Corporate branding, sustainability and social responsibility are mutually dependant and inseparable!

It is virtually impossible to separate the connections and dependencies that exist in sustainability, social responsibility, social sustainability and ethical business practices. Some accept it readily whereas others reluctantly but corporation’s social and environmental obligations have moved to the centre stage as we call it these days ‘good business practices’. In response it has put enormous pressure on how businesses should operate, hence helped to establish a sense that healthy business and healthy society are mutually dependant. With the increasing concern about global environment, as well as corporate social responsibility, companies are forced to integrate environmental good practices and social obligations within their overall corporate strategy. Harmony with the environment, harmony with the society and respect for the people have now become new business mantra.

However, a corporate brand is the visual, verbal and the behavioural expression of an organisation's unique business model (Knox and Bickerton, 2003). Other says it is a valuable financial asset (Aaker, 1996; Balmer, Greyser, and Urde, 2006; Leitch and Richardson, 2003), which acts as an interface facilitating the interaction of multiple stakeholders with the corporation (Harris and de Chernatony, 2001).  As a public, as well as a customer, my understanding of corporate brand is familiarity, clarity, reliability, understanding brand's personality, brand values and higher reputation. If a company is well known in the community, having a good ethical business practices then we are all happy to be their customers. The company can further strengthen their brand reputation by engaging more on social and environmental obligations and the effect would be even stronger if the customers are already familiar with the company products and services.

The importance of underlying brand values are immense, for example the values that your company stands for, how these values could be achieved, how you are going to be different than other companies who are already operating in the same sector. In my view, brand values simply cannot exist without considering any sustainability and social responsibility issues as businesses fundamentally depend on environment and society where they operate. Customers usually find the company name first, then pricing before they chose to buy any products.

Till now, scant attention may have been given in linking branding and sustainability issues in general; however companies are very keen to integrate sustainability within their core business practices because companies have realised that it brings added values. It provides not only financial benefits, but it also enhances product innovation, strengthen company’s reputation, mitigating the risks, increased employee and customer satisfaction. Integrating sustainability into corporate branding will attract customers who have been looking for products that have least environmental impacts, high quality and durability, more over it will fulfil customer’s immediate demands with reasonable costs.

Car companies like Honda and Toyota have heavily invested on fuel efficiency cars, which provided their customers with 'more miles from less fuel' in the face of ever-increasing fuel prices, effectively it also creates less pollution - a win-win situation for all the parties that are involved. Companies must continue their sustainability mission on a long-term basis; all of a sudden they cannot abandon their brand values saying 'it was a short term venture to capture the market and we will again go back to the old ways of doing business'. This would be the most damaging effects on brand images, which in no doubt will cascade down to customer’s level, who may choose to switch to buy alternative products from other companies. Therefore, company’s brand values are not only the present once being used perception of sustainability and social responsibility issues; rather it’s the company’s ability to stay in the market for the long time and keep generating revenue for them. Therefore, it is only possible if companies are committed to meaningful long-term contributions towards sustainability and social responsibility issues.

We are living in an era where social consciousness is evolving rapidly throughout the world. In the midst, companies are effectively pressurised to integrate social obligations into their underlying brand values, it's no longer acceptable if the companies simply define themselves who they are and what they make, instead it is very important to have environmental and social policies embedded in the company’s mission, vision and values. A company's bad motives on social responsibility will undermine their ability to promote the brand.

Although child labour is still common in many countries around the world but it has recently become a widely discussed topic. Companies have to make statement that they are fully compliant with prohibiting child labour in their domestic and overseas production sites, also make sure that entire supply chains are free from these contemptible practices. The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), which has been ratified by almost all states worldwide, obliges requires States to ‘recognise the right of the child to be protected from economic exploitation and from performing any work that is likely to be hazardous or to interfere with the child’s education or to be harmful to the child’s health or physical, mental, spiritual, moral or social development’ (Convention on the rights of the child, Article 32.1). In 2008, Chinese Government was embarrassed when some big cases of child labour were uncovered in the South West of the country where thousands of children were sold as slaves in booming coastal factory cities (Asia Pacific, April 30, 2008). Imagine the consequences if it is embedded in any company brand particularly on children toys which are made by children.

Finally, Sustainability and social responsibility are inter-linked by the brand values. Corporate branding is the bridge between these two. Companies who have synergies will continue to be benefited and enriched, successful companies in the future will be those who will recognise and incorporate sustainability and social responsibility issues within their business practices. Looking to the future, as the brand values grow, transparency and authenticity will be essential for stronger brand images.