Winner: Nike, Inc.
Campaign: Corporate Responsibility Report
Nike is one of the most recognizable brands worldwide, and its executives take the responsibility that comes with this notoriety very seriously. In this vein, with its second
CSR report, the company became the first in the industry to disclