Citizen Brands Putting Society at the Heart of your Business

by Willmott, Michael

• ISBN13: 9780471492122
• ISBN10: 0471492124
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-06-08
• Publisher: WILEY

Summary

What is the most important issue facing business today? Globalization, the technological revolution, supply chain management, core competencies, staff retention, price competition? Important though all of these are, something else is emerging as an equally critical challenge facing companies in the technological, globalized, knowledge economy ahead. It is the concept of Citizen Brands. Its importance arises because it embodies not just one, but three crucial strategic issues for the business world: * Values (what the company stands for); * Corporate citizenship (playing an active role in society); * Branding (the tangible and intangible attributes that are encompassed in a name or trademark). This book is about how these three elements come together in an integrated way; about how they define a company's relationship with all the relevant people and institutions it has to deal with - customers, employees, shareholders, suppliers, government or whoever. Put another way, it is about achieving corporate success through putting society at the heart of the company. Companies through their direct actions (for example employment) and through their intermediaries - brands - are an integral part of the social and economic world in which they operate, needing to reflect the values and aspirations that exist; the differences and similarities. This is why corporate managers need to bring society into the company; why they need to turn their brands into citizen brands. In the emerging networked, post-industrial world, managing that relationship is one of the most important challenges that companies face. And companies that understand and embrace this are likely to be the ultimate winners in the future.

Author Biography

<b>MICHAEL WILMOTT</b> is co-founder, with Melanie Howard, of the Future Foundation, a commercial think-tank that specializes in monitoring and forecasting consumer trends. After an initial career in social and consumer research, Michael has spent the last 10 years providing market analysis and advice on futures strategy to clients in both the public and private sectors. He is one of the most respected forecasters working in the UK today and his views on social and economic change are often sought by the media and conference organizers. He has lectured at universities on both sides of the Atlantic. <br> Published work while at the Future Foundation includes: <i>The 24 Hour Society; the New Information Trade</i>(on privacy, trust and database marketing); <i>Inside Information</i> on information and knowledge management in companies); and <i>The Millennial Family</i> (on the future of the family in Britain).&#160;

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	ix
Introduction	1	(10)
The Case For Citizen Brands	11	(22)
The Evidence	12	(3)
Governance	15	(2)
Values, Ethics and Culture	17	(2)
Employment	19	(3)
Community	22	(1)
Environmental Issues	23	(2)
Investors	25	(2)
Putting Society at the Heart of Business	27	(1)
Citizenship is not Enough	28	(5)
Brands, Citizenship and Consumers	33	(32)
Altruism and Self-interest?	34	(6)
Citizens, Consumption and Companies	40	(6)
Mapping Corporate Brands	46	(6)
The Impact on Consumers	52	(3)
The Relationship Between Loyalty, Trust and Corporate Citizenship	55	(5)
Brands, Citizenship and Consumers	60	(5)
Beyond Philanthropy - Searching for a New Consensus	65	(18)
Forward to the Past	66	(2)
The End of Philanthrophy?	68	(6)
The End of the Argument?	74	(4)
Back to the Future?	78	(5)
A Model for Citizen Brands: Why It Works	83	(20)
Direct Impacts	85	(6)
Environmental Initiatives	85	(1)
Employment Issues	85	(1)
Suppliers	86	(1)
Community Involvement	87	(1)
Broader Social and Ethical Issues	87	(4)
Intelligent Business	91	(2)
Indirect Impacts	93	(5)
Citizen Brands and Models of Advertising	98	(5)
Peace and Plenty: Understanding the Impact of the New Political Economy	103	(26)
Welcome to the Doomsayers	104	(3)
Peace and Plenty	107	(4)
Never Had it so Good?	111	(8)
The New Threat -- Globalization	119	(2)
The Impact on the Political Economy	121	(8)
Beyond `Endism' -- The Social Side of Technology	129	(16)
A Runaway World	134	(2)
A New Concept of Time and Space	136	(4)
Small World, Big World	140	(1)
Responding to the Technological Revolution	141	(4)
Coping With Choice	145	(20)
Explosion of Choice?	146	(7)
Do People Want Choice?	153	(3)
Coping With Choice	156	(2)
Values, Ethics and Choice	158	(1)
Advisers as Choice Managers	159	(1)
Brands as Choice Managers	160	(5)
Surviving a Culture of Fear	165	(24)
Culex pipiens and the New York Concert	165	(5)
Welcome to the Precautionary Principle	170	(2)
The New Fear -- Genetically Modified Foods	172	(4)
The Dangers of Mobile Phones	176	(2)
The Politicization of Science	178	(1)
Time to Say Goodbye to the Precautionary Principle?	179	(2)
Welcome to a Culture of Fear	181	(4)
Culture of Fear and Citizen Brands	185	(4)
So-So Logo -- The Increasing Cynicism of Consumers	189	(16)
Brands, Government and Globalization	190	(2)
Declining Faith in Companies	192	(3)
Why is it Happening?	195	(2)
Who Hates Companies?	197	(4)
Surviving the Cynical Consumer	201	(4)
Butterfly Consumers	205	(20)
Welcome to Anarchy	208	(2)
The Evidence of Change	210	(2)
Decreasingly Loyal, Increasingly Mercurial	212	(1)
New Models for Analysing Market Dynamics and Market Share	213	(2)
Word-of-mouth and PR Disasters -- An Example	215	(4)
Butterfly Consumers and Citizen Brands	219	(6)
Becoming a Citizen Brands	225	(12)
Focus is Not Cynical	227	(1)
Values and Reputation	228	(1)
Transparency	229	(1)
Employees	229	(1)
Keep Executive Pay Under Control	230	(2)
Competition is Good	232	(1)
Who Should Develop and Manage the Citizen Brand Strategy?	233	(1)
Citizen Brand is Not a Sufficient Condition	234	(1)
Who Can Be a Citizen Brand?	235	(2)
Notes	237	(14)
Index	251