An email arrived in my inbox today containing the following eight images and associated costs. It impressed me because it conveys a real problem in terms that are easy to understand, without laying on the guilt. As you scroll down, watch not only for the remarkable differences in costs, but also for the differences in food types. (Apologies if I’m encroaching on anyone’s copyright here; there was no disclaimer in the email!)

Germany: The Melander Family of Bargteheide

Food expense for one week: $125 / person

United States: The Revis Family of North Carolina

Food expense for one week: $85.49 / person

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The climb was more than Tom had bargained for. One foot in front of the other. Again, again, again. Onward. Upward.

The infamous Chilkoot Pass seemed to tower unassailable, far above his head. Yet limbs screaming, he plodded on, and on, eventually cresting the peak, and moving down to stake his claim: Tom had joined the gold rush.

By 1897, Thomas Flack had found gold, and returned with his fortune to the young city of Vancouver on Canada’s pristine west coast. There, he set about to build a landmark building at the centre of the city.

The William Blackmore-designed masterpiece would open in 1898, serving as home to retailers, barristers, insurance agents and others. Its location and style made it a treasured part of Vancouver’s heritage.

Yet like the neighbourhood to its east, The Flack Block fell into disrepair. For much of the past 100 years, the building has gone unnoticed….

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So reads the headline in a recent article in The Economist about Nigeria’s government’s attempte to ‘rebrand’ their nation. Their subhead, ‘The government of a great nation tries a short cut to salvation,’ seems to sum up the author’s perspective: “Got a problem…? Don’t fix it! Rebrand it!”

Unfortunately for Nigeria, this would seem to be the misguided strategy.

It’s hard from this distance to criticize the intentions of Dora Akunyili, the new minister of information, and the person responsible for the new ‘Nigeria: Good People, Great Nation’ campaign. But it is revealing, I think, that the previous attempt at a rebrand (‘Nigeria, Heart of Africa’) failed.

In both cases, the foremost criticism in-country has been that “Nigerians say their government should tackle the country’s fundamental problems—power shortages, crime and corruption—before worrying about its image.” Of course, nothing is so connected to ‘image’ as the authentic facts of any brand. In Nigeria’s case, the facts include rankings of Lagos as the worst place in the world for expatriates to live. Surely if the aim of the information minister is to build Nigeria’s esteem overseas, the $1M spent from government coffers for the new campaign could have been put to better use reducing crime, repairing roads, and improving sanitation.

A simple Google search reveals an endless list of references to Nigeria’s rebranding efforts. But the lesson i this short Economist piece is a simple one: Branding only works when builds an image based on credible insights. Successful strategies leverage strengths on which the brand can build. In Nigeria’s case, the people may well be good, but a legacy of corruption endures sufficiently that the claim isn’t credible overseas. And while Nigeria is achieving more than many of its African neighbours, and certainly aspires to become a ‘Great Nation,’ it has a long way to go.

An effective strategy would consider factor international perceptions and awareness into the development of a strategic roadmap for the brand. ‘Good people, Great nation’ is an aspirational position; clearly Nigeria can’t jump to that with an advertising campaign. But it could be a ten-year (or 20-year) goal. Ms. Akunuili’s job as a leader is to define the steps from here to there, and to work with her government colleagues to take those steps.

It may be that infrastructure is the first place to spend; certainly communicating success stories about infrastructure development and enhancement would be a more credible approach than leap-frogging to ‘Great nation.’

Of all possible branding projects, surely rebranding a country is the most challenging. But the fundamentals remain the same: Authenticity must come first.

I had an abysmal retail experience yesterday.

I visited a local bike shop with my two kids, primarily to pick up a small spare part, but also to browse the bikes with a view to buying a new one for my wife. I’m a valuable customer there: I’ve bought two bikes already, and I have plans to buy two more this year.

As I looked at the adult road bikes, my son was sitting 20 feet away on a kids bike. He’s eight, so this wasn’t an unusual thing. The owner of the store approached him, and informed him somewhat gruffly that the bike was too small for him. My son responded, “I know.” Clearly assuming that my son was some sort of know-it-all punk, he responded with a bark: “You know?! Well get off it then before you break it!”

My son was shocked. At eight years of age, it’s traumatic when an adult you don’t know barks at you. Two hours later, he was still upset.

