If proving a public hypothesis is a journalistic bulls-eye, then we’ve hit one of sorts in one of our first enquiries on a David Jones brand’s performance on the environment.
Because this is new turf and the way this work is carried out most effectively in the blogosphere, I’ll be narrating and commenting on both the process of conducting my research as well as its findings. Here’s just one useful and informative indication of what we will likely see much.
My research at the date of this post shows the web site of electrical goods brand Sunbeam to be offering no evidence that this business has any undertakings at all on climate and environment. On deeper interrogation, you’d hope that its executives could offer more. After all, there are no sales to be lost for acting more sustainably. Moreover, those companies that have some kind of initiative under way, no matter how minuscule and inconsequential, will usually over-claim about their efforts.
That Sunbeam has nothing to show, however, doesn’t look good. It won’t inspire confidence among potential customers seeking some kind of reassurance from a major-label brand about its attempts to alleviate its negative impacts on the environment. Both this and its retail host could be doing more and should, many might expect, if they are to claim brand leadership, be leading by example.
Worse, however, is that upon enquiring with the company, I received a return call from Sunbeam’s boss, David Jackson. He concurred, somewhat unguardedly I thought for one keen to field my query, that he thought I would find most major companies doing little on the environment.
Worse, Jackson – the chief executive - said he couldn't comment on his own company’s environmental policies and would have to pass me up the line to his own boss at Sunbeam’s owner, GUD Holdings Limited.
As a story, this is a good one: that the senior executive of a well-known household electrical goods brand can’t tell us what his own organisation’s policy is on climate and environment is poor public relations at best. But, if this also suggests there is no such policy, or at least one that can not easily be recited by those who should be most fluent in doing so, is this not both an own goal, but also an opportunity for its competitors?
Two obvious steps follow. First, we will identify who those competitors are to seek their comment. Next, we will get on to GUD’s managing director Ian Campbell to find out what he thinks should be its brand’s next steps in clearing up this gaffe. After all, GUD Holdings’ own site isn’t exactly rich in its own promises on climate and environment.
It would be good to know how important Sunbeam’s sales are to David Jones and what kind of investment it has made in this brand, but that can wait until there is more flesh on this bone.
Sunbeam’s Cloud Citizen profile is here.
Because this is new turf and the way this work is carried out most effectively in the blogosphere, I’ll be narrating and commenting on both the process of conducting my research as well as its findings. Here’s just one useful and informative indication of what we will likely see much.
My research at the date of this post shows the web site of electrical goods brand Sunbeam to be offering no evidence that this business has any undertakings at all on climate and environment. On deeper interrogation, you’d hope that its executives could offer more. After all, there are no sales to be lost for acting more sustainably. Moreover, those companies that have some kind of initiative under way, no matter how minuscule and inconsequential, will usually over-claim about their efforts.
That Sunbeam has nothing to show, however, doesn’t look good. It won’t inspire confidence among potential customers seeking some kind of reassurance from a major-label brand about its attempts to alleviate its negative impacts on the environment. Both this and its retail host could be doing more and should, many might expect, if they are to claim brand leadership, be leading by example.
Worse, however, is that upon enquiring with the company, I received a return call from Sunbeam’s boss, David Jackson. He concurred, somewhat unguardedly I thought for one keen to field my query, that he thought I would find most major companies doing little on the environment.
Worse, Jackson – the chief executive - said he couldn't comment on his own company’s environmental policies and would have to pass me up the line to his own boss at Sunbeam’s owner, GUD Holdings Limited.
As a story, this is a good one: that the senior executive of a well-known household electrical goods brand can’t tell us what his own organisation’s policy is on climate and environment is poor public relations at best. But, if this also suggests there is no such policy, or at least one that can not easily be recited by those who should be most fluent in doing so, is this not both an own goal, but also an opportunity for its competitors?
Two obvious steps follow. First, we will identify who those competitors are to seek their comment. Next, we will get on to GUD’s managing director Ian Campbell to find out what he thinks should be its brand’s next steps in clearing up this gaffe. After all, GUD Holdings’ own site isn’t exactly rich in its own promises on climate and environment.
It would be good to know how important Sunbeam’s sales are to David Jones and what kind of investment it has made in this brand, but that can wait until there is more flesh on this bone.
Sunbeam’s Cloud Citizen profile is here.
