Branded hypocrisy

So if hypocrisy can be good on a personal level could it also be true for businesses and brands?

I've done a lot of work in the past with one of the major mobile phone manufacturers. This company has one of the CSR records in the business, way above its peers in terms of both environmental and social behaviour. I know that this was driven by authentic beliefs in the boardroom, a real desire to do their bit.

Now talking about ethical initiatives alone is't going to sell. People are on the whole just not that interested. But a lot of these 'ethical' initatives were also very innovative - in terms of say new materials or new ways of using the mobile - and could easily have fed into wider technological credentials. They felt right for the brand and would have made sense out in the open.

By now you may or may not have guessed that I'm talking about Nokia. But even if you did guess then I bet it was just based on a vague feeling and nothing concrete.

Because Nokia never made anything of these virtues. They were afraid of being called hypocrites. They knew that whatever they said, there woud still be some people who would find fault with them for being part of an industry built on a business model that encourages people to replace their handset every year.

Just like on a personal level, businesses are never going to be perfect. As we come to recognise that we're pushing the planet to its ecological limits, the very idea of consumer capitalism seems shaky. Businesses are part of this old model. But still some are doing it better than others.

Companies that are doing things better should be shouting about it. It takes guts to stick your head above the parapet but it's about starting a conversation around the impact of your industry and showing what you're doing to improve things.

The playing field is shifting and brands who have a head start can lead the conversation and help shift it further, giving competitors an increasingly tough time to keep up. Smart brands are realising that this way the future lies, Nike being one example of a company that's beginning to do this quite well (see http://www.nikebetterworld.com/ for an example).

Nokia had a chance to do this some years ago and unfortunately passed it up. Maybe it was just too early then. Maybe they bottled it. Whatever the case, they probably still have the credentials to make something of their values.

Some might say it's too late. After all, 'values' are no substitute for a lack of exciting products. If Nokia want to stand for more than just the 'original mobile phone' and a new deal with MS then they need to give their staff and customers something to believe in. Talking about their values and what they're doing about them could help galvanise the company, whilst at the same time putting pressure on competitors.

More than that though, if Nokia really want to follow through on their beliefs, then talking about how they're trying to solve the problems in their industry is surely the right thing to do. Even if it does make them a bit of a hypocrite.