Baking CSR into your brand - Ben & Jerry's
將企業社會責任烤進品牌裡─以Ben & Jerry's為例
分享者 / 陳曉峰
原文網址：Link
在瀏覽 Ben & Jerry's(美冰淇淋品牌)的Facebook頁面時，我突然又想到他們或許還是「品牌社會責任」(Brand Social Responsibility, BSR)的最佳例子。也就是一個品牌將貢獻給社會或環境的好事「烙印」進自家產品或服務裡。我們相信對消費者而言，這比企業社會責任更加切身，因為後者只是一個品牌背後的母企業所做的。企業社會責任離消費者購買的產品有段距離，也因此它對品牌以及企業的影響較不直接。如果所選擇的產品在消費者每次購買時都能夠對社會有所貢獻，那麼人們會比較有意願支付超額的價錢。
以Ben & Jerry's為例，他們真的藉由運用他們所謂的「價值導向的外包」來將好事烙印進他們的品牌，其中最有名的例子就是他們在冰淇淋中所用的布朗尼。這些布朗尼來自一間紐約的公司─The Greyston Bakery；這間企業給予街友們工作讓他們免於貧窮。如同他們在官網上所言：「我們不僱用人來烤布朗尼，相反的，我們烤布朗尼以僱用人。」
從Ben & Jerry's的品牌社會責任可以學到幾件事：
1. 這需要長期的經營：
若要BSR具有十足信服力，企業/品牌需要長期經營於此。Ben & Jerry's與The Greyston Bakery的合作關係在20年前就開始了。這會使你的BSR非常具有說服力。藉由只跟少數廠商合作建立BSR，可以在消費者心中建立良好形象，同時也能夠幫助建立品牌資產。
2. 給予BSR更深刻的意義：
許多品牌仍舊採取簡單的作法，也就是乾脆回饋給源頭。然而更強而有力的是將回饋的原因直接烙印進品牌中。Ben & Jerry's使用來自Greyston的布朗尼，幫助貧困的人自給自足就比直接以金錢補助街友還來的有效。
3. 販售你的成功：
你必須從你的BSR中獲利，也就是宣傳你的BSR。許多品牌習慣「默默做善事」，而不加以宣傳。Ben & Jerry's在其包裝、書本、雙份蛋捲冰淇淋以及Facebook上都有提起他們的BSR故事。
結論是，CSR對品牌而言是個簡單且明瞭的社會回饋方式。從事BSR以及給予它更深刻的意義雖然艱難，但是從中所獲得的報酬也將會是更優渥的。
Browsing Ben & Jerry's Facebook page, as part of a project on social media and brand, reminded me that they are still probably the best example of "Brand Social Responsibility" or BSR. This is where the good things a brand does for society or the environment are "baked in" to the product or service. We believe this is much more relevant for consumers than "Corporate Social Responsibility" or CSR, which is what the parent company of a brand does. CSR is a step away from the stuff you buy, so its impact on brand and business is less direct. People are more likely to pay a premium for a product or service that does good every time you buy and use it.
In the case of Ben & Jerry's they literally bake the good stuff into their brand by using what they call "values-led sourcing". The most famous example of this is the brownies that they use in their ice cream. These come from a company called The Greyston Bakery in New York. This business gets people off the streets and gives them a job in the bakery to help them escape from poverty. As they say on their website, "We don't hire people to bake brownies. We bake brownies to hire people".
A few learnings from Ben & Jerry's BSR:
1. It’s a long-term game:
to be really credible in BSR you need to be in it for the long-term. Ben & Jerry's partnership with The Greyston Bakery goes back 20 years. This makes your BSR efforts more credible. It also helps you establish brand properties, by focusing your BSR efforts on a small number of key partnerships you can establish in consumers' minds and hearts.
2. Bake in the good cause, don't just give to it:
Many brands are still taking the easy route by giving to good causes. What is much harder, but also more powerful, is baking the good cause into your brand. Ben & Jerry's use of brownies from Greyston is much stronger than the alternative of using any old ingredients than giving some cash to them.
3. Sell the success:
there needs to be some brand and business growth from your BSR efforts. And this means promoting what your BSR effort has achieved. Many brands fragment their contributions to good causes, and don't invest in telling people what they have done. Ben & Jerry's tell their BSR story on pack, in their book, Double Dip, and on their Facebook page.
In conclusion, CSR is the easy and obvious way for brands to have a social mission. BSR, and baking the good cause into your brand, is much harder. But the brand and business rewards should be bigger.
