Making brands better faster by embedding CSR in the brand’s core Brands that matter, and will continue to matter, are harnessing “Many businesses their power to make the world better faster through intentional CSR. talk soothingly about When CSR emanates from the brand’s core it feels corporate social authentic for both customers and employees. The alignment between intention and action can be felt both responsibility, impact in the hallways among employees and in the shopping aisle by consumers who consciously choose the brand; and it creates and social purpose, a shared “ethos” that unites all stakeholders and becomes the catalyst that enables brands to do better faster. but very few put these While SDG and ESG initiatives offer great opportunities at the core of their for brands to align their CSR efforts, selecting which (29) opportunities to align with should be a meticulous decision- operations.” making process based on the brand’s purpose. Brands that articulate how their brand is authentically connected to an overall CSR point of view set themselves up to align with a cascade of appropriate CSR initiatives. Stephen A. Greyser and Mats Urde’s outline of the corporate brand identity matrix is a useful tool for understanding how a core that’s rooted in a company’s CSR goals can emanate throughout the rest of the ecosystem internally and externally. ―Mariana Mazzucato 42 43