The world seems to be a scary place for so many these days.

A relentless pandemic, climate news that leaves us as individuals with little effective action to take, a ‘great resignation’ that really says more about low wages and lack of dignity for the service sector, and finally, the struggles of healthcare workers, teachers, and families with small kids trying to work, teach and not go crazy, brings the challenges to the forefront. 

And while the market seems to keep going along in the face of political gridlock, pandemic uncertainty and rising global temperatures, there are still a few things that we know to be true for businesses banking on success in the future.

Transparency is real. Environmental, social and governance (ESG) metrics that are pledges without actual accountability, and transparent for consumers, journalists and investors to see, won’t cut it.

Vulnerability matters. Saying you were wrong and improving practices when it comes to equity for your employees, or getting caught promising something and not delivering, will be paramount. Start practicing.

Accountability will continue to come from loyal customers. Many of the reasons that companies have switched to plant based and dairy-free offerings is because their consumers are demanding it. This will only continue with electric vehicles, organic foods, renewable energy and entertainment that is equitable, just and socially diverse.

Of course, the leaders will be rewarded and the laggards will miss out, but what I look forward to most is the innovation that happens along the way.

First came the global pandemic, then lockdown, then vaccines, a slow reopening, Delta, more reopenings, and the idea of living forever with COVID-19. It’s been quite the last couple of years. 

But in the midst of all of the shifting sands below our feet, an amazing thing started to take hold – a re-evaluation of what matters to all of us, in our work, our lives, with our families and how we spend our time. Some call this ‘The Great Resignation’, while others say that the record 4 million Americans that left their jobs have had more to do with a radical realignment of our values that is fueling us to take stock – real stock – of the work we do, how we do it, from where, and with whom. 

This realignment and search for more meaning is a path that I have been following since my early 20s when I felt passionately about working on the issues I cared most about like conservation, food security, organics, education reform, human trafficking and climate change. I consider myself incredibly fortunate to have worked with some of the country’s leading pioneers when it comes to progressive businesses, social entrepreneurship and social impact. 

Back then, I considered myself an idealist, looking to spread the gospel of Ben and Jerry’s, organic foods, ‘doing well by doing good’ or ‘giving back’ through clever cause marketing partnerships and philanthropic initiatives. Luckily, the sector matured, as did we, and we started to separate real change from schemes to sell more stuff or to allow bad acting companies to use their philanthropic halos to define their brands. 

Now, with workers leaving en masse to redefine their own relationship to work, companies are having to face the ‘cracks in the dams’ of their   otherwise hugely profitable and positively performing enterprises. How long did American companies believe that they could keep driving profitability with on-going low wages, a lack of employee benefits, flex time, child care –  or worse, being called out for harassment, discrimination, or any host of social or environmental abuses. 

The great resignation we are currently experiencing, I believe, has more to do with the values-reckoning of individuals, of communities and of a  collective vision we can imagine for something better. Just as we tune out from news that is only negative, from COVID to climate, so too, do we tune out to jobs, gigs, and bosses who add to our stress, suffer a lack of imagination, and leave us less fulfilled than when we started. 

As we seek work that fulfills, informs and enlightens us, we are willing to shift priorities, find creative alliances, and make do with less, in order to have more emotional, creative and connective satisfaction. I, for one, applaud this move and encourage more organizations, for-profits, non-profits and government agencies to think creatively about ways to build cohorts, coalitions and connective professional groups that  can  contribute and lead in a new way.  My own consultancy has been hired for me to create, mentor, manage, guide and direct, working through all kinds of projects and configurations. I hope this only continues. After all, we get what we deserve, and most of us know we deserve good work. 

 Here’s what that means practically, for brands we work with. 

At TRU2U, we ask:

What’s the truest thing about about your work you do, the service you deliver?

Then, we dig a little deeper:

If that is the truest thing about your work, where does it show up in your delivery process?

Getting more to the core: 

How does it show up? How does it make the people you serve, feel? 

You might ask, what are we getting at here?

We seek to help the brands we work with, to better understand some key things about their brand such as: 

·       Do they engage with their customers using the core truths of why they exist?

·       Have they lost sight of their core truths (sometimes values or guiding principles), along the way?

·       Does what they offer/who they partner with/what they deliver in the world feel under-actualized? Valued? Noticed?

For those we work with, and those that hear about it, understand that it is not ordinary branding work, but rather more about getting to the heart of an organization’s reason for existing (what started the idea, what makes people respond, and how can we keep that fire going?)

And in learning about TRU2U, some will forget, others will remember, and others will tell friends.

Creating what we do today,  came about as after working with so many  social change organizations and brands that lost sight of their goals, their compass, their values. The very thing that made them start their work, somehow was getting lost along the way. We saw this over and over again. 

For this reason, we created TRUbranding – a workshop, a dive into the history and a brand Roadmap to help get back on track with language, imagery and campaigns that work – that feel right, that speak to who you actually are, where you are going and why. 

We like to think of ourselves as a service to help brands that are working on some of the biggest challenges, climate, poverty, education reform, wellness, conservation, compassion, food, elevating women and girls, healthcare access, ______________(fill in the blank),  to hit the re-set button. And often they find, that when they get back to communicating from their core truth, they become their best brand self.  