I had words with the merchant: “I recognize you need to look after your merchandise, but that’s no way to talk to a child. I’ll be taking my business elsewhere.”

What a shame it is that more merchants today don’t understand how easy it is to excel in retail. Perhaps their ignorance (or arrogance) is the very reason it’s easy to beat them at their own game.

There are three rules that I learned during my retail career that everyone should know before stepping on to the retail floor….

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As a teenager, Jim preferred the company of his television. But he was also fascinated with art. He would spend hours on his grandmother’s Mississippi porch, where she taught him to paint, and to see the magic in the world around him.

Soon, Jim married his fascination with television to his creative hobbies: While still in high school, Jim was lucky to join the crew of a Saturday morning television program on WTOP-TV as their resident puppeteer. The following year, while a freshman at the University of Maryland, he was given his own show on the local NBC affiliate. It was only five minutes long…. Though it did air twice each day!

Sam & Friends was a phenomenal venue for Jim’s creativity. His engaging storytelling, his custom made puppets, and his unprecedented grasp of television’s capacity for illusion soon had Jim appearing as a guest on The Steve Allen Show, The Jack Paar Show, and Today. This national attention would continue through the 50s and 60s, until Jim was asked to create a cast of characters for a new program that would launch in 1969.

You probably remember Jim Henson. You certainly remember those characters: Ernie. Bert. Oscar. And of course Cookie Monster and Big Bird.

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There’s no doubt that the Sustainability Imperative is impacting organizations of all sizes today. The mainstream and business press; thought leaders such as Al Gore and T. Boone Pickens; and any number of social and environmental advocacy organizations have been promoting sustainable business, production and consumption.

However, many companies still seem to doubt that the move to embracing sustainability is more than a fad. It isn’t. According to a recent research summary published by Accenture, ‘Increasing demand for corporate social responsibility’ and ‘Increasing demand for sustainability’ are the third and seventh highest ranking global trends impacting business. Within CSR, Accenture identifies increasing customer expectations and the impact of CSR on recruiting and retention strategies as top business imperatives. Within sustainability, those key imperatives are identified as appropriately matching ‘eco’ or ‘green’ initiatives, without succumbing to “self-serving ‘greenwashing.’”

The Sustainability Imperative is here to stay. Laggards are going to pay a significant price for the slow adoption of these new essential considerations of business, whereas leaders are going to drive the next bull market.

The importance of CSR in recruiting and retention is a trend we’ve been speaking about recently, too. At a workshop delivered for the BC Human Resource Management Association earlier this week, Octopus’s Vancouver Managing Partner Stephen Abbott worked with a dozen HR leaders from large BC corporations to identify those factors that make business cultures most appealing to job candidates. Among those key factors that attract talent are authentic commitments to CSR, including intelligently aligned community involvement and focused effort to reduce the organizations’ environmental footprints. In other words, the hiring organizations responsibility to its community and environment are factors that play a heavily weighted influence in the decision-making of talent. As talent grows more and more scarce, authentic, value-driven approaches to CSR will distinguish smart organizations from their competitors for talent.

So what can you do to embrace these imperatives?

1. Research and identify CSR objectives that align with your organization’s core mandate. A food retailer might support the ’100 Mile Diet.’ A toy store might volunteer interested staff to support Children’s Hospital. Both examples are win-win; they’re not charity, because they also promote the companies and their products to relevant target audiences.
2. Clarify and communicate your CSR programs to all stakeholders in and around your organization. If the programs are well-considered and tie to your business’s objectives, then embrace opportunities to promote them, whether directly or through public relations efforts. They’re an important tool in reputation management for your organization.
3. Underpromise and overdeliver. Managing stakeholders’ expectations for your CSR and sustainability initiatives is essential; be cautious to avoid making commitments you can’t deliver, or else risk being accused of greenwashing.

Lastly, recognize that CSR and sustainability are not issues of marketing or PR—at least not solely. They’re important strategic drivers in today’s proactive organizations, and they should be discussed at the senior-most levels of the organization.

To learn about Octopus’s experience facilitating dialogues about strategic issues such as CSR and sustainability, and how we might help your organization develop sound sustainability strategies, please contact us.