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Stories About Storytelling

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Nat Geo, Aronofsky Aim to Create 'Inspired Stewards' of the Earth with 'One Strange Rock' Series
Nat Geo, Aronofsky Aim to Create 'Inspired Stewards' of the Earth with 'One Strange Rock' Series

MARKETING AND COMMS - 21st Century Fox's National Geographic Channel has teamed with Academy Award-nominated director Darren Aronofsky for “One Strange Rock,” an event series exploring the conditions that make Earth the only planet known to sustain life. The project is in preproduction and plans to film for 100 weeks around the world and in outer space, using micro- and macro-photography technology and bringing cameras where they've never been before.

10 Sustainable Business Stories That Shaped 2015 ... and Some Questions for 2016
10 Sustainable Business Stories That Shaped 2015 ... and Some Questions for 2016

THE NEXT ECONOMY - 2015 was a pivotal time when humanity turned more decisively toward building a thriving and sustainable world. On our largest shared challenge, climate change, most of the major hurdles to action — both imagined and real — started to crumble. And an unlikely group of new voices joined the fight. From the Pope to global CEOs to almost all the world’s political leaders, the most powerful people got on board.

My Christmas Hope: Let’s Change Our Us v. Them Mentality to End Our War on Nature
My Christmas Hope: Let’s Change Our Us v. Them Mentality to End Our War on Nature

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times … the Spring of Hope, the Winter of Despair …”Charles Dickens’ words feel current and vivid as we think about our world today. We may at last have some energy towards a meaningful international agreement on climate action. We are seeing sustainability feature in the corporate and political mainstream like never before.

Sustainability and Social Impact: Will it Lead Business Strategy in the Coming Years?
Sustainability and Social Impact: Will it Lead Business Strategy in the Coming Years?

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - When I first heard of the Sustainable Brands conference from our friends at Forum For The Future - I couldn't wait to go to one of the events. Luckily for me, it wasn't long until they brought the event to Asia, kicking off in the bustling city of Kuala Lumpur. Even though some people look at conference events as a waste of time, I couldn't disagree more. Events like SB'15 Kuala Lumpur are an amazing opportunity to meet like-minded collaborators and to find new and inspiring case studies of business done they way it should be: taking into account our environment and well-being.

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Social Buying: Choosing the Right Cleaner and Caterer Can Help You Unlock Your Company's Innovative Potential
Social Buying: Choosing the Right Cleaner and Caterer Can Help You Unlock Your Company's Innovative Potential

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - My last social post explored how living wage employers benefit from higher productivity levels, lower hiring costs, better brand recognition and increased customer satisfaction. In this article, I focus on the importance of Social Buying, the third of the four core corporate strategies that I explore in more detail in my Social Value Business Guide, which examines why social businesses are more profitable businesses and explains how your company can become a change agent in the local community and a leader in the global marketplace.

Designing with Purpose
Designing with Purpose

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - What can we learn about purpose from design? In preparation for launching this series and my consulting business, I decided I needed a bit of a crash course on design. I’ve always been interested in design (particularly interior and visual design), and I’ve always thought of myself as a creative person, but I’ve always felt I lacked the skills to succeed.Well, now at least I know I was mostly lacking the knowledge. Like everything, turns out being a good designer is like most things. First, you learn the basics, then practice, a lot, till you get to the point where you’re good enough to break the rules, then do that.

An April Fool’s Attitude: A Critical Look At What Is True
An April Fool’s Attitude: A Critical Look At What Is True

CHEMISTRY, MATERIALS & PACKAGING - Let me start by saying that I don’t expect you to believe what you are about to read. Why should you take an opinion of an executive of a multi-national at face value? There was a recent quote on Reddit that opened my eyes to an unexpected truth: “April fool’s day is the one day of the year when people critically evaluate news articles before accepting them as true,” (user: kellenbrent). But shouldn’t we aspire to have this attitude every day? Let’s be critical when we are presented with a foregone conclusion. Let’s be curious about what is behind every piece of information we see or hear. Let’s leave preconceived notions at the door and be open to challenging what we believe or what may seem obvious.

Living Wage: Key to Maximizing Morale and Driving Financial Value
Living Wage: Key to Maximizing Morale and Driving Financial Value

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE - Around the world there is a growing consensus that a company’s social role goes beyond meeting legal requirements, complying with ethical standards, creating jobs and paying taxes. People everywhere now expect companies to act as social leaders, using their business expertise to lead social change.In response to people’s changing expectations, the world’s most innovative companies are building social value right into their core business strategies, not only to address poverty and other problems in their communities, but also to improve workplace relations, gain market advantages and grow profits faster.

