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Prize winner
Published by: Institute for Management Development (IMD)
Originally published in: 2008
Version: 01.09.2009

Abstract

This is the second of a two-case series (IMD-3-1909 and IMD-3-1910). Peter could not believe his eyes. He was just sifting through comments posted on the Inhabitat website following the London and New York Fashion Weeks. While the articles themselves were very supportive of his strategy and Rikke Wienmann''s collections, the postings on the website''s readers'' comments were direct attacks on his sustainability rationale, basically labelling it ''greenwash,'' and very critical of his choice of models, too skinny by today''s standards and concerns for anorexia. With the violent heartburn receding, he tried to understand what the implications of such rash customer perceptions could be for the brand and its positioning. Maybe this was just an isolated incident from disgruntled British and American customers, overexposed to the issues and hence over-sensitive to them. But maybe it also reflected a turning point in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. Were people really starting to feel that way? Were they starting to question these CSR labels and how much they really did for people in Africa? Was this the beginning of the dreaded backlash against the new green political correctness? Was CSR now also spreading to issues such as people''s weights? The responses from the fashion editor and other readers were encouraging, but it was time maybe to prepare for similar questioning of the underlying philosophy of the company. It was time for sure to shed more light on Illuminati II''s contributions to Ugandan''s farmers? Learning objectives: developing a brand; building CSR into an offering; fair-trade concepts; certified organic productions; managing growth in the fashion business; corporate communication; financing fast growth; product positioning; managing a communication crisis.
Size:
Start-up
Other setting(s):
2007-2009

About

Abstract

This is the second of a two-case series (IMD-3-1909 and IMD-3-1910). Peter could not believe his eyes. He was just sifting through comments posted on the Inhabitat website following the London and New York Fashion Weeks. While the articles themselves were very supportive of his strategy and Rikke Wienmann''s collections, the postings on the website''s readers'' comments were direct attacks on his sustainability rationale, basically labelling it ''greenwash,'' and very critical of his choice of models, too skinny by today''s standards and concerns for anorexia. With the violent heartburn receding, he tried to understand what the implications of such rash customer perceptions could be for the brand and its positioning. Maybe this was just an isolated incident from disgruntled British and American customers, overexposed to the issues and hence over-sensitive to them. But maybe it also reflected a turning point in the corporate social responsibility (CSR) movement. Were people really starting to feel that way? Were they starting to question these CSR labels and how much they really did for people in Africa? Was this the beginning of the dreaded backlash against the new green political correctness? Was CSR now also spreading to issues such as people''s weights? The responses from the fashion editor and other readers were encouraging, but it was time maybe to prepare for similar questioning of the underlying philosophy of the company. It was time for sure to shed more light on Illuminati II''s contributions to Ugandan''s farmers? Learning objectives: developing a brand; building CSR into an offering; fair-trade concepts; certified organic productions; managing growth in the fashion business; corporate communication; financing fast growth; product positioning; managing a communication crisis.

Settings

Size:
Start-up
Other setting(s):
2007-2009

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