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Book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations Shortlisted

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This has been a good news week and humbling set against all the devastating news that is happening in Ukraine right now. The book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations, which was published in 2021 has been shortlisted by the UK Business Book Awards.

It is such a proud moment for me and the book, for it to be acknowledged and to be shortlisted, alongside a strong list of books and authors.

There are 15 global interviews in this book and I was lucky to interview these brilliant minds, as their wisdom and knowledge makes the book. I was also incredibly lucky to have environmental journalist, Lucy Siegle write the foreword for the book, which gives it context.

When I was writing the book, we were going into a global pandemic and I had no idea at that time, how much the pandemic would influence the book. COVID-19 has accelerated the need for corporate social responsibility (CSR) and put it high on the agenda for all types of businesses and sectors. Now more than ever, it is important for all organisations to have authentic CSR at the heart of both their business strategy and brand.

There is also a special chapter on India within the book, which for me is an important part of the book because we can learn so much from the East. In this chapter, I have interviewed an Indian Yogi, who talks about CSR and mindset, and that CSR is a shift in thinking for all entrepreneurs, CEOs, and business leaders, across all sectors and regions.

On a personal note, this book has been an achievement, because when writing it, I had just lost my mum. At that time I had this block in my head, where the words did not make sense. I now realise, that I was writing through grief.

I feel like a winner, and I have no fingers crossed. My hope now is that more people buy the book so that we can make the changes that this planet so desperately needs.

 

Women in Marketing Awards 2022: Serendipity PR Awarded A Commendation For Storytelling

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Last night I was at the Women In Marketing  (WiM) Awards, which was back after a two-year break due to the global pandemic and it was a brilliant affair, filled with lots of good people, particularly women doing remarkable things. Breaking stereotypes and making change.

I was shortlisted in the Storyteller category and was awarded a commendation.

I am very proud to be acknowledged as the stories I write and the podcasts I do are always about corporate social responsibility, climate change…things that matter.

The Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Central London team recognised a need for women in the industry to be acknowledged, celebrated, and empowered to fulfill their potential. This led to the setting up the first WiM event to coincide with International Women’s Day on Work-Life Balance. Since then, the annual WiM events have grown and tackled topics such as ethical marketing, the creatives, branding, and diversity in marketing, with the purpose of provoking discussion and inspiring women in the industry and the wider business community.

The popularity of the events led to the introduction of the first WiM Awards in 2010, where past award winners have included senior executives from Burberry, Google, Facebook, Hearst UK, Unilever, Diageo, IPG, SAP, Live Nation, and WPP.

Over the years, WiM has enjoyed the support of the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM), the Marketing Academy and sponsor organisations such as ITV, Mondelez, Vodafone, HPInc, and IPG. And the support of some very special individuals: Gail Gallie, co-founder of Project Everyone, Sarah Speake, Daryl Fielding, Antonio Lucio, and Heide Gardner. WiM has evolved over the past decade, and now serves a global network of influential individuals across the sector.

Chartered Institute of Marketing -CIM – Sustainability Summit, 31 March, London

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Spring has sprung and we are re-emerging from this global pandemic, which means real-life events are back with a wonderful bang! Between March and April, I have a few events coming up, including this Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) Sustainability Summit on 31 March in London.

The number of challenges we face is overwhelming at the moment. However, the environmental challenge (the biggest challenge) is one we can ALL do something about both individually and collectively.

If you want to:

  • Learn more about how you can become carbon literate, why it is so important, and the opportunities it brings?
  • Dive into and explore and understand the circular economy?
  • Hear all about the importance of effective communication, how to talk about sustainability, the power of authentic storytelling and the significant role marketing has in changing the course we are on?
  • Find out what initiatives and solutions are out there to support you and your business on your sustainability journey, no matter what point you are at?

Then come along to CIM | The Chartered Institute of Marketing which has a host of amazing people – Sue Fennessy, James George, Michelle Carvill – MA, FCIM, Author, Emily Laws, John Grant, Helen Hepworth FCIM, Phil Korbel, Jennifer Wilson, Purpose Disruptors (with more names to be announced) all eager to share and drive change for a better future.

Come and ask questions, get involved in discussions, and most importantly grow your sustainability network to help support you and your business moving forward. For more information and to book click here – https://bit.ly/35GkIAE

We all need to drive change for a better future. The United Nations climate panel warned us on 28 February in its major new report that it released, that climate change is upon us and humanity is far from ready,

Ethical Consumer Week 2021 Closing the Climate Gap, 16 to 22 October, 2021

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Ethical Consumer Week is returning for a second year and I am pleased that I will be part of the week, running a session about corporate social responsibility (CSR), based around my book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations, and I will be joined by social founder, James Thirlwall, founder of animalltea, an ethical tea company.