How to *Use* Human Behavior to Change Human Behavior
How to *Use* Human Behavior to Change Human Behavior

BEHAVIOR CHANGE - Joss Tantram of Terrafiniti started the final workshop of SB’15 London by simplifying the title of the session and calling it ‘old challenges, new tools,’ and giving us three change challenges to think about:

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Religious Fervour, 'Green Giants,' Heartfelt Communication Abound on #SB15London, Day 2
Religious Fervour, 'Green Giants,' Heartfelt Communication Abound on #SB15London, Day 2

CLEANTECH - On Tuesday, BBMG co-founder Raphael Bemporad hosted the second morning’s plenaries at SB ’15 London. He began by highlighting the transitionary power of sustainable brands.“As we begin the conversation today, I’d like us to think about the privileged position we occupy as a force for societal and market transformation,” he said. “We are uniquely placed: We can harness the emotional power of brands to convey stories and to channel aspirations, but we also embody sustainability — we’re system thinkers, we’re innovators. When we bring these two things together, we have the power to shape culture and shape the market.”

Our Brain on Purpose
Our Brain on Purpose

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Psychology teaches us that humans are irrational, adaptable, constantly changing beings with cognitive abilities greater than any other animal. Economics would have us think we are rational, unchanging, robots devoid of empathy or feelings towards anyone else. So what happens when these two branches of the social science tree meet: welcome to behavioral economics.This is the third post in a short series on purpose. If you missed the first one, you should start here. The second post can be found here.

While Celebrating Improvement in One Metric, Beware of Unintended Consequences: Part 18
While Celebrating Improvement in One Metric, Beware of Unintended Consequences: Part 18

NEW METRICS - In 17 earlier parts of this series, Claire Sommer, Jill Lipoti and I developed 34 pitfalls in the sustainable business metrics field, based on the experiences of many mostly non-business fields. (Find them here.)

Ted@UPS: The Key to Solving Hunger
Ted@UPS: The Key to Solving Hunger

PRESS RELEASE - How can we get food to the 800 million hungry people in the world?Esther Ndichu | UPS

Want Your Brand to Survive? View Purpose as an Asset, Not a Cost
Want Your Brand to Survive? View Purpose as an Asset, Not a Cost

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - Recently, I was invited for a panel discussion on the future in brand communication at the renowned faculty of advertising and marketing, the ESPM, in São Paulo. I shared my view that society nowadays demands brands to positively contribute to the solution of societal issues. One of the questions raised was: “All very nice, but is it in companies not all about the financial results at the end of the month? So is the investment in purpose not the first cut a brand faces when financial results are down?”

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The Making of Fairphone 2 (or How to Design Products to Tell Sustainability Stories)
The Making of Fairphone 2 (or How to Design Products to Tell Sustainability Stories)

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - “I want our new phone to be a storytelling product.” This was the exciting and daunting challenge laid down to us by Fairphone CEO Bas van Abel, just over a year ago, in the first briefing for their new ethical phone handset design.

How to Fix Capitalism: Part One
How to Fix Capitalism: Part One

THE NEXT ECONOMY - This is the second post in a short series on purpose. If you missed the first one, you should start here.I’m not going to pretend to have all the answers, but I think I’ve at least become better at understanding the problem. Capitalism has lost sight of its original purpose and is too narrowly focused on profit at the expense of society. There are very simple things we can do as citizens to help get things back on track, but we’ll need the help of policy for the heavy lifting.

ROSI: JetBlue's Unique New Metrics for Assessing the ROI of Sustainability
ROSI: JetBlue's Unique New Metrics for Assessing the ROI of Sustainability

NEW METRICS - In a whitepaper released this summer, JetBlue explores how building wider purpose into brands yields competitive advantage. “The Matter with Metrics: Measuring the ROI of Sustainability” presents a four-pronged framework to creating and measuring authentic sustainability programs and consumer messaging.I spoke with Nancy Elder, VP of Communications at JetBlue and co-author of the paper, about how to bake sustainability into business models and reap its multiple financial benefits.

Experimenting on Purpose: An Introduction
Experimenting on Purpose: An Introduction

PRODUCT, SERVICE & DESIGN INNOVATION - In 1928, a struggling scientist working to find a cure for bacteria became frustrated with his work and decided he needed a break. This was not the tidiest of scientists and instead of properly cleaning up, he simply left his dirty petri dish in the sink. Of course, when he came back days later he found what we’ve all discovered in our college kitchens, a petri dish full of mold and bacteria. But luckily for this up and coming scientist he also noticed that the bacteria in his dish were not growing where the mold had formed. His name was Alexander Fleming and he accidentally discovered penicillin.

Yes, You Can Learn From a Regulator: The Pitfalls of Sustainable Business Metrics, Part 17
Yes, You Can Learn From a Regulator: The Pitfalls of Sustainable Business Metrics, Part 17

NEW METRICS - In 16 earlier parts of this series, Claire Sommer and I developed 29 pitfalls in the sustainable business metrics field, based on the experiences of many mostly non-business fields. (Find them here.) From this point on, the series will be co-authored by Dr. Jill Lipoti.

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Want People to Read Your Sustainability Report? Add a Personal Touch
Want People to Read Your Sustainability Report? Add a Personal Touch

MARKETING AND COMMS - Corporate responsibility report season is upon us, and with that, we are constantly being inundated with important data — reductions in carbon emissions, savings in waste and changes in energy use. This increase in sustainability reporting is a sign that we’re all moving towards a more sustainable future, but how can you make sure that the information you’re reporting on is relatable — that it’s truly resonating? How can you ensure that your customers and consumers feel connected to your sustainability report?

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