Sarah Ford | December 3, 2014
Brands’ Future Is Creating Shared Value, Not Just Social Responsibility Campaigns
By Kirk Souder
In a seminal article that appeared in the Harvard Business Review in 2011, Michael Porter and Mark Kramer defined a new paradigm for business with the words “shared value.” The idea is that the future of today’s brands will lie in aligning business success with positive social impact for people and the planet. This is a new way of looking at corporate citizenship, from occasional philanthropic and cause-oriented actions that lie outside of their core business, to the core business itself and its potential to make the world a better place.
Both of these represent a transient, perhaps insincere, and unsustainable role for brands in making the world better, whereas aligning how the actual products and services can make a positive impact makes them enduring and sustainable.
The truth is, today’s greatest and most enduring brands came into the world through a shared-value idea. The world’s most-loved brands started with a single person who saw a societal need and looked to create something that could address that need and make the world a better place.

Get Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Explore More Articles
Nurturing Payroll Giving Donors: 5 Tips to Deepen Engagement
Payroll giving donors are some of the most consistent and committed supporters nonprofits have, but they’re often overlooked in day-to-day fundraising strategies. These donors contribute…
Read ArticleHow to Align Your Company’s Values with Your Hiring Process
Hiring is about more than filling roles—it’s about shaping the future of your company. Every new team member contributes to the culture you’re building, and…
Read ArticleGet Resources and Insights Straight To Your Inbox
Receive our monthly/bi-monthly newsletter filled with information about causes, nonprofit impact, and topics important for corporate social responsibility and employee engagement professionals, including disaster response, workplace giving, matching gifts, employee assistance funds, volunteering, scholarship award program management, grantmaking, and other philanthropic initiatives.