This year, Ethical Consumer Week will be looking at what it will take to bridge the gap? How can businesses, governments, and consumers work together to make the change required? And what might a fairer, more equitable world look like on the other side?

What’s special about Ethical Consumer Week is that people can sign up and pay what they feel for their tickets for each event.

In the session, I am hosting with James,  entitled, How to put CSR at the heart of your company and maximize the business benefits? We will be discussing how now, more than ever, it is important for all types of businesses to have authentic CSR initiatives that are not a publicity spin. Research shows that CSR improves long-term business performance and that consumers are more likely to buy from companies with strong ethical values. Customers and employees are speaking with their values as well as their wallets!

CSR is a critical part of a company’s performance and reputation. In this webinar, you will learn how to incorporate CSR values into a business strategy and brand. You will also understand the difference between CSR and PR.  This will enable you to create strong, enduring brands, where the PR and marketing flows from the CSR values, benefitting your business, employees, customers, and investors.

 

 

James will be sharing his insights about starting an ethical and purpose-led brand. James launched animalltea during the global pandemic and has CSR baked into its business strategy. animalltea is a UK speciality tea company that uses 100% of its net profit to fund wildlife conservation. All its teas are pesticide-free, organic or biodynamic, and what’s special about this brand is that it exists to protect wildlife, supports sustainable farming, and wants to inspire a love of nature in our communities  –  all through tea.

We’re not on track to meet global emission reduction goals and we need everyone on board to make the impact needed. This includes all types of businesses. CSR is the future of business, and it is the time for all types of businesses to have CSR as the lifeblood for all their customers and employees.

Click here for more details about the session and how to book, and we hope to see you there!

Here’s a link to know more about my book, Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations

Corporate Social Responsibility Is Not Public Relations – Now in the US

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2020 Will Be The Year Of The New Type Of PR Strategist

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Traditional public relations (PR) has been evolving for the last ten years, but in 2020, I believe we are really going to see traditional PR experts forced to become all round PR strategist if they are going both survive and to be able to service the needs of their clients. Where we will focus not only on PR but social media, branding, marketing, copywriting, diversity in campaigns, sustainability and technology, where technology will be playing a bigger role than previously thought.

This need to become all round PR strategists will be pushed by the brands who recognize that they have to up their game, which in turn will be driven by consumers who will demand that brands do better and get it right. This isn’t something that marketing or digital professionals will be able to deliver on, but instead by communication experts who will have an overview and a real understanding of the brands they are working with and representing.

For instance, we have seen many of the luxury brands starting to drive diversity in 2019 by employing ‘diversity chiefs’ after many culturally insensitive campaigns. Chanel hired its first ‘Head of Diversity and Inclusion’, Fiona Pargeter, this year, as a way to reportedly “beef up the resources” devoted to creating diverse and inclusive environments. While, Prada launched its ‘Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Council’ earlier this year in February. This was after, the brand came under scrutiny when some of its products (black monkey figurines with oversized red lips) displayed in a New York, US, store were thought to resemble blackface imagery.

Other luxury fashion houses, including Burberry, are also hiring for similar roles. Renée Tirado was named as Gucci’s first global head of diversity, equity and inclusion and followed its out-of-touch autumn/winter 2018 collection featuring a balaclava polo neck jumper with large red lips – a product accused of portraying blackface. The Italian fashion company apologized, stating it would turn the incident into “a powerful learning moment”.

These hires are not clever publicity moves, but a must have for companies worldwide who recognize that they need to embrace diversity, as there is no longer the excuse to get it wrong. Consumers are demanding better and for brands to be inclusive and sensitive.

Sustainability will be seen as a bigger core brand value and news item than any PR or Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) professional could have imagined. With climate change, plastic pollution and reducing waste continuing to dominate global headlines, companies will need to ensure that their CSR initiatives are not just used as marketing tools, as they will face a consumer and media backlash, but are instead integral to their core brand values, which is then sincerely filtered through to all their internal and external communications, operations and delivery.

Thirteen years ago, companies would start CSR projects to show their stakeholders how good they were, which was window dressing. Fast-forward to 2019, businesses need to prove how good they are!

This means creating a human connection between a brand and its audiences will be pivotal in 2020. Where the PR strategy will need to be driven by emotion and have the human element in order to be more meaningful and lead to a growing focus on expert, local and enthusiastic micro-influencers, instead of macro-influencers. Everything will be drilled down, as consumers suffer from constant information overload and expect to engage with businesses on their own terms. It’s so important to create campaigns that provoke emotions that are relevant and memorable, and therefore, PR experts will need to consider all aspects of a client’s social and digital footprint.

