Field Notes Inside an Integrated Communications Agency

The Olympic Torch is probably feeling burned out right now.  A jaunt around the globe sounds romantic, but not with thousands of protesters dogging you.  Plus, it's hard to get 'fired up' with folks checking your carbon.  Here, Slate.com analyzes the Torch's green credentials ... http://www.slate.com/id/2188876/

Reading the report, it dawned on me: this isn't a Torch issue, this is a call-to-action for the entire marketing industry. For a long time, we've made hay with the grand goodwill gesture.  Often this involves sending some special something-or-other and attendant VIPs traveling around a state, a country, the world.  That's understandable; tours and events can be effective ways to get out a message.  

Four years ago, I played a big role in launching a p.r. tour that helped a lot of people.  I'm still proud of that, but today I know that any message, any gesture will be measured against its environmental impact.   Four years ago, I didn't give that a second thought, unfortunately.  Today, I'd look at buying carbon credits to off-set the impact of my p.r. barnstorm or at going completely virtual with it.

There are lots of viable options, but ignoring the dilemmas and trade-offs isn't one of them.   And the grand goodwill tour is just one of the classic tactics we marketing folks need to wrestle with.  Just check out all the paper that goes into an annual report!   

 

George Clooney or Paris Hilton – who would you rather be? They're both, as Paris would delicately put it, "hot." But allow me to indelicately assume that most of us would rather be George the Oscar nominee, having his pick of primo projects while thumbing adoring cover stories.

Clooney's rise in Hollywood corresponds with another upward trajectory – that of corporate social responsibility, the notion that business can do well by doing good. This is not mere coincidence, but a function of the zeitgeist. And Clooney's success is not only inspirational but instructional.

This star's status in Hollywood is not the result of the usual hit after hit. His "E.R." chits arguably disappeared after the fizzle of "Batman & Robin," and most of his recent pictures have not been blockbusters. Yet, Time recently anointed him "The Last Movie Star."

Clooney's clout derives from his willingness to stand up for things he believes in and turn that passion into solid, often exceptional product. While Paris and dozens of others grab for gold and glory, Clooney's up to something bigger: he wants to use business (movies like "Syriana" and "Good Night, and Good Luck") to make the world a better place.

But, and this is key, he isn't all Marlon Brando-circa-the-early-'70s about it. He doesn't shake his finger in your face, or set himself up as a shaman. In Time, he even worried that he might be doing more harm than good. Clooney is a modest maverick, a no-bull candidate for canonization – or at least as modest and no-bull as one can be in the capital of conspicuous consumption.

That's what's made him the singular success he is, and that's where the lesson lies. We've embraced Clooney because he represents the ideals many of us wanted to live out after 9/11.  In the classic Hollywood tradition, he provides a vicarious experience. Even better, he points out ways to go from vicarious to involved (lobbying for relief to Darfur, for example, or demanding more vigilance from the press).

At the same time, our culture has embraced corporate social responsibility. Many of us in the corporate world are interested in using business to make the world better. Some of the most successful take a modest, no-bull approach that's positively Clooney-esque.

Recently, I saw Bank of America CEO Ken Lewis discuss CSR-related initiatives with a winning, Clooney-like mix of dedication and realism. Burt's Bees is luminous example of the point Clooney has proven out – that substance sells. It was sustainable and responsible long before most of us, and last year Clorox paid a hefty $925 million to acquire the company's good name and strong products. Meanwhile, The Body Shop has grown into one of the largest cosmetic franchises in the world, all while decrying animal testing and promoting fair trade.

I'm particularly fond of Wal-Mart's story. Like the Clooney of "Batman & Robin," the company didn't seem destined for a spot on the walk of fame. And it surely has personnel and other issues to deal with. But Wal-Mart's commitment to a more energy efficient transportation fleet and its flinty knack for pressuring product suppliers to adopt sustainable practices makes it a real (if imperfect) player.

There will always be organizations that are more in the Paris mode – shamelessly gunning for what's good and shiny for them. Fine. But we're in an era that embraces people and the planet as well as profits. If a guy who played a third banana in "The Facts of Life" can do it, so can we all.

Not to be outdone by Clooney, Billy Warden once saved a snow blind pal on Mount Kenya and escaped a death threat in Kashmir. As a communications strategist, CSR is his next great adventure.

