What is Social Responsibility?
Social responsibility has been around for a long time, however, in the age of digital supply chain dynamics it has taken on more specific and focused means of identifying irresponsible media, monitoring outlets for evaluating degrees of responsibility and responsiveness, and creating protocols to steer clear of problematic areas – all driven by an essential change in the media we buy today.
Social Responsibility is a much higher calling for a company than brand safety – but taken together, they critically impact and intertwine various aspects of how a company or brand “show up” in the world. In fact, one might argue that they are in fact mirror images of each other in that media responsibility reflects the outward investment by a company or brand in line with its Corporate Social Responsibility principles.
As brands and companies set and monitor their ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals, media investment choices (and brand safety principles) should be the driving force for making sound decisions across the enterprise. These decisions will cross the dimensions of social good/community outreach, DEI, suitability, sustainability/carbon neutrality, and consumer respect (including data usage & privacy).
For some companies and brands, it will be a mix of these areas, for some the issues will be more limited or focused. Factors such as physical locations vs virtual businesses, and where raw materials for your product supply chain are sourced, will all have an impact on which parameters are prioritized for any one company/brand. At any rate, having a great understanding of who you are as a brand or company - and your values - is the first step to setting a media responsible strategy that helps you manage to your ideal of social responsibility.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) gets a lot of coverage, but what is it? Here are the four fundamental types of CSR you should be aware of.