Social justice is lacking around the globe. Social media is growing. Can social media and the internet "change" the world. Not overnight but they can help spark ideas, collaboration, share resources, get education to places it has never reached and connect you, I and others through content like the video below. Enjoy and spread the news, change the world.
Why the web matters and will still change everything.
Yes, the web matters - duh. But, its major impact is yet to come. Currently it has democratized (somewhat) information, changed the way we share, communicate and learn - along with about a million other things. However, the large scale social, psychological and economic ramifications have not happened...yet.
Let's leave out the psychological discussion for now (does having 500 "friends" on Facebook increase closeness, dilute actual bonding with family? what happens to a generation that grows up sharing video, photos, private moments with Dear@www - how does a 1:1 relationship, be it marriage or parenting stack up to or compare? and so many others).
What is really interesting right now is the tapping of the collective wisdom of crowds, social networks, starfish theory, desire for fame, money, social capital - whatever you call it to find serious solutions to major global problems.
The big case in point here is Google with their Project 10^100. According to Google "Project 10100 is a call for ideas to change the world by helping as many people as possible." Seems like a perfect use of some of their money, brand equity and the web.
I, for one, am very excited to see what comes out of the project. My guess, some amazing mind blowing ideas, game changers and a few "smack me sideways - why didn't I think of that" ideas.
Arrived at work this morning, and my boss wasn’t in yet. It took me a minute, and then I remembered, he’s volunteering today with LifeWorks. One of our work benefits is that we get one day a year to volunteer for something that pulls at our heartstrings.
What sort of impact does this have on our business? Having been involved in volunteer organizations, my reaction is: volunteering has a big, positive impact! It builds interpersonal skills, problem solving skills, increases patience and flexibility, among other things. And then there’s just that feel-good high you get from helping another human being.
As it turns out, I’m not the only one that thinks this. According to the 2008 Deloitte Volunteer IMPACT Survey, companies are paying attention to volunteering.
“Not only does skills-based volunteering provide much-needed support to local nonprofits, but it also helps foster meaningful business and leadership skills among employees.”
What are your thoughts? How has volunteering impacted your skill set, career or business?
If you’re looking for a volunteer opportunity to use and build your skill set or portfolio, check out AustinProBono, a site that connects businesses that want to help with nonprofits that need help.
Okay, this is a great site with a purpose. Cliff Bar has long been known as a great place to work with a decision years ago not to sell and keep quality of life under company control. This seems to have paid off handsomly and now they are working on getting quality of life for the rest of us through environmental activism. This 2 Mile Challenge seems like a good start at getting critical mass around what is typically a "complicated" issue that involved international relations, taxes, science and more.
One of the biggest issues the environmental movement seems to have had is marketing. Here Cliff Bar as simplified this with some facts and actions that are easily at hand. One being that 40% of urban travel is 2 miles or less. This sets a concrete number, puts someting easily attainable (2 miles, not switching to all uncooked foods) and puts up an interactive space with map, blog and so forth to connect all these "2 mile heroes".
Will this work? I don't know. I am sure there are other things to tie this campaign togther and other best practices out there. Let me know your thoughts.
I just came across this video from Sara McLachlan and associated data on Swivel a great data site in our Blinklist. Sara McLachlan has donated the $150,000 normally used to make a video to much needed spots around the globe. Why is this interesting? Well for one it ties into making the world a better place wich is always important. However, even more intriguing is when you can create more positive results with the same our less input. It's the equivalent to building a city that reduces pollution instead of creating it (which is under construction now in China). How does this impossibility happen? In short - technology and creativity - both for the city in China and Sara McLachlan. An artist can't simply donate all their production money to charity and expect to stay profitable and thrive. However, an established artist can use the brand equity they have built up and new technology platforms (inexpensive video production, YouTube, MySpace and more) to create, product and distribute to a far wider audience in a more engaging manner. I have no dougt this $15 video will drive more record sales, artist brand equity and social awareness all at the same time than the next $20M spent on music videos this year. You can't watch it and not be moved by the images, the great music and the causes. More importantly it will be hard to watch another music video without asking why the hell that artist does not do the same! See the official site and list of charities for "World on Fire" by Sara. Then, come back and tell me how other campaigns and companies can do more good, build their brand and change the world.
Our environment is melting away, small artisan and high quality “shops” (farms, journeymen…) are slowly disappearing – well you know the story. While the woes of these happenings are becoming less and less disputed the solutions are not becoming any clearer that I can tell. There are still some who see this as simply the market economy and make some valid arguments – for one of my favorite back-and-forth discussion on this “Rethinking the Social Responsibility of Business” there is a spirited discussion between Milton Friedman, Whole Foods' John Mackey, and Cypress Semiconductor's T.J. Rodgers (http://www.wholefoods.com/blogs/jm/archives/2005/09/).
Another great recent article in Fast Company (July/August 2007) by Charles Fishman (auther of The Wal-Mart Effect) talks about the $15 billion dollar a year bottled water industry and the branding psychology behind it. What seems like a healthy choice quickly becomes an environmental and humanitarian crisis. Fishman points out that bottled water is a recent invention, like the iPod and 10 years ago we did not know about it or “need” it – now it is the must have lifestyle accessory – both the water and the iPod. The issue with the water is that "we" (I buy it by the box) are spending billions, producing plastic and shipping something around the world (all steps eating fossil fuel and resources) for something that runs in our homes and offices - thought provoking to say the least. Read it here and let me know what you think: (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/117/features-message-in-a-bottle.html).
So my question is this. How does a research, marketing and advertising shop like Sentient along with our clients build worldwide brands, reach out to consumers, built market share and all that other stuff and be part of the solution and not the problem. Let me know what you think, please!
I am Paul Janowitz, Founder and CEO of Sentient Services, LP. I am going to use this space for some open dialogues with customers, friends, partners and whoever else happens to be reading this. Those of you that know me, know that I want Sentient to be at the forefront of social responsibility and an amazing place to work, first and foremost. If we do not do this, the business is simply not worth running for me personally. I want clients to work with us for who we are and how we operate before they even consider our portfolio or skill sets.
However: I also want to be profitable, work with large global clients and local clients alike, push the boundaries of technology, develop new products and work within consumer goods, real estate, technology, and other brand centric categories.
As a market researcher first and foremost I see my job as developing better customer experiences by listening. The art and science of market research helps build better products and deliver them to the right market. This I see not as pushing stuff people don’t need, but as actually reducing corporate waste, increasing customer service and delivering more of what works and less of what doesn’t to the market place. I also see our advertising practice as helping those companies that do this the best – our clients that employ market research. So, am I putting lipstick on a pig and trying to make myself feel less like a consumer? Let me know your thoughts.
