Carol Cone
CEO
Carol Cone ON PURPOSE
CES Tech for a Better World: Insights on Innovation and Social Purpose
Product, Service & Design Innovation / With the 2019 Tech for a Better World honorees, CES makes the statement that technology should positively impact humanity and the natural world. - 1 week ago
Celebrities as Social Entrepreneurs: What the Trend Means for You
Marketing and Comms / A growing roster of celebrities are no longer satisfied with endorsing corporate products, instead creating (or at least investing in) their own. Think George Clooney, Dr. - 2 months ago
Hurricane Michael Highlighted Growing Range of Corporate Responses to Natural Disasters
Walking the Talk / Arriving on the heels of Hurricane Florence, Hurricane Michael proved again that companies are making significant commitments to relief and recovery efforts in the wake of natural disasters. Our round-up of Hurricane Florence corporate response efforts covered some innovative ways that companies are reacting to disasters. Unfortunately, we’re already revisiting the topic with a snapshot of how companies reacted to Michael, and why it’s increasingly critical for any company to have a disaster response strategy in place. - 2 months ago
As Michael Approaches, Companies Are Changing the Way We Weather Natural Disasters
Collaboration / Natural disasters are becoming a new reality for many Americans. In 2017 alone, 25 million people, or 8 percent of the U.S. population, were affected by a natural disaster — a “historic year,” according to FEMA. More often, corporates are responding before, during and after natural disasters to serve affected employees, customers and communities. Historically, companies have responded to disasters by providing the basics of food, water, and shelter — often via cash donations to relief organizations. But in the past few years, we have seen more companies bring their competencies, products or services, and people to disaster situations in innovative ways. And they are changing the way communities across the U.S. weather and recover from disasters. - 3 months ago
The Swoosh Heard 'Round the World
Marketing and Comms / Taking a knee made Nike stand up. As brand activism becomes commonplace — even expected — it’s an optimal moment to unpack the factors that spur companies to stand up for something that matters. - 4 months ago
Social Purpose Imperative in Business Triggers Capitalism’s New Zeitgeist
Business Case / Welcome to the tipping point of capitalism. At a time defined by political scandals, nuclear threats, and turbulence on Wall Street, business is society’s unlikeliest hero. A series of watershed statements, reports and initiatives from some of the world’s most well-known capitalists is heralding a new zeitgeist, during which businesses are expected to exist to benefit society — not just shareholders. - 10 months ago
Why Take a Duck to CES? How Tech Is Helping Aflac Put Purpose Into Practice
Walking the Talk / Nested between smart mirrors, driverless cars, and paper-thin TVs, a little duck fluffed its feathers, awaiting its big debut. Unlike most of the 3,900+ products at the crowded cultural phenomenon that is the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the duck was not for sale. No matter: the response from attendees was remarkable. - 11 months ago
Stop Engaging – Start Fulfilling: A New Era of Employee Engagement
Organizational Change / Employee engagement is fading fast. For decades, employee engagement has been the cornerstone of “doing good” as a company, but it’s in decline for the first time since 2012, according to a study by Aon Hewitt. Considering that a company’s human capital is arguably its most valuable asset, this is a disturbing trend. - 1 year ago
Is Activism the New Black … or Black and Blue for Brands?
Marketing and Comms / We’re continuing our discussion (see part one) on the role of activist brands in today’s roiling political and social climate. Our insights come from the Purpose Collaborative – North America’s largest community of purpose, corporate responsibility, and sustainability experts. Tread lightly into this minefield … - 1 year ago
Everything Is Political: Brand Communications in the New Era
Marketing and Comms / When a U.S. President can impact stock valuation and sway public dialogue in just 140 characters, what’s a brand to do? - 1 year ago
7 Ways to Advance Purpose in a Turbulent World
Behavior Change / The question is no longer if an organization will engage with society, it’s how. Yet, from Brexit to Trump to Black Lives Matter, how is now harder than ever before. So, throughout the year, we will illuminate the “how” for business and societal impact. We started by asking the Purpose Collaborative – North America’s largest community of purpose, corporate responsibility, and sustainability experts: “What key recommendations would you share with clients to accelerate the impact of their work in 2017?” Their wisdom follows. - 1 year ago
Confessing and Celebrating Failure as a Path to Successful Sustainability Strategies
Organizational Change / Pick up any quote book or Google ‘inspirational memes’ and “Don’t be afraid to Fail” will most likely pop up in the first few pages. The idea of failure as the key to success is not a new one and yet the discussion around failure and real-life examples, particularly in the world of sustainability, is lacking. - 2 years ago
If a Social Impact Innovation Is Created and Not Distributed, Can It Have Any Effect? Check Out the D-Prize
Product, Service & Design Innovation / Recently, we added a competition called the D-Prize to our Idea Accelerator. This prize, whose tagline is “Distribution equals development,” is a terrific idea that is so needed in our world today. Why? There is no shortage of excellent, incentivizing prizes in the world — competitions that inspire innovation and ingenuity to make the world a better place. The XPrize is a pioneer in the social innovation competition arena, describing itself as a “catalyst for the benefit of humanity.” - 2 years ago
The Power of ‘And’: 10 Guidelines for Powerful Purpose Strategy and Programming
Organizational Change / A few months back, I led a panel at the annual Points of Light conference in Houston, TX, where we discussed some very important topics along with one very small word: “and.” As in, how to bring credibility and sustainability to a company’s purpose, or how to connect strategies, concepts and people. - 2 years ago