Building a Brand on Saving the World

Building a brand on opposing destructive practices or human rights abuses is very noble and good for business. The immediate result is identifying your brand with those with the same viewpoint. Generally, social causes are highly charged with polarized viewpoints like the topic of abortion. So you will immediately attract a following but you will also repel those with the apposing view. You win some …you loss some.

One of the positive attributes of hanging (another human controversy) your brand with a cause is the public relations that can be generated for your brand. Media isn’t interested in writing about your product but throw in a controversial topic like global warming and animal test and now you have a story. If you align your brand with a well oiled NGO like Greenpeace, you have access to their media and PR expertise. And they know how to engineer a story.

The successful brands that have wrapped themselves around social activism generally have a controversial figurehead who is out spoken and willing to make a social point.
Anita Roddick, founder of The Body Shop is a case in point. She ran many controversial marketing campaigns including working with Greenpeace to help “Save the Whales” then switched to Friends of the Earth following a disagreement with Greenpeace.

Lululemon Athletica, a clothing retailer and manufacture of yoga inspired clothing has taken a less controversial approach focusing on human wellness and environmental awareness. They offer yoga classes to staff and customers and wrap the brand with a public manifesto, code of conduct including specific codes for the workplace (i.e., no child labour) and a vision touting "creating components for people to live longer, healthier, and more fun lives". This high ethical standard got them into some hot water last year when The New York Times reported their seaweed based Vitasea fabric was no different than cotton. Lululemon subsequently removed all health claims from its seaweed based products.

Social conscious branding requires a passion beyond just building a superior product it is about standing-up against a social atrocity. It will also redirect energies away from the core business. The more relevant the cause is to what your brand represents the stronger the relationship. For example, The Body Shops involvement with “Save the Whales” is a harder concept to tie to natural beauty products than banning the use of animal testing in cosmetics. The Lululemon focus on health-consciousness also makes perfect sense but the environmental aspect it harder to grasp even if they have reusable shopping bags.

The moral of this story is controversy and passion on a social cause can help sell products and build a unique brand but be ready to attract only like-minded customers and be prepared to handle strong and sometime vocal opposition as you are no longer a private person but a capitalist pig making money of the backs of others.