Patrick Schwerdtfeger is a leading authority on innovative business marketing and the social media revolution, both of which feed directly into corporate social responsibility and the role it plays in corporate branding and marketing communications. Bottom line; corporate social responsibility is good business. It’s a true win-win, and it’s nothing new either. Henry J. Heinz espoused social responsibility in the late 1800s and Estee Lauder did the same in the mid 1900s. And today, with social media the role of the customer in corporate brand strategy, the upside marketing opportunity of for social responsibility has never been higher. Doing the right thing is one of the best branding opportunities a business can hope for and Patrick can deliver that message for the annual meeting or business conference you’re planning. More details are included below.
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Social Responsibility and Corporate Ethics
Corporate ethics are more important than ever. Although corporate profitability is higher today than it was 10 or 20 years ago, ironically, consumer perceptions about corporate greed have never been more pronounced. The cultural shift away from greed and exploitation began in the 1990s and has accelerated during the 2000s. Consumers rate fair trade, environmental sustainability and social responsibility high when it comes to their purchase decisions, and companies like Starbucks, Walt Disney and Whole Foods have capitalized on the trend. What have they done? How can your company do the same things?
The assumption that social responsibility is more expensive than profit maximization is flawed. The profit motive doesn’t account for the increase in customer loyalty that results from fair trade and environmental sensitivity. Profit maximization seeks to minimize costs while social responsibility has the potential to dramatically increase revenues. It’s all a question of corporate priorities and marketing communications. Setting the priorities is easy. Marketing communications is more difficult. It’s important that the socially responsible initiatives the company undertakes are well documented in marketing collateral.
Social Responsibility Keynote Speech
Patrick leans on his expertise of social media and effective communication to convey the business opportunity of social responsibility and fair trade practices. His speech begins with a series of case histories, highlighting what the companies did and how it affected their sales and profitability. He then distills these success stories into simple tactics that any company can implement to capitalize on their socially responsible initiatives. The speech concludes with a winning formula for fusing corporate ethics with their corporate brand identity, while minimizing their carbon footprint at the same time.
