How brands can change the world

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is the buzz-word of the business elite — but it is too often prompted by a defensive, reactive approach: responding to criticism rather than celebrating and harnessing what is good about business for social ends. So while it is important for brands to behave responsibly, they should not expect much commercial return — or social impact — from traditional CSR activity. Instead, brands need to apply to social and environmental issues the same approaches that make them successful in the purely commercial sphere — creativity, innovation and ambition — in a phrase, 'corporate social leadership'. This paper describes three specific ways in which brands can move from responsibility to leadership. First, by harnessing the cultural power of brands to inspire positive social change; secondly, using the innovation process to develop new products and services that turn social and environmental needs into market opportunities; and thirdly, to use their corporate resources to tackle the source of most of the world's social and environmental problems: the division between the formal and informal economies. The message of the paper is a simple one: 'If you want to change the world, do it through business. If you want to help your business, help change the world.'