Communications Strategists Launch Responsible Brand Toolkit
How-to processes help organizations build intentional, purpose-driven brands
LOS ANGELES, C.A./COLUMBIA, S.C. (September 16, 2020) – Two marketing and communications firms with a shared commitment to social consciousness have joined forces to create the Responsible Brand Toolkit. Riggs Partners of Columbia, S.C., and verynice of Los Angeles, C.A., have designed the toolkit as a free, open-source curriculum designed to teach businesses, nonprofit organizations, foundations and social enterprises how to build high-impact brands.
Riggs Partners is a marketing consultancy that specializes in helping clients build Responsible Brands through the alignment of organizational culture, business strategy and brand marketing. Verynice is a collaborative design strategy practice that specializes in creative problem-solving through the development of group strategy workshops and toolkit-based practices.
“The C-suite has been talking about the importance of leading with purpose for some time now, but today that concept has taken on an entirely new measure of importance,” said Teresa Coles, president of Riggs Partners. “We designed the Responsible Brand Toolkit to give people from any size organization — not just the Fortune 500 — the processes and insights they need to build a foundation for both business growth and social good.”
Principals from the two firms came to know each other several years ago when verynice joined the CreateAthon® network, a pro bono marketing marathon founded by Riggs Partners 20+ years ago.
“We formed verynice as a social enterprise that gives half of our services away for free,” said Matthew Manos, founder. “We loved the pro bono vibe from Riggs Partners, and we quickly saw we had a great more in common, with skill sets that complemented each other. The creation of the Responsible Brand Toolkit is a true culmination of what our firms do best — socially conscious brand development, fueled by creative ideation processes.”
The toolkit contains 52 pages of activities and exercises, which can be completed individually or through group facilitation, that help participants explore and define the trifecta behind every Responsible Brand: organizational culture, business strategy and brand marketing. The process is supported by a thorough case study that gives participants real examples of completed exercises, each of which shows how an organization can channel purpose and achieve clarity in these three areas. The toolkit ends with the completion of a Responsible Brand Canvas, a master framework that demonstrates the full integration of organizational culture, business strategy and brand marketing.
“Marketers have always known effective brands are those built from the inside out,” said Coles. “But today’s consumers and constituents demand even more from the brands they choose to support. They have to know what the brand stands for, and even against. We designed the toolkit as a launching pad to help organizations understand how to build this kind of authentic, and intentional, platform.”
Manos hopes the toolkit will elevate the dialogue around what it means to be a Responsible Brand, at a time when it’s no longer an option. “Businesses have to fundamentally re-think the way they define success,” he said. “It’s 2020… there’s no longer any such thing as ‘business as usual’; the private sector has to evolve, and nonprofits have to become savvier in sustaining their missions. They need to take a page from each other’s playbooks, and we believe the Responsible Brand Toolkit can help both sides strengthen their ability to combine business growth with social good.”
To access a free copy of the Responsible Brand Toolkit, visit www.responsiblebrand.com.