With CSR: Go Slow, But START Already!
New “Shared Responsibility” research from Cone LLC finds that companies are failing to engage consumers in their social responsibility efforts. Has your company already begun to address this, or is it one of the slow starters? What, praytell, are you waiting for?
Some of the Cone numbers that prove the point (and I highly recommend you download and memorize the entire, succinct, 6 page PDF):
- 75% of consumers want “the opportunity to voice my opinion to a company about its social/environmental practices and products (e.g., provide comments on the company’s Web site or blog, review products).”
- 65% “believe I can have an influence on companies’ efforts toward environmental and social change.”
- 85% and 81% of consumers want to be engaged on company topics like “how it conducts its business” and “the social and environmental issues it supports,” respectively.
And, whatever you do, don’t bemoan how this social and environmental responsibility stuff doesn’t have anything to do with business, because:
92% of Americans (finding it either Very Important – 51% or Somewhat Important – 41%) ” look to business, government and nonprofit organizations to collaborate to solve social and environmental issues.”
So why do three-quarters of Americans give companies a “C” or below on how they’re engaging consumers around key issues? Two possible excuses, that I refute:
YOUR particular consumer market is very unique and so doesn’t fall under the purview of this study. Oh really… Are any women buying your products or services? If so, they’ve been taking a more holistic view of companies and brands for a long time now – much before the terms “corporate social responsibility” or “sustainability” rolled so trippingly off our wisened tongues. Women make purchase decisions based not only on the linear facts, but also on the more relational or emotional elements – like: what’s in a corporate name/reputation (BP may be able to educate us on this one).
Your corporation’s executive/management team is not quite ready to face the fact that they’ve got responsibility-related issues that are destined to become huge problems. “CSR-wash” dabblings -by way of marketing tactics- are a fool’s errand at this point (but, go ahead while the rest of us laugh). Instead, REALLY committing, fessing up to mistakes and starting on a path toward a more sustainable and responsible business is your only choice, both to deliver on the consumer-expected “social” good and to achieve twenty-first century business innovation (even the Harvard Business Review says so!).
My point is not that you need to jump fast and loose to get on the CSR case. That will only change stakeholder perception for a moment or two – and then your efforts will fall apart. Instead, go slow and be intentional with your approach – but START already! To me, Cone’s report reflects that consumers are getting tired of waiting, and they are anxious to show much love to the early entrants.
