Rebranding for Impact
It’s time for one of my semi-occasional-sometimes-periodical-flights of fancy branding issues. Let me see, where should we start? How about…
A…B…C…D…ESG.
If only adoption of ESG was as easy as learning to recite the alphabet.
As brands, ESG and its cousin DEI have had a rough go of it lately. The conservative crowd has taken a cudgel to both and has been effective in its attacks – the weaponizing of words and phrases being a forte of these forces. From state treasurers vacating public pension investments with firms employing ESG guidelines to procurement practices that ban suppliers with DEI programs, there’s a ton of money at stake.
One example of this pressure came just yesterday when Harley-Davidson announced it would be ending its DEI programs.
But this doesn't mean the practices will end. That's anything but the case, as ESG definitely isn’t going away, and neither will the practices embraced by DEI. Many companies are just going underground with their ESG and DEI programs. Well, perhaps underground is an overstatement, but these companies don’t want to forgo these practices, as they’ve proven effective across a spectrum of measurable benefits: from assessing risk and managing investment portfolios to providing long-term, competitive advantages via talent acquisition and retention in the marketplace.
Companies just don't want to talk about it in the same way.
While some would die on the hill of those names, the smart money is replacing these acronyms with everyday terms that folks understand – and that are harder for opponents to counter. Corporate communications are rebranding them with messaging around positive practices for two of the P’s: our planet and our people. (John Elkington made famous the rubric of People, Planet, and Profit in association with companies pursuing a Triple Bottom Line.)
Focusing on initiatives that benefit people and the planet – these days planet is increasingly shorthand for climate – takes companies out of the political fray, saving valuable time, resources, and distraction so they can continue implementing these programs as values-based strategies to increase their performance.
When someone picks a fight, you must often stand your ground. But other times the best way to disarm the bully is to take their weapon away. In this case, they go low, and we go even lower – with an underground rebrand.
Godspeed, friends.
Russ
💬 Quote of the Week
“If you are told that the king died and then the queen died, that is a sequence of events. If you are told that the king died and that the queen then died of grief, that is a story.” David Aaker, father of modern branding
💥 Quick Hits
• Rebranding the Armed Forces for climate impact – Here's a provocative exposition. I'm wondering what Friend of Godspeed Mike Smith, climate entrepreneur and U.S. Navy veteran, thinks about this idea?
• Premiums for the Planet – Can you rebrand the insurance industry to become a force for sustainability and climate action? Brad Stevenson thinks so.
• The coolest soccer uniforms around – Whether you say soccer or football, uniforms or kits, there's no denying these climate change jerseys from the U.K. football team Forest Green Rovers and Umbro take climate action awareness to a new extreme. I'm thinking the purpose-driven Oakland Roots and Oakland Soul, which we've covered previously, might check this out, eh, Mike Geddes and Edreece Arghandiwal?
• Branding and AI – Can anyone untangle the branding thicket the geniuses at Google have come up with for their AI products? I especially loved this snarky (and spot on) piece by Dan Li co-founder of Plus AI on Google’s Gemini AI branding.
• Meet the logos for the 2028 Olympics – Organizers have taken a creative approach, one that's appropriate (and somewhat reminiscent of Google's Doodle of the Day).
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