The 2008 Olympic Games -- and now a word from the sponsors...

• Posted by Jeff Hittner
• On August 27, 2008


• Interests: Corporate Social Responsibility

On Monday, John Friedman blogged about fair play and doing the right thing at the Olympics, as exemplified by Italian Olympian Eugenio Monti in the 1964 Games. So I thought I would share a few thoughts of my own on what I observed of the Games.

I was a gymnast in college, so I was pretty much glued to the TV and my laptop throughout the Olympics. As I watched, I noticed that just about every other commercial focused on some aspect of corporate social responsibility.

Dove Soap is talking the preteen girls about body image. Exxon-Mobil is combating Malaria in Africa. GM and Ford are developing energy-efficient vehicles.

Interesting, considering the fact that some of these companies have public perception issues on these topics, particularly the energy and car companies.

But it seems pretty clear that these companies are attempting to move beyond "greenwashing" to actual education and engagement -- they apparently understand that their appeal to the public has to be about more than just the products they make and sell.

And quite honestly, who should understand these issues better than they do? These issues are inextricably linked to their businesses and reflect the values and concerns of their customers, their shareholders, their employees and society at large.

Dove sells products to promote health and hygiene. Shouldn't they be concerned with the self-perceptions of young girls and working to tear down narrow stereotypes of beauty? (not to mention rainforests and palm oil...)

GM and Ford are in a dogfight with other car companies for marketshare at a time when fuel costs and concerns about global warming are important to customers. Shouldn't they be developing new products and technologies that increase fuel efficiency and lower environmental impact?

Even the connection between Exxon-Mobil and Malaria isn't that much of a stretch -- the company employs thousands of people in Africa, where this preventable disease kills up to three million people each year. Since malaria can devastate the families of its own employees as well as the communities where it operates, shouldn't it play a role in helping treat and prevent it?

The more jaded among us would say they're making these efforts to just burnish their brands and sell their products. But as customers and other stakeholders become more and more vocal in holding companies accountable for their societal impact, this is becoming a condition of doing business for companies. This isn't just about image -- it's about impact.

According to a study released last year by The Fraser Consultancy of the UK, a quarter of all consumers say they would switch brands for a given product or service if provided with a more ethical alternative. I suspect that percentage will only grow, and that puts a tremendous pressure on companies to demonstrate that their doing the right things.

John noted on Monday that doing well and doing right are intertwined. This is as true for corporations as it is for individuals.

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