Consumer interest in sustainability is at an all time high, and many companies are scrambling to understand, embrace and communicate Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR).

For Capstrat, this means clients are seeking our counsel on strategy and communications for CSR.  But to offer sound and credible work, we know it was critical that our own CSR house be in order.

And so 2007 for us was a year of introspection about our own practices and how they fit into the larger social and business context of CSR.  With our management team in the lead, we embarked on a series of self-evaluations to bring our agency into alignment with CSR.  We share here what we learned.

Our Triple Bottom Line

To begin our analysis, Capstrat's management team took a hard look at our "triple bottom line" - the hallmark of Corporate Social Responsibility.  Triple bottom line is a buzz phrase of CSR, and refers to a businesses' financial, social and environmental impact. 

Financially, Capstrat has always adhered to strident ethical principals with respect to our business practices and we employ a policy of financial transparency at every level of our company.  Financial results are shared semi-annually with all employees and financial goals are set through a collaborative process.  

On the social front, Capstrat is an agency that seeks to do "work that matters".  We accept projects and clients based on whether we think the work will make a positive difference in the world.  And, we have been recognized for a number of our philanthropy programs.  One is the "Boomerang Society", an employee driven program that delegates 1% of Capstrat net annual revenues to local and regional non-profit organizations. We also assist in the planning and implementation of Capstrat employee volunteer initiatives, and offer matching gifts for employee volunteerism.  Finally, our CapstratCares program offers an easy way for employees to set aside money from each paycheck to go toward a charity.

But when it came to our environmental practices, and our love of all things paper (in all colors), we really needed to take a hard look at the environmental impact of our little corner of Raleigh.  We dug deep and realized that our corporate practices needed to come in line with the sustainability interests of our employees. 

Always quick to take action, our management team appointed a "Green Team" representing employees from all departments. Their charge:  take Capstrat to sustainability in 2007!

Capstrat Goes Green

While management was working on macro changes around our office energy consumption, the Green Team set out to change the ingrained behaviors of our more than 90 staff. Daunted by the many items needing attention, they began by launching "Green Month":  an extravaganza of employees carpooling to work, reusing materials, reducing carbon footprint and expanding recycling efforts.  This was followed by "lunch and learns" and seminars helping employees change their behavior. 

By the year end, we had tangible results and increased attention to keeping the office green.  Some of our new approaches include:

• Hosting paperless meetings – a difficult but necessary transition involving laptop- projected agendas.

• Placing recycling bins at each worker’s desk - no more excuses of the long walk to the copy room!

• Changing printer settings to double-sided (we are in the process of training our clients to "turn over")

• Restructuring office supply orders (refillable pens, recycled paper, etc.) to be more eco-friendly.

• Sending an electronic internal newsletter to employees to keep us all updated on latest progress.

• And finally, holding a competition of employee teams to encourage individual green efforts.  Posters tracking team progress were mounted prominently in our office, and the winning team members each received a basket of green products to take home – bringing green behavior beyond the office!

Looking Ahead

So, as we launch into 2008, we have an exciting plan for a Greener Capstrat. 

At our year-end company meeting, our management announced a number of green incentives for employees, including a loan program for purchase of a green vehicle.  It’s a $2000 no-interest vehicle loan for any employee who buys a personal transport that uses alternative fuel – hybrid; electric; hydrogen; bio-diesels or it fuel efficient at the ultra low or super low level.  Two employees have already taken advantage of this great benefit.

Other plans for 2008 include:

• Reducing white paper consumption by 10%. (We have been admonished against hoarding!)

• Installing light motion sensors to reduce energy usage in our office suite.

• Conducting energy audit in cooperation with our property management company to see where we can reduce energy usage.

• Replacing our many light bulbs with energy efficient bulbs.

• Ensuring our future appliances are energy star.  Our new dishwasher just arrived!

What We Learned

This year-long process not only improved our CSR, but it was equally important in helping us understand what large companies face in moving toward sustainability.  We appreciate that getting serious about CSR can have far reaching challenges in scope and impact for some of our clients.  But our commitment to this important work remains steadfast, and we are proud and excited about what lies ahead as North Carolina’s companies join the movement to make sustainability central to doing business.