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CONSCIOUS CLICKS - The Blog

News and analysis on sustainability, corporate social responsibility, stakeholder engagement, and Internet and other digital marketing and communications. You'll even get some very practical tips on these topics that you can put to immediate use!

January 26th, 2010

Report Reveals CSR Best Practices

As current market conditions demand that companies engage in sustainability initiatives, many organizations have never engaged with all of their stakeholders in a systemic way or set up a sustainability management system. So to help companies and organizations create effective sustainability efforts, SDialogue released a new research note titled: Top Seven Sustainability Practices: the Sum > the Parts.
This special reports takes a complex, rapidly evolving field and puts it in a digestible order for users. The report identifies the top seven practices every organization should be considering as well as explains how they work together. In addition, the report explores how organizations can use these practices to thrive in the years ahead. The paper offers a great snapshot of leading sustainability activities and CSR planning, and C-level executives, green teams and boards will find this white paper valuable.
For more information, check out this webpage.
http://sdialogue.com/publications/white-papers/top-seven-sustainability-practices/

As current market conditions demand that companies deploy sustainability initiatives, many organizations have never engaged with all of their stakeholders in a systemic way or set up a sustainability management system. So to help companies and organizations create effective sustainability initiatives, SDialogue released a new research note today titled: Top Seven Sustainability Practices: the Sum > the Parts. Read the rest of this entry »

January 25th, 2010

Haiti Disaster Reveals Social Media as Double-edged Sword

Thanks to the influence of social media, marketers rapidly raised millions of dollars of relief aid – cash and in-kind donations — to earthquake-torn Haiti, which is still reeling from a second quake that hit last week.
As celebrity-packed telethons were launched and Ad Council spots ran 24/7 in support of relief efforts, big brands such as Coca-Cola, Kraft, Wal-Mart and McDonald’s, among many others launched fundraising campaigns via traditional marketing as well as with microsites, Twitter and Facebook. But for some brands, using social media as part of a quick-response CSR tactic was a double-edged sword as this Advertising Age articles notes [http://adage.com/article?article_id=141553]. As companies worked to do good a fog of misinformation arose as quickly as one could tweet.
The story also explains how timing of an initiative worked against AT&T, for example. The telecom giant was first to allow users to text in donations. But because the response by AT&T was so swift, many people missed it. As competitors joined in with similar campaigns, AT&T appeared to be behind the curve. Stepped-up messaging helped fix the problem in the end, and AT&T raised millions in relief aid. All in all, it was revealed that social media tools such as Twitter can be a powerful part of a CSR strategy. In the Advertising Age article, a UPS spokesperson notes that the company was glad to have a social media strategy in place where they were able to effectively communicate with its consumers.
From a sustainability communications perspective, the lessons here reveal the need to have ongoing stakeholder engagement. A steady stream of dialogue with clients, customers, partners and other stakeholders would likely keep clear any misinformation surrounding a company’s good deeds.
For example, stakeholders who are gently reminded of a company’s ongoing CSR and sustainability work through a communications effort that is imbedded in a company’s DNA would likely know that when disaster strikes, the socially responsible company would do the right thing. In fact, stakeholders might even anticipate a company’s good deed as soon as the news hits. So when an initiative is launched, expectations and clarity of intent are already set, allowing for a successful campaign.
For social media specifically, there’s already a desire by stakeholders to be a part of the dialogue. According to a survey of new media users in a 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study (conducted by Opinion Research Corp.), 44 percent of those polled are searching, sharing or discussing the CSR efforts of companies. For companies who don’t use social media and other communication tools as part of an overall CSR strategy it’s not too late to get started.

By SDialogue Staff

Thanks to the influence of social media, marketers rapidly raised millions of dollars of relief aid – cash and in-kind donations — to earthquake-torn Haiti, which is still reeling from a second quake that hit last week. Read the rest of this entry »

January 21st, 2010

Google’s China Move: Raises Search Engine Giant to Higher CSR Plane?

As media pundits and business observers analyzed Google’s move last week to stop censoring searches on Google.cn following a cyber attack, the focus was on how this decision will impact the search giant’s business and market position – especially if Microsoft sees this an a chance to expand in China.
There were also geopolitical implications to consider, such as how this plays out from a trade development perspective. But the one overlooked aspect of this move by Google is how the decision sets a new tone for the company from a CSR point of view. Indeed, the decision, which was driven by the company’s U.S. executives and centers on freedom of the press, quickly positioned Google as a CSR leader.
Of first order was Google’s complete transparency. Immediately following the cyber attack, Google posted an entry on its press center blog [http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2010/01/new-approach-to-china.html] saying that the attacks and surveillance that targeted human rights activists in China, “led us to conclude that we should review the feasibility of our business operations in China. We have decided we are no longer willing to continue censoring our results on Google.cn, and so over the next few weeks we will be discussing with the Chinese government the basis on which we could operate an unfiltered search engine within the law, if at all. We recognize that this may well mean having to shut down Google.cn, and potentially our offices in China.”
The company also said in the post that it has “taken the unusual step of sharing information about these attacks with a broad audience not just because of the security and human rights implications of what we have unearthed, but also because this information goes to the heart of a much bigger global debate about freedom of speech.” However, the blog post quickly added that in the “last two decades, China’s economic reform programs and its citizens’ entrepreneurial flair have lifted hundreds of millions of Chinese people out of poverty. Indeed, this great nation is at the heart of much economic progress and development in the world today.”
Although that last caveat was a terrific hedging of bets from a business perspective, the overall tone of the post was remarkable since Google garners about a 14 percent share of the market in China (Baidu.com is number one in the county). That’s quite a bit of market share to put on the line even if you’re one of the biggest Internet companies in the world.
It’s important to note that Google’s China move represents a new turn – involving ethics – in its CSR efforts, which previously involved more basic business decisions. In 2006, the company launched google.org, for example, which includes a home energy monitoring meter for consumers, a tool to track global deforestation and products aimed at making it easier for non-profits to raise funds, educate the public and communicate with each other. And more recently, Google created a business unit charged with getting a license to generate and sell renewable energy – another business decision that is good CSR, but quite different than taking an ethical stance on an issue.
Anyway, here at SDialogue, we’d be interested in knowing if you see Google as a CSR leader due to this recent move in China. Please comment and let us know what you think.

By SDialogue Staff

As media pundits and business observers analyzed Google’s recent move to stop censoring searches on Google.cn following a cyber attack, the focus was on how this decision will impact the search giant’s business and market position – especially if Microsoft sees this an a chance to expand in China. Read the rest of this entry »

January 8th, 2010

Sustainability & CSR in 2010: Some Predictions

By Perry Goldschein

We’re only a week into the new year, but already I’ve seen a number of indications of where the year will go.  Here are some predictions — please enjoy with a large grain of salt (as you should with all predictions): Read the rest of this entry »

December 23rd, 2009

FTC Green Guide Insights

I attended an FDU Institute for Sustainable Enterprise event last week, in Madison, NJ, where an FTC official gave a nice overview of the FTC’s position on green marketing. Read the rest of this entry »



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