It’s hard not to love Good Brand & Company. They are a small group of self-confessed ‘half-full’ consultants with a great energy to help their clients - which include market leaders such as Muller, Cadburys and Nespresso - to develop creative corporate social strategy. Last week I joined the GoodBrand family celebrate their 10th anniversary and it got me thinking about a few things:

Firstly, I was struck by the strength in positive language. Dean Sanders, GoodBrand founder and director, invited us to adopt an ‘abundance’ mentality, reminding us that there really is no shortage of energy, intellect and creativity in making the admittedly difficult transition to a sustainable economy. He confessed, however, that they are not very excited about the word ’sustainable’ (try using it in another sentence eg. ‘my marriage is sustainable’?) or ‘CSR’ - instead aspiring to help create ‘thriving’, well-run organisations, growing in healthy ways, and making good.

Secondly, it renewed my confidence around the brand opportunity that companies have right now: standing for = standing out. Truth is, companies being public about their good deeds has long been criticised as meaningless ‘greenwash‘ and a recent survey shows that 44% of UK’s consumers still doubt the motivations of corporates doing good things. But in a world in which nearly 2/3 of business value is tied up in intangible assets, brands are very good at generating economic value, and getting it right is worth a lot. Brands work by appealing to things that we value, so as society moves to become much more interested in social and environmental impacts, what does it mean for brands? GoodBrand’s Pete Askew shared his thoughts about brands as systems of goodness.

Lucky for us, The Hub will be seeing lots more of GoodBrand, having teamed up with them to create a new home for social innovation in the heart of London which opens in March 2008. We’re hoping to create a space that embodies the GoodBrand energy, inspiring and supporting those that are making good in more ways than one.