Trust me! Or, at least, give me a chance.

In my previous post, I tried to figure out marketers and corporations contribution to a better and sustainable world.
And, even if it is not all on marketers and corporations shoulders, indeed we are the people on the frontline.

This morning I found this post contributing to the discussion.
GFK Custom research North America publish this piece of research with interesting results:

1. consciousness about environment and sustainability is spreading across the world
2. it's growing
3. corporations and marketers are expected to play a significant role
4. corporations and marketers have the great opportunity to play a significant role in the process

But some 70% of Americans don’t think business and industry are fulfilling their responsibility to protect the environment. In addition, 69% of Americans think businesses engage in environmentally friendly behavior to promote their image.

People do not trust in corporation effort and this may prove to be an issue in a world more and more conscious about this topic. But still it is a call for a huge effort to do something and to talk about the action taken to regain people confidence.

Slicing a cake

The world is changing fast.
This morning the world woke up with some news, just to mention some:

1. Lehman Brothers is going bankruptcy
2. the North Pole ice is thinner, day after day
3. 53% of the Italian population is not in the condition to shift from one social class to a higher one
4. a deadly virus is threatining the Chilean fish farm

Apparently there is no connection between these issues, but truth is that there are strong links.
The world ecosystem, econony, environment, personal, needs a new deal.

As stated in the new book of Thomas Friedman " Hot, flat and crowded", we need someone to lead the pack out of this situation.
Politicians have to play their role in this game, but marketers and corporations have to play a significant role, too.

Technology, politic and business are totally interactive today and must work in the same direction: a better world with less greediness, more discerning and open minded.

We have one and only one world to live in. No second chance.

What can we do as marketers?
Can we help out clients and our companies to accomplish this task?

The power that technology put in our hands is far more bigger than ever, the vision of the future is far more clear than ever.

1. do not stand for the best short term result but look for the bigger picture
2. a dollar more earned today may cost to everybody a thousand tomorrow
3. reconsider the social cost of any action we take or we suggest to take
4. sell better not sell more
5. built something that last

These are my points.
But I like to have yours, too.

Getting Rich The Slow Way

Fruit market at the Cour Saleya market in Nice (France)
Pic proudly by myself

This is the title of a compelling post by Karl Greenberg, I read this morning on Mediapost.
I do share his point of view and I do believe that we have to rediscover some practice that give us the pleasure of using time to think and to do something with our own hands.
Something as handwriting, conversation vis-à-vis, engagement with ourselves.
We do talk a lot and write a lot about brand that must engage with customers, but when we will talk about the skill of engage with ourselves?

The economy up and down, more down to be honest, and the new world scenario should teach us the lesson that the time of growing without limits, the neverending expansion, the technology development without a real reason, the assault to the environment, this kind of world has to come to an end and leave the place for something sustainable and mindful.

Are we ready, as marketers, to this challenge? Are we ready as men and women to adapt ourselves to a different life style? Do we believe our customers, or ourselves as customers, are the same we were one year ago?

Welcome back

Welcome back to everybody.
The olives at the Nice market at Cour Saleya are a sweet memory, right now.
September will be a busy month but I hope will be fruitful as well.

Just as a starter, I'm part of the jury for the 11th Assorel prize. Assorel is the Association of the PR agency in Italy and the prize is a key moment of the association activity across the year.
It is a great honour to me to sit here with many respectful leaders of the communication world.
For the full list: the jury

Then, if I can make it, there is the Picnic '08 in Amsterdam.

See you soon, G.