John OBrien - Truth Be Told: How Authentic Marketing and Communications Wins in the Purposeful Age

A brilliant distillation of the way the world is moving today, where the moral compass is important and authenticity isnt a catchphrase. It was happening before the Covid-19 pandemic, but all over the world, people are confronting the mismatch between their consumption behaviours and the world they say they want to live in, and actions speak louder than words. This book takes no prisoners and is important because it positions action in the laps of the leaders who are responsible and frankly discusses the challenges of genuine leadership at a time when the corporate world has realized that if we wait for politicians our fate is bleak. Now is the time when corporate leaders have to rise to the challenge of recalibrating attitudes that are now superseded by the imperative of leading as both citizen and corporate leader. This book chronicles a moment of profound change and provides a roadmap to help all those who would learn from those who have gone before and wish to give the best version of themselves to those they serve, their fellow citizens and their companies. Utterly riveting.

Sir Tim Smit, Founder, Eden Project

Those brands that succeed moving forwards will be those living and breathing a clear purpose authentically, which makes this book an essential and timely read for marketing leaders.

Peter Markey, Chief Marketing Officer, Boots plc

A really timely and helpful book, packed full of global examples, references and handy checklists. It is a refreshing mix of common sense and sound research to ensure that any organization knows how to observe the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth in everything it does if its to succeed now and into the future.

Rita Clifton CBE, Deputy Chairman, John Lewis

As more and more companies activate their purpose and consider how best to connect with key audiences, Truth Be Told shows them how to be successful. An indispensable playbook for every PR and marketing professional committed to driving positive change.

Paul Polman, Co-founder, IMAGINE

Businesses and brands have come to understand the power even necessity of a clearly articulated purpose has recently become well understood, but nailing it is harder than it sounds. Truth Be Told provides a roadmap for business and communications leaders to identify an authentic, credible and inspiring purpose.

Kim Sample, President, The PR Council

Founding strategies and communications on purpose-based truth is a shortcut to success Truth Be Told offers a clear pathway to make this effective.

Sophie Devonshire, Chief Executive, The Marketing Society

In a world of fake news, it is more important than ever for brands to be Truth Tellers and to tell their brand stories authentically. This book is brilliant at helping brands achieve this important ambition moving forward.

Fred Cook, Director, USC Center for Public Relations, USC Annenberg

Many books, blogs, and articles have been written about purpose and purpose-led organizations recently. This book is the result of two well-respected communications professionals and provides many interesting insights and observations about one of the most challenging business topics of our time. A must-read for those who want to make a true difference in building meaningful reputations and brands.

Andre Manning, Managing Director, Logeion (Dutch Association for Communications Professionals)

This is an incredibly worthwhile and valuable book, packed with substance and insight. The authors make sense of this unprecedented moment in society and business and provide a clear path forward for you to distinguish your organization as a leader. They powerfully illuminate the intersection of purpose, stakeholder capitalism and communications and tell us how to create external value for the values you hold internally. This is not a book about how to run an effective marketing campaign it is something much more profound. Read it!

Rob Flaherty, Chairman, Ketchum

Authentic purpose, clear values and ethical culture are now critical for enduring business success. This book provides a timely challenge to marcoms professionals to help deliver this.

Professor David Grayson CBE, Chair, The Institute of Business Ethics

In a paradoxical and uncertain world, the best (if not the only) way to thrive is by finding a purpose. John OBrien and David Gallagher explore and bring clarity around the main verticals and ideas surrounding purposeful business and stakeholder capitalism. A must-read for executives, entrepreneurs, investors and everyone interested in understanding how to link profit with human-centric social impact. A hugely insightful read for journalists as well, as truth-seekers and communicators. A brilliant book!

Elizabeth Filippouli, Journalist, Author and Founder of Global Thinkers Forum

This book is dedicated to Johns parents who taught him truth needed to be told, and to Davids parents, who instilled the importance of listening as the means for understanding.

I was the product of a family of small business owners in a rural market town in the British Midlands in the early 1960s. Both my parents had their own shops, as did my grandparents, and several other relatives were businesspeople and smallholders. In two of the shops, at an age too small to be seen over the counter, I would stand on a step to watch the shop whilst whichever family member or member of staff went off to make the tea. As I grew, so did my awareness of the efforts my family put into the businesses and their local marketing, from adverts in the local newspapers, a picture ad at the cinema, thematic window displays, as well as involvement in the local business chamber, charity events and community activities. The shops were a bustle of activity; not just customers, but also employees, sales representatives, local suppliers bringing goods in or neighbours popping in for a chat. The shops were a part of their local communities and a community in itself. My family responded to local circumstances, met market demand and used simple messaging, alongside their front-of-house behaviours, which built trust and reputation. The oldest business was a shop started by my great-grandfather in 1908 and which is still operated today by a former employee under the same name; for over 100 years it has served local people with the same sense of character and goodwill which local businesses are best placed to embody. That surely is sustainable success in business.

Having left school, and after a few short years in banking, I actually took a diversion, attending the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst, gaining my commission and going on to serve 10 years as an infantry officer. That experience embodied within me a strong sense of personal purpose, as aligned with the organization. This in turn was based on strong ethics and a set of behavioural values. When I left the Army in 1994, I found myself applying such principles at the interface of business with society, including 10 years as the Prince of Waless director of programmes at his responsible business network BITC (Business in the Community), which gave me unparalleled experience working with and advising major global and UK business leaders on initiatives covering over 20 countries. Then in 2010, having become disillusioned by the relative failure of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to change business behaviour in the wider sense, I embarked upon creating a post-CSR proposition, helping contribute to much of the now accepted language and thinking around ethical purpose in business. Having built my own business, I joined Omnicom in 2017 to co-lead their ethical purpose consortium of agencies, leading to a further expansion of applying purpose strategy thinking into global marketing and communications.