MostContagious2012.pdf - Contagious Magazine

sbpf / little
brands, big
thinkers
Another important shift is that social responsibility
is no longer just a bolt-on feature, but is
becoming part of the fabric of some of the best
new businesses. And people want to buy from
companies that care. This year’s Edelman’s
goodpurpose study of 8,000 consumers across
16 markets found that if price and quality is
equal, social purpose is the most important factor
determining people’s purchasing decisions.
Sir Richard’s /
US condom brand Sir Richard’s impressed us
this year by exemplifying the Contagious mantra
of ‘useful, relevant, entertaining’, combining
chemical-free contraceptives with a socialimpact
mission, all brought to life through some
great marketing. The brand’s Vagina Rules
campaign, for example, featured an online film
of women explaining what they wouldn’t put
in their vaginas (‘Investment bankers, roadies,
street performers...’) to highlight the product’s
vegan-friendly and PETA-certified credentials.
The brand’s wider social mission takes the
form of Sir Richard’s donating a condom to a
developing country, such as Haiti, for every one
bought. However, the process isn’t quite as
functional as ‘buy one, give one’. The company
worked with Haitian artists and musicians to
create a stand-alone brand called KORE (a Haitian
slang term roughly translating as ‘I have your
back’) appropriate for that country. Speaking to
Contagious earlier in the year, Sir Richard’s MD,
Jim Moscou, told us how it allowed people to
‘use their product choice to create a positive
impact on the world’.
The product went to market in 2010, securing
distribution across the US in 2011. It subsequently
launched in the UK during October
2012 and aims to expand into mainland Europe
and Russia in the near future. Contagious 33.
www.sirrichards.com
Hiut Denim /
The South Wales-based denim company,
founded by David and Clare Hieatt, previously
of clothing brand howies, started crafting its
high-end, handmade jeans earlier this year, resurrecting
the denim industry in Cardigan, Wales.
Every pair comes with a unique code known
as a HistoryTag. This allows owners to follow
the production of their jeans in the factory and
then build up a presence for the jeans online,
by tweeting or tagging images on Flickr and Instagram
with their code, adding their own experiences
to the lifeline of the jeans. We all associate
certain songs, scents and objects with significant
life experiences and love how Hiut is enabling
people to attach their own memories to a physical
product. Welcome to the internet of things.
Contagious 31.
hiutdenim.co.uk
MOVEMENTs purpose sErVicE data technology design social biz sharing amplified screens augmented retail personalise new loyalty payment sbpf
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