This is an archived blog from when I ran Conscious Public Relations Inc. from 2008-2018. Excuse the potential outdated-ness!
BC Business features philanthropic couples and declares most loved brands
The February 2015 issue of BC Business has some interesting Valentine’s Day angles to it: A cover story with Chip and Shannon Wilson, one of 8 featured “powerhouse philanthropic duos…changing the face of charity,” and 20 “Most Loved Brands,” according to research by Ipsos Reid & BC Business Magazine.
I was a bit surprised at some of the selections, but the measured “brand attributes” and newly added attributes for this year might explain.
I was glad that trust (#2), social responsibility (#6), and positive contribution to B.C. (#7) were included, and that it wasn’t just about visibility. Pretty much all of the brands are well known and visible.
I was surprised that negative experience (#4) and negative buzz (#6) were included along with positive experience and buzz in the new attributes for the year. ICBC was on the top of both negative experience and buzz lists, yet it was ranked #20 (falling 4 spots behind last year) on the list. Does negativity equal brand love?
If you go back to Hoggan’s rule #2, Be seen to do the right thing, then I suppose negative experience or buzz applies, because if a customer has a bad experience with the company, but the company can turn it around and offer a solution to keep the customer coming back, that could result in love. After all, Shakespeare said that the course of true love never did run smooth.
I’d like to see BC Business consider B.C.’s B Corporations, which is a term that still isn’t mainstream. And I don’t think any of the 20 most loved brands are B Corps. The public should know that this is an existing, rigorous measure of company ‘behaviour’, not just positive impression or credibility. Also, while the fun ‘powerhouse couple’ theme is fun for the month of February, I think that a story on how companies, rather than couples, give back could have related more to those of us who are single and running companies. While individuals ultimately make the choice about how to spend company dollars, business structures can have so much more influence on improving the world.
How else do you think people’s love for a company – or a company’s love back for the world – could be measured?