The social contract between business and society is changing. Today’s consumers are increasingly belief-driven as values have become almost as important as price in driving purchase intent. Chief executives are increasingly taking vocal stands on matters like climate change and gun control while companies from Nike to Paddy Power have launched socially-aware campaigns designed to tap into the growing demand for ethical consumerism. And yet in the midst of this shift, public trust in advertising is plummeting and favourability levels are at a record low. Who decides what the purpose of a business might be? Should we let businesses enter debates irrelevant to them? And how do we make sure they aren’t simply jumping on the “woke wagon”?
Our special guest is:
Alan Jope, CEO, Unilever
Chair: James Harding, Editor and Co-founder, Tortoise
