Ethical Corporation's How To Communicate Your Corporate Values To Consumers

Philadelphia, 14-15 June 2006

Day One: Identify what consumers want and deliver it successfully

Networking coffee

Chairman's welcome address

Keynote

How to turn your values into a competitive advantage

Marketers always talk about giving consumers that 'warm feeling.' But how can you achieve this when your product sits on the shelf next to all the others?

Find out:

Seventh Generation, Jeffrey Hollender, President

Coleman Natural Foods, Mel Coleman, Chairman

Coffee Break

Panel

What do consumers care about when purchasing products?

Given a choice, will consumers be more likely to support a company and purchase its products if they are aware of the company's socially responsible activities? What evidence is there that this is true?

Merck, David Ruth, Vice President of Corporate Communications

Aveda, David Hircock, Advisor to the President

Calvert Group, Julie Fox Gorte, Vice President and Chief Social Investment Strategist

Center for Resource Solutions, Këri Bolding, Director of Communications & Business Services

Lunch

Panel

How to market your values better

Understand how marketing strategies can help you communicate your values to consumers and customers.

With case studies and real-life examples, this session explains how companies are successfully connecting and communicating their values through their marketing in terms of the process and the results.

You'll discover:

BP, Howard Miller, General Manager, Corporate Reputation, North America

Coors Brewing Co., Terry Micek, Deputy General Counsel and VP Regulatory Affairs

The Boots Group, Richard Ellis, Head of Corporate Social Responsibility

Coffee Break

Interactive Roundtable Sessions

These off-the-record roundtables are completely interactive and will provide you with ample opportunity to get answers to your questions in a highly-focused, small group environment. Each roundtable will last 60 minutes and will run twice - allowing you to attend two separate sessions in one afternoon.

Roundtable 1

Using the internet to communicate your CSR values

Learn to translate your values for the online channel. Turn your website into a strategic asset that facilitates two-way communications with your consumers and increases customer loyalty.

Learn to:

LUCITÀ, Birgitte Rasine, Chief Evolution Officer (CEO)

The CSR Group, Paula Ivey, Founder

Roundtable 2

Make CSR reporting relevant to consumers

Today most companies are expected to produce annual CSR reports. Discover the key ingredients to make your report more accessible to consumers.

Global Reporting Initiative, James Murphy, Associate Director

Framework: CR, Kathee Rebernak, Owner

RecycleBank, Ron Gonen, Managing Director

Roundtable 3

How to communicate responsible use of your product

Organizations want to advertise their products - that's a business fact. But the question remains: How do you advertise your products in a way that ensures they are used responsibly?

Discover how to:

Coors Brewing Co., Terry Micek, Deputy General Counsel and VP of Regulatory Affairs

The Search Institute, Gene Roehlkepartain, Senior Advisor, Office of the President

Roundtable 4

How to manage reputational risk

Developing a framework for crisis prevention can save millions in the long term. Get professional tips that will help you manage crises, branding and marketing disasters

Find out:

Reputation Institute, Kasper Ulf Nielsen, Managing Director

Calvert Group, Julie Fox Gorte, Vice President and Chief Social Investment Strategist

Epstein, Becker & Green, P.C., Michael Levine, Partner

Roundtable 5

How to handle media relations

Social responsibility has become a buzzword and, at least to some, a business fad. The media has become more cynical about CSR, and put companies who claim to act for the public good under greater scrutiny.

Find out how to:

CEMEX, Jorge Perez, Media Relations Coordinator

Ethical Corporation, Tobias Webb, Editor

Conference Ends - Cocktail Party

Day Two: How to make the consumer more socially responsible

Networking coffee

Chairman's welcome address

Keynote: Organic Valley, George Simeon, CEO

Panel

Whose responsibility is it to promote ethical purchasing?

Ethical purchasing put simply is "buying things that are made ethically by companies that act ethically." Buying ethical products sends support directly to companies working to improve the status quo.

Equal Exchange, Dia Cheney, Director of Marketing

Organic Consumers Association, Adam Eidinger, Washington Representative

Patagonia, Rick Ridgeway, Vice President of Communications and Environmental Initiatives

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Joe Starinchak, Outreach Coordinator

Coffee Break

Workshop

How essential is it to secure NGO endorsement of your products and brand?

Consumers may trust products more when NGO's endorse them. How much value would an NGO add to your brand?

Discover:

  • The credibility and impact of consumer-focused NGO's with the modern public
  • How the best collaborative product partnerships work and how to identify the most appropriate NGO's to partner with

Whitewave Foods Co., Ellen Feeney, Director of Responsible Livelihood

Global Reporting Initiative, James Murphy, Associate Director

Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Tom Starrs, Vice President, Marketing and Sales

Workshop

Can an ethical label exist?

Fair Trade and Organic Labeling are both enjoying increased success in the US. What's driving this growth?

The session will discuss:

  • Should an ethical label exist? Is it needed?
  • If so, how would it work, what would it cover, who would certify it, and what would it mean to consumers?
  • Should the organic sector develop ethical or Fair Trade standards, or should the two sectors remain distinct?

Transfair USA, Elizabeth Bertani, Marketing Director

Organic Consumers Association, Adam Eidinger, Washington Representative

Lunch

Panel

When companies are held responsible for individual choices

Companies operating in the fast food, tobacco, health care and other industries are increasingly accountable for the health impacts of their products on consumers - which can spell messy lawsuits and millions of dollars spent tailoring their message to consumers.

Philip Morris USA, Vicky Bell, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility

Business Ethics, Michael Connor, Publisher and Executive Editor

Rich Keller, Executive-In-Residence with University of Tampa’s Human Resource Institute

Coffee Break

Panel

Employees as CSR ambassadors

If you can't convince your own people of the value of CSR, what hope do you have of convincing the outside world?

Organic Valley, Theresa Marquez, Director of Marketing

Whitewave Foods Co, Ellen Feeney, Director of Responsible Livelihood

Conference Ends