The definitive expert guide to ethical brand practice from the prestigious Medinge Group, Brands with a Conscience dissects the philosophies underpinning sustainable brands to arrive at a set of eight clear guiding attributes which can be used as the foundation of a strategy for responsible growth. These attributes span the public persona of an organization, the actions to take when things go wrong, the effort invested in developing relationships, the promotion of core values and balancing measures of success across economic, human, social and environmental factors. They are then used as the criteria to assess twelve carefully selected case studies, which include Dilmah Tea, H&M, Dr. Hauschka, Merci and the John Lewis Partnership, amongst other leading international brands. Because the potential to have bad practice unmasked or to have successes amplified online is greater than ever, it pays to adopt a strategy that builds customer loyalty and trust.
Brands with a Conscience inspires via examples of brands which not only exhibit a genuine desire to operate ethically, but also have seen impressive success in terms of engagement with consumers, reputation, and return on investment. The book includes a range of practical tools to bring together the main concepts in an easy-to-adopt framework for building a brand strategy based upon real world experience. If you are a brand manager or marketing professional seeking a conscientious approach to consumer engagement, then Brands with a Conscience will support you every step of the way.
Nicholas Ind is an associate professor at Kristiania University College, Oslo and a partner in Equilibrium Consulting. Previously he ran Icon Medialab's brand consultancy arm in Sweden. He is a former director of the Design Business Association (UK), a member of the advisory board of Corporate Reputation Review and of the editorial board of the Journal of Brand Management.
Nicholas Ind was a founder member of the Medinge Group, an international branding think tank. Nicholas is the author of eleven books including Beyond Branding, Living the Brand and Brand Together (all published by Kogan Page). He also co-edited Brands with a Conscience.
Sandra Horlings is a branding and marketing consultant specialising in sustainable business development in a circular economy. Before she founded Wonderwings in 2008, she was a member of the BBDO board in the Netherlands and responsible for Proximity in Amsterdam. Sandra is a guest lecturer and corporate trainer. She is a member of Medinge and a founder of Wereldmarketeers, a Dutch knowledge and inspiration platform for marketers and entrepreneurs on sustainable innovation, endorsed by NIMA, the Dutch Marketing Association.
