Welcoming Talent.” The company created a special website to help refugees in Sweden find employment opportunities to match their unique skill sets.
REI’s #OptOutside campaign grew beyond the confines of the company this year when it asked government agencies, nonprofits and even other brands to join in by closing their doors on Black Friday and inviting employees and consumers to spend the day outside. The outdoor retailer enlisted more than 275 organizations to participate and garnered over 6 million commitments to #OptOutside. The movement to protect bees gained speed this year with more than three major organizations creating consumer-facing campaigns to raise awareness for colony collapse disorder, including Burt’s Bees as well as General Mills and its bee-fronted brand Honey Nut Cheerios. Two even landed on the same hashtag for their efforts: #BringBacktheBees.
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*Cone Communications client
Alison DaSilva is the Executive Vice President of Cone Communications’ CSR Research and Insights group, where she is responsible for tracking and identifying trends to keep our clients on the leading edge of CSR. For the last 17 years, Alison has led the development of Cone’s groundbreaking benchmark research, exploring the attitudes and behaviors of American consumers, employees and executives towards corporate involvement with social issues and responsible business practices. With this in her arsenal and the learnings gleaned from years of program development, Alison collaborates with account teams to keep clients at the forefront of this rapidly changing arena.
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