WalMart, SC Johnson and many other corporate juggernauts are building brand campaigns around their green-ness. Which, they are also trying to equate with social responsibility. Why not? It’s the “it” thing to be doing. It taps into the demand for natural, sustainable business practices and products. However, the untold stories behind these campaigns often paint a picture of stark contradiction. From unethical treatment of employees to products made from toxic chemicals, these companies don’t seem to understand that social responsibility is really an all or nothing effort. Because, if it’s not, you end up with a bifurcated brand that erodes over time due to a lack of clarity of purpose and credibility.

Let’s just all agree that corporate social responsibility is something you do rather than something you say. And, if you do say it, you better be doing it–from front office to back, and production to sales. Now, more than ever, consumers are going to call you out if don’t, because corporate social responsibility means more than green, it means integrity and ethics.

There are plenty of companies that don’t understand this, but what brands do you think do and are walking their talk of social responsibility?

–Jen Travis

Recently I did some spring shopping at my local mall.  I don’t love to shop, but I do enjoy people, so when the cashier began chatting with me I was happy to go along.  After a friendly opening gambit she asked if I’d like to use my store credit card or open an account and save 10%.  Since I realized this is part of her job, I simply smiled and said, “No thank you.”  She then totaled my bill and said I could save $15 RIGHT NOW if I opened an account.  I said no.  When she mentioned it a third time in the span of 90 seconds, I felt defensive and explained that having many credit cards can actually negatively impact one’s credit rating. She then began arguing this point with me, and gave me a big frown as I completed my transaction.  I won’t name the store, other than to mention that there was a huge GAP between my desire to shop and be treated in a friendly manner, and her desire to reap whatever incentive one gets for successfully foisting credit cards on unwary customers. 

Then I was on to a chain bookstore.  The clerk there tried, in much the same manner, to push his brand’s reward card on me.  Again, the main benefit - stated to me several times during our brief interaction - was to save money TODAY.  I escaped with my purchases and headed for my car wondering if customer loyalty programs are really creating loyal customers or just providing short-term financial gains at the long term expense of the brands that push them.  

Having worked in retail myself, I know salespeople have tough jobs.  They work long hours, often take a lot of crap, and, because they don’t get paid very well, it is ridiculously easy for management to incent specific behaviors via financial rewards and a teeny bit of training.  But in the case of both of these organizations, brand managers should think more carefully about what behavior they are incenting at the retail level, and how that behavior impacts customers’ experience of their brands.  In my case, the clothing store I was in had just undergone a major, likely incredibly expensive, remodel making it look much more upscale – no doubt with the goal of reframing my brand perception.  But instead, since I was treated like a wallet to be squeezed rather than an upscale shopper who appreciates good service, I was reminded why I don’t usually shop there.   

There is one retail clothing company successfully using their customer loyalty program in a way which enhances their brand.  Anthropologie just introduced a program that is benefits-oriented rather than discount-oriented.  The salespeople tell you one or two of its benefits at the register, and they don’t bully.  The benefits are compelling enough to stand on their own – like not having to keep track of your receipts for returns – and that’s it. 

My spring shopping lesson was that flouncy pastel skirts are in fashion.  So too should be aligning loyalty programs and retail sales staff’s incentives with core brand values. 

-Peggy Brown

I just read a post on the brand builder blog about the study that showed that air travel complaints are up 60% from the year before. For some reason, this post made me passionately angry. Not because I disagreed with it or felt that it was somehow unfair, but because I was fresh off an airplane with an airline that is cited in this study as being one of the worst in traveler dissatisfaction, and it made me want to tell everyone I know how horrible my flight experience was and then never book a flight with that airline again. This makes me think: how long can these airlines sustain this level of customer dissatisfaction?

Many airlines cite the rising cost of oil and the inability to raise fares comparable to these cost increases, causing them to cut staff, amentities and other service elements that make flying tolerable. OK. From a numbers standpoint that makes sense. Wait a minute. Then, how come other airlines such as Hawaiian and Southwest are able to deliver a positive brand experience within those same constraints? Take Hawaiian Airlines for instance. They have figured out that they are an important extension of their customer’s vacations and have designed their entire on and off-board experience around those positive associations. From their great customer service before you board to their in-flight videos of Hawaiian places and culture, free food (gasp), and their flight attendants’ flowery uniforms, they manage to create an atmosphere of peace and beauty on board a huge aircraft crowded with people. It’s simple really. They just took the time to understand what their customers were buying and then consistently delivered it, making them one of the most profitable airlines in business.

With Aloha Airlines, ATA and SkyBus going under this past week, an important lesson can be learned: if you focus more on the numbers than you do on your brand and your customers, you WILL end up taking a nose dive–it’s only a matter of when. Maybe all the short-sided airlines will weed themselves out and we’ll end up with only the best ones to choose from. Please let it be soon.

–Jen Travis