Losing the Plot: Social Mission v. Business Fundamentals

ESG – or environmental, social, and governance – programs are high visibility opportunities for companies to grab headlines, earn goodwill and brand loyalty from consumers, and hopefully make the world a better place. But if not pursued strategically, they can also be a company’s downfall.

In this week’s Dial P audio podcast, Kelly Barner shares the lessons learned from companies who have chosen to put social mission before business fundamentals:

• Consumer brands that are required to have a social or environmental mission or risk divestment from the company

• Why inclusive sizing sounds nice but comes with costs that can’t easily be passed along to consumers

• Social missions that were wildly successful in their ability to improve brand reputation without distracting the team from their operational marks