The best campaigns will focus on creating not just customers – but true fans who are passionate about the brand, who proactively search for information and become active advocates for the business.

Simultaneously, it will be important and a challenge consider how to reach consumers undergoing digital detoxes. How is your brand providing value to an audience overwhelmed by hypo connectivity? As interactive content and video are no longer enough; no one-size-fits-all, off-the-shelf solutions. The challenge is real –creating campaigns that tap into human truths and acknowledge human potential will be key.

I am definitely looking forward to 2020…as Serendipity PR is more than ready.

 

 

 

 

 

Finally – PR & Media Together Are Making The Right Headlines About Climate Crisis

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There’s not a day that goes by when we don’t see a climate, environmental or sustainable story making the headlines. I think it is safe to say that these topics are now high on the daily news agenda and it is about time. I have been actively involved working on raising the profile of the issues surrounding climate change, the impact of humans on the plant and sustainability for the last two decades…and during this time it has been a hard PR slog. As till now there has been a lack of apathy with the UK media.

I recall an environmental journalist working on one of the national broadsheets in the 90’s explaining to me his challenge of convincing his news editor to run a climate change story, that I was working on at the time. He said that unless it was directly affecting people here in the UK, it wasn’t a strong story for his editor – a story about climate change in Africa wasn’t going to interest his paper. Well fast-forward to 2019, where we are all experiencing the global butterfly effects of climate change or should I say what has since been upgraded to ‘climate crisis’ and what is happening in Africa, India, Singapore or any other part of the world is now our news.

Recently, The Guardian announced that it was updating its style guide to introduce terms that more accurately describe the environmental crisis facing the world. Where instead of “climate change” the preferred terms are “climate emergency, crisis or breakdown” and “global heating” is favoured over “global warming”, although the original terms are not banned. “We want to ensure that we are being scientifically precise, while also communicating clearly with readers on this very important issue,” said the editor-in-chief, Katharine Viner. “The phrase ‘climate change’, for example, sounds rather passive and gentle when what scientists are talking about is a catastrophe for humanity.”

This news narrative is also being driven by the private sector, as corporations have started to wake up to the long-term implications for their businesses of global warming. Companies, such as Coca-Cola, Google, Apple and Tesla are vocal about climate change and their pursuit of sustainability; and this is also changing PR.

However, some argue that this kind of media reporting creates public fear and that a ‘war on the climate crisis’ is not a positive or a balanced media response.

I say that we have wasted the last twenty years trying to put this issue on the news agenda in order to raise public awareness about the state of the climate, an issue that affects us all. We are now at a tipping point and according to the eminent, Sir David Attenborough we only have ten years to make the planetary changes that we need to survive.

At last the PR and media industry are together making the right headlines about climate crisis. It’s a start. We need consistency across all media channels. The clock is ticking.

 

On A Press Ticket To – Web Summit, Lisbon This November

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If you have not been to Lisbon, put it on your travel list…the Portuguese are charming and warm-hearted, living in beautiful city full great places to eat. I was there on a press ticket for what is called the biggest tech event in the world – Web Summit, 6 to 10 November. There were 60,000 people who attended from more than 170 countries to hear and learn from over 1,200 world class speakers that read like a Who’ Who book! From Al Gore to Wyclef Jean to Rosario Dawson, Matthew Freud to the people driving the international news agenda and behind the world’s most influential companies – Margrethe Vestager, the European commissioner who fined Google €2.4 billion, Slack co-founder Stewart Butterfield, Reddit CEO, Steve Huffman, UN secretary-general, António Guterres, and Booking.com CEO, Gillian Tans and more.

We’re in the midst of a technology revolution. Some call it Industrie 4.0. Others call it the industrial internet of things… whatever you call it, it’s here and it’s happening. By 2020 it is estimated that there will be 20 billion connected devices and we’re not just talking about domestic appliances or devices like fridges and smart phones, but the big things like buildings, trains and traffic systems, power grids and wind farms –  the equipment and machines that provide the critical infrastructure for our lives – and this was the focus of Web Summit.

The talks and sessions were mind-blowing, where occasionally you were facing your future, particularly when seeing and interviewing Sophia, the humanoid robot using an early form of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Some of the main thoughts from Web Summit is how AI and tech can be used to reverse the damage we have done to planet – rethinking climate change. There was a strong and a real will at the Summit – to make positive change. I covered this in my two latest articles on Justmeans. You can read my interview with Marcus Shingle, CEO, XPRIZE and my Al Gore piece.

The Web Summit reinforced the impact and the power of this digital revolution and there is no going back. It is tearing up the rule book and disrupting…we just have to read Trump’s Twitter feed to know that…

Photo Credit: Web Summit