Evolution of the model

30 April 2006

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We had the chance to sit down for coffee with one of our heros Mac McCabe of O'Naturals this winter. While his ideals were most certainly intact, he left us wavering on our understanding of socially responsible business and the way its meaning today isn't what it was 20 years ago. Ever since I've been questioning my entire stance and Tugboat's reason for being. I kinda got to thinking that staking a claim on socially responsible marketing may not exactly be what I was working toward.

Where it gets really complicated is that at times, big companies are being socially responsible because the majority of shoppers think so. Sometimes violent street gangs give money to orphanages, too. Most businesses will co-opt any idea if it means profits or competitive advantage or good PR. But their overall business model and their legacy of damage to society, culture and the environment eclipses these efforts in the minds of myself, my clients and most of their customers. Consider the productive and financially successful legacy of Jack Welch while at GE. Then look at GE's legacy of 86 Superfund sites in 28 states, and explain to me why he is such a highly lauded executive? And yet to the complacent mainstream consumer, GE is now environmentally responsible thanks to "ecomagination". I wonder how the people who have become terminally ill thanks to GE's negligence feel when they see those ads? I wonder how the folks involved with making those ads sleep at night?

Anyway, I think the term "socially responsible marketing" falls short to describe what we do because anybody can do it. And it can be construed as altruistic, cause-related marketing or it can be reduced to greenwashing depending on the market. I don't have the ability to reserve this term for my clients.

So instead we hammered out the taglines "responsible brand marketing", "a small entity moving big ideas", and "a marketing agency for the sustainable economy" as defined by folks like Coop America and LOHAS. I think the essence of my mission remains the same: our job is to ask more than just "will this increase sales and brand awareness?" It is also to ask "can we affect society in a positive way?" and "how can we do this with less environmental impact?"

The only thing that really gives Tugboat meaning and ultimately defines our own brand is always asking "has the brand we're building been asking these questions from the beginning?"

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1 Comments:

By Ben Kahn/Flying Fish Films, at 4:59 PM:  

Suddenly it doesn't look so green...

Your tugboat is chugging along in some murky, political waters and I think the only thing you can do is what you've already done: (1) set standards based on the findings and benchmarks of others who focus all of their resources researching and debating these issues and (2) announce that to all who query your choices.

Socially-unresponsible fault can be found within any organization and the political backbiting that usually causes someone to look for it would perhaps loom large for Tugboat if you had not taken the time to think your model through so carefully.

Your clients should therefore be reassured that if you take this much time to consider such things, that there will be no shortage of care or attention paid to their brands and products.

Good luck and smooth sailing.

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