John Friedman - PR 2.0: How Digital Media Can Help You Build a Sustainable Brand

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About the Authors

JOHN FRIEDMAN is an award-winning communications professional and recognized sustainability expert with more than 25 years of experience as both an external and internal sustainability leader, helping companies, ranging from small companies to leading global enterprises, turn their values into successful business models by integrating their environmental, social, and economic aspirations into their cultures and business practices.

@JohnFriedman is recognized as a thought leader on digital media; #2 on Triple Pundits List of the Top 30 Sustainability Bloggers on Twitter http://www.triplepundit.com/2013/03/top-30-sustainability-bloggers-twitter/ , #3 on GreenBiz list of most influential twitterati http://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/08/13/greenbiz-twitterati-2014 , #14 on Guardian Business 30 most influential sustainability voices in America http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/twitter-list-30-sustainability-voices-america and has regularly been included among the top voices in CSR by Forbes Brandfog since 2010. His insights on sustainability issues and strategy are regular features on Huffington Post, and he hosts Sound Living with John Friedman on EcoPlanetRadio.com. His pieces have also appeared on 3BLMedia, CSRwire, SustainableBrands, Forbes.com, Vaultcareers, and JustMeans. An Albany State (New York) communications graduate, Friedman earned a management certificate as part of the Lafarge/Duke Management Training program at the Fuqua School of Business in 2000.

Contents

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

FIGURE 1. Where do digital media fit?

Created in 1985 by the Harvard Business Review, before e-mail or digital media, the question now needs to be asked, and answered: Where do digital media like e-mail, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. belong on this graphic?

AT THE 2014 Sustainable Brands conference in San Diego, protestors carrying signs and an increasing number of tweets from relatively few accounts should have served as a canary in the coalmine for conference sponsor 3M. But when their VP of global sustainability took the main stage for a scheduled presentation, she stuck with her prepared script. As a result, conference attendees started weighing in via Twitter, even during her remarks. Comments ranged from questioning Good social innovation talk from @3M, but curious made no mention of the forestry issues or protesters outside to the downright critical #3M #sustainability VP gave a speech at #SB14sd that didnt address controversial fiber in 3Ms #supplychain and I had a hard time ignoring this. How can they? The story quickly expanded beyond the 2000 conference attendees. Both