Chip Walker, executive vice president at Energy BBDA in Chicago, looks at the findings of the GenWorld global teen study, a survey of 3,322 teenagers aged 13-18 in 13 countries conducted in summer 2005. GenWorld: the new generation of global youth…

Studies show consumers want to see social activism from brands. Here are two ways to ensure it’s done effectively.

In chapter 3 of Activate Brand Purpose: Leveraging the Power of Movements to Transform Your Company, we discuss how and why movements are important to bring about change not just in society at large, but in the world of businesses and brands.…

We recently helped a large company with its strategic planning process. Faced with the uncertainty of the pandemic world, the company's senior leadership needed a strategy framework for future growth. Before our work began, executives had already…

Today’s consumer is a socially conscious one. With activism on the rise, businesses are being held more and more accountable for the impact they have on the environment and their engagement in prominent social and political movements, and the extent…

The 2021 Purpose Power Index revealed a new "5 Ps" for brands in the age of purpose—plus four principles companies should adopt to highlight purpose. The pandemic disrupted many areas, but one unlikely place? Brand purpose—or so the data suggest.…

Chip Walker has spent a lot of time helping to breath life into the concept of purpose for client companies from his perch as head of strategy at the marketing and design agency StrawberryFrog, Chip Walker along with Scott Goodson, the agency’s CEO…

So what do you call a company, brand or individual who has activated purpose via a movement? We’ve settled on the term ‘galvanizer’, which is defined as ‘a leader who stimulates and excites people to action’. When we think of the consummate brands…

In Activate Brand Purpose, Scott Goodson and Chip Walker expose flaws in the prevailing thinking around purpose, and provide a new, deeply researched foundation and approach. It's essential reading for leaders seeking to boost their ability to drive…

We all know that getting mired in category competition can weigh a brand down. Hand-to-hand combat with a competitor is massively expensive — just look at the Cola Wars — and distracting from things like innovation and brand building. So why is it so…

Given that two-thirds of consumers (66%) say it’s important for brands to take public stands on social and political issues, it’s not surprising that companies from REI to Levi’s to Patagonia are attaching themselves to social issues like never…

Forestville: March 7, 2019 A father bear, mother bear, and their baby bear arrived home yesterday afternoon to find that a young girl had broken into their home and was sleeping in the baby bear's bed. Investigators said the girl, whose name they…

Recently, I ran across a surprising statistic: according to a 2018 Gallup poll, 36% of Americans say they have “felt the urge to organize or participate in a public demonstration” in the past year. That’s up from only 10% the last time Gallop asked…

Kennen heißt nicht unbedingt mögen Marketer haben oft gelernt, dass es immer eine gute Sache ist, wenn möglichst viele Menschen eine Marke kennen, und dass es so etwas wie schlechte Publicity gar nicht gibt. Der saloppe Ratschlag: „Hauptsache, der…

Knowing isn’t liking Historically, marketers have been taught to believe that having more people know about a brand is always a good thing, and that there is no such thing as bad publicity. The common advice “just make sure they spell your name…

Recently I caught a TV ad that made me ask myself some serious questions about the future of marketing to men. The commercial shows a middle-aged man who decides to use a hair product (Just for Men) prior to a job interview with a 20something woman.…

You can stare down the recession. It’s a time of opportunity, not fear. Everything is changing. Greed is out and communities are in. And in our community of marketers — both advertisers and agencies alike — we need to stand behind one idea: That…

Certain experiences transform the outlook of an entire generation. For today’s 13- to 18-year-olds, the events of 9/11 had that effect. Seemingly overnight the world changed from one filled with the optimism and endless possibility of the Internet…

Higher purpose tends to be lofty by nature, which can make it sound inspiring, but can leave people unsure how to action it. We’re living in a new social climate, a new age of consumer activism. It seems whatever consumers believe in, they’re more…