GoodInk: Why it’s Time to Evolve Corporate Social Responsibility

Today, InkHouse launched our GoodInk practice area devoted to organizations that want to do good in their worlds. We call this purpose-driven PR. We’re evolving corporate social responsibility (CSR) because times have changed, and communications strategies must too.

CSR was originally conceived as a type of self-regulation for corporations that wanted to have a positive impact on their employees, stakeholders, communities and the world. While some notable organizations still take that to heart, many others have used CSR more as a reputation builder than as a change maker. Now, customers and employees are speaking with their values as well as their wallets. They still care about cool features and great customer service, but they also care about what matters.

GoodInk debuts at a time of tumult when trust is at stake for every organization in America. We have fake news to go with our alternative facts. The pressure for clear communications from trusted spokespeople is intense. A byproduct of this environment is the re-insertion of businesses into the discourse on political, environmental and social good. As we wrote for the Boston Globe last year, businesses have become the new battleground states, a place of leverage for policy change, the expression of ideals, and community action.

Proving how quickly the landscape has shifted over the last 12 months, Andrew Ross Sorkin reported in The New York Times that BlackRock, one of the world’s leading investors is sending a letter to CEOs today informing them that they need to do more than make profits -- they need to contribute to society as well. 

GoodInk is designed for organizations that desire to make a real impact in areas that are meaningful to the worlds in which they operate. It begins with an organization’s values and principles and flows out from there. We’ve been inspired by a number of our clients over the past year, and that work has motivated us to formalize GoodInk, and also to live our own values in our world.

How do we measure such lofty endeavors? GoodInk will help organizations connect their purpose to their communities. We believe that when people and the world count as much as the bottom line all three do better. We’ll measure it in impact, which is the only authentic way to drive reputation.

I’m so proud that our EVP and Chief Content Officer Tina Cassidy is leading GoodInk. If you’re interested in working together to make your impact more meaningful, get in touch with us and her at workwithus@inkhouse.com.