This makes us so happy. It’s what we love to do in the world. 

TRU2U is not for everyone.

We are for the intentional change-makers who seek to achieve their best work, bring others along, and demonstrate impact, according to what’s TRU for them. 

Many years ago, in a student-led sustainable apparel project with an Arts and Design school, TRU2U was born. It was a simple idea  – that any company that was manufacturing stuff, should be transparent, or TRU, about materials, working conditions, and every aspect of a supply chain, from making to selling. 

To the students, it seemed simple. If we make the most basic of things – underwear, for example, we will brand it TRU2U and be transparent to both sides of the story – the back story of the maker as well as the product attributes from the seller. Both sides, the students argued, would make you feel good about wearing it. 

Years later, when TRU2U the underwear concept didn’t make it through our second round of funding, we resurrected the branding process that we created to design, develop and map the brand’s path forward, and tried it on other organizations that were looking for a discovery, research and social impact/sustainability plan. When we applied it to others, it made a world of difference, not just for branding but also for their business strategy, their development goals, their impact and their communications. 

Because it worked so well and gave our clients clearer insight into their core businesses and a path forward, we didn’t feel so bad that the underwear start up failed. You could say, we lost our underwear, but not our shirt. 

To this day, TRUbranding and this process is the core of what we offer. 

When someone asks me what I do, I often say that I am in the business of helping change-makers  – social entrepreneurs, brands, NGOs, non-profits, to discover what they do and where they are going with social impact communications. I often think back to how simple it seemed to our students, but now have the years of experience to see what happens when an organization loses track of where they are going or why they got going in the first place. 

The truth is, our daily lives often become more about making the trains run. We don’t have the luxury of pausing to question: why did we get started; where did we come from; what do we want to risk to get there; and other essential questions that will get us to ‘better’. 

When you have a process that takes you back to the beginning and starts with revealing ‘who, why, what,’ (and some other questions) –  real insights are born. Add to that, the best of your team and some key stakeholders, and it becomes a time machine of AHA moments. Once you map that out, it can be a compass to help you achieve your biggest goals and to accomplish what you set out to do. 

One way to think of this process is to remember that scene in the Wizard of OZ at the end of the movie when Dorothy is distraught that she will never get her one wish – to get back to Kansas, until Galinda, the good witch, tells her she has always had the power all along. Once she names what’s most important, closes her eyes, and trusts, she finds herself where she wanted to be all along. 

Take the pause, mine your truths, and work each day toward that place that only your organization and talented group of people, can achieve. 

Remember Agencies of Record? 

The idea of one agency handling a company’s needs for packaging, strategy, events, and ads  – basically meant that you outsourced all your creative needs to an ad agency – the heart and soul of your brand –  leaving your own team to simply pick up the phone for whatever they needed. Agencies funded their expensive teams and overhead (never mind the drinks and lunches) this way – just watch Mad Men for a reminder. 

This whole system was/is for the big guys –  big corporations, hiring big agencies. Little guys looked on in awe. 

The small companies I worked with and even smaller budgeted non-profits, all wanted some of that glam –  the pitches, the branding, the design and the campaigns. They couldn’t do the price,  they couldn’t do the time and they knew there were few that  actually ‘got’ them – what they did and why. 

So, we  invented something. 

We created a shortened discovery, followed by presenting what we learned, followed by laying out our recommendations.  A fraction of the time and cost, without a bloated agency of record retainer delivering on cool tag lines or slick TV ads. Our goal was not to create the big surprise, to position the product or to reveal the fancy lines. Our goal was, and is,  to get organizations that do good work for the world, back to why they  do what they do – at their essence. When it’s done well, it propels them forward. 

For many who are in it, the  business of social change, of impact, justice or truth doesn’t often feel sexy day in and out. As  the  non-agency-of-record, we found that our whispering on our clients shoulder, to bring them back to their center, to help them see how great their work is and why it matters, was what they needed. 

As marketers, branding specialists or communicators, we have realized that some of our best work happens when we simply help our clients see how amazing they already are. 

As marketers, we don’t typically measure compassion, generosity or love, rather we stick to user acquisition,  impressions, earned and owned, or engagement percentages. 

But aren’t we aiming for our audiences (the people we want to serve) to listen to us, to  try our products or services, and to give us their attention? In my experience, the best way to get attention from someone is to give – to give generously, humbly and even with some  humor.  

Spreading love is an act of generosity.  In order to spread a little, we have to find a little, go inside, pull it out, and spread it around – most of all, not expecting anything in return. That builds trust, and trust grows into loyalty – maybe  even love. 

Think of a brand you love – one you really love. Why do you love it? Not because it has begged for your attention, interrupted you, offended you or even chased you down. 

You likely love a brand because it’s products are great, it makes you smile, it delivers, again and again. 

As a brand leader, try spreading a little love, creatively, sparingly, without demanding attention. See what happens. 

And then, tell everyone  – your employees, your boss, your family, friends and prospects, how it made you feel. Then, spread it a little more.