I just read Guy Kawasaki's "Art of the Start." If you don't know him, he's the guy that helped create the Apple cult. If you haven't read it, I suggest you do. Just click the title or click here. It's basically how to start a business but the one that struck a cord in me was when he said that businesses should make meaning. He said:
I wonder how many fashion brands make the world a better place for their workers in poor countries.
I wonder how many energy companies improve the quality of the air we breathe.
I wonder how many snack food companies really contribute to the well-being of my kids.
And I'm sure you're wondering why I'm raising the issue in a writing blog.
The American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."
How true. And exactly the point of this post. We know that many companies spend millions of dollars on feel good advertising and PR. We also know that many of these companies dump toxic waste in our rivers and oceans, produce products under deplorable, inhuman conditions, bribe government officials, the list goes on. If you want to read more about these companies, visit CorpWatch.
What ever happened to what our mothers said to us about matching words with deeds?
Companies spend millions to say "we care" and they don't do anything about our complaints. Companies say "we're responsible" and then spill tons of oil in our waters. Companies say "we want your children to enjoy" and mix toxic substances in their toys.
Was it David Ogilvy who said that bad advertising can unsell a product? Well, let me rephrase that in the light of the information tempest we're experiencing today: even good advertising and PR can unsell a company if its words do not match its deeds.
Add to that: people today are looking for companies that make meaning.
And they will Google and watch. And protest in their blogs.
Is your company making any meaning?
Meaning is not about money, power, or prestige. It's not even about creating a fun place to work. Among the meanings of "meaning" are toHmmm...I wonder how many corporations today make meaning.
* Make the world a better place.
* Increase the quality of life.
* Right a terrible wrong.
* Prevent the end of something good.
I wonder how many fashion brands make the world a better place for their workers in poor countries.
I wonder how many energy companies improve the quality of the air we breathe.
I wonder how many snack food companies really contribute to the well-being of my kids.
And I'm sure you're wondering why I'm raising the issue in a writing blog.
The American essayist and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson once said: "What you do speaks so loud that I cannot hear what you say."
How true. And exactly the point of this post. We know that many companies spend millions of dollars on feel good advertising and PR. We also know that many of these companies dump toxic waste in our rivers and oceans, produce products under deplorable, inhuman conditions, bribe government officials, the list goes on. If you want to read more about these companies, visit CorpWatch.
What ever happened to what our mothers said to us about matching words with deeds?
Companies spend millions to say "we care" and they don't do anything about our complaints. Companies say "we're responsible" and then spill tons of oil in our waters. Companies say "we want your children to enjoy" and mix toxic substances in their toys.
Was it David Ogilvy who said that bad advertising can unsell a product? Well, let me rephrase that in the light of the information tempest we're experiencing today: even good advertising and PR can unsell a company if its words do not match its deeds.
Add to that: people today are looking for companies that make meaning.
And they will Google and watch. And protest in their blogs.
Is your company making any meaning?
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