Brands don't make corporations bad, they make them accountable

There's much talk these days about the massive power of national and multinational brands. At Scamper, we believe that brands are simply a tool that can be used for a variety of purposes, good or bad. When big brands abuse their power, its not because they are brands. Its the consequence of flawed economic systems that favour the interests of shareholders, coupled with highly irresponsible management.

An example of one such corporation is ExxonMobil. Its been hounded in recent years over its refusal to acknowledge or take action against climate change, but equally if not more shocking are their actions following the 1989 Exxon Valdez oil spill in Alaska. Now 18 years on, the local people whose economy was destroyed are still awaiting compensation, despite a number of court rulings in their favour.

How do they get away with it? Because they have immense financial power. But how is it that a small fishing town is still managing to keep the fight alive 18years on, against an organisation more wealthy than many nations? Because Exxon is a brand. No matter where we are from in the world, Exxon (or Esso) is a part of nearly all our lives. We can relate to the brand and have an interest in its behaviour. If the oil spill was caused by an anonymous corporation, chances are that public interest would have faded long ago.

Too much financial power is dangerous in the wrong hands and its worrying that some large corporations are able to get away with actions that are by any measure criminal, but we mustn't make the mistake of blaming 'brands' for these events. Brands are not the cause of such corporate atrocities, and if they have a role in these events it is to impose some degree of accountability on the organisations responsible. After all, its no coincidence that Exxon later removed the Exxon name from its shipping fleet.

To find out more about the ExxonValdez story, watch the video below, or visit http://www.sierraclub.org/tv/episode-exxon.asp



This blog is supported by Scamper - The pioneers in Sustainable Brand Strategy