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Building Trustworthy Brand Value
Unilever takes a leadership stand on sus- tainability in all of the countries in which it does business. Unilever’s sustainability promise states, “ e Unilever Sustainable Living Plan is our blue- print for achieving our vision to grow our business, whilst decoupling our environmental footprint from our growth and increasing our positive
social impact... Our purpose is to make sustain- able living commonplace.” (www.unilever.com/ sustainable-living)
7: collaborate
Collaboration is better than confrontation. Col- laborate internally. Collaborate externally.
Nissan used collaborative cross-functional teams as a critical factor in implementing its very successful turnaround plan in 2000.
Collaboration is critical for brands. In our book, New Brand Leadership (Light and Kiddon, June 2015), we discuss e Collaborative ree-Box Model, our recommended approach for managing global brands. e premise is that with the forces
of globalization, localization and personalization, collaboration across geography and functions is the only way for brands to succeed.
Colgate-Palmolive, Procter & Gamble and Unilever are partners in e Global Public-Pri- vate Partnership for Hand Washing focusing on hygiene as a sanitation key to increasing interna- tional health. It educates people around the world on the bene ts of washing your hands with soap. e partnership members include organizations such as UNICEF, e London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, USAID, and e Water and Sanitation Program at e World Bank. Ronald McDonald House Charities is an excellent example of sustaining a commitment to a worthy cause.
Trust is the foundation on which strong, sus- tainable brands are built.
Trust takes time to earn. But, trust can evap- orate in an instant. is is a current challenge for Volkswagen, which recently admitted to cheating emissions tests in the U.S., and Johnson & John- son, which was accused of ignoring possible links between its baby powder products and ovarian cancer.
In the 1990s, Perrier lost trust when the quality of their water sources was questioned. It took years to rebuild trust; in the meantime others like Evian, Fiji and AquaFina entered the market.
Marketing is about generating value. It is a signi cant factor in all economies as it allows con- sumers access to valued, quality goods and services. In the midst of a trust de cit syndrome, being the most trusted brand in your competitive set is a big competitive advantage. Trustworthy Brand Value
is a business management mindset. If you want to be perceived externally as a trusted enterprise, you must create a Trustworthy Brand Value culture internally. ■
Larry Light is the CEO of consulting rm Arcature LLC. He is co-author, with Joan Kiddon, of the book “Six Rules for Brand Revitalization: Learn How Companies Like McDonald’s Can Re-Energize Their Brands.”
Joan Kiddon is the President and COO of consulting rm Arcature LLC. He is the co-author of “Six Rules for Brand Revitalization: Learn How Companies Like McDonald’s Can Re-Energize Their Brands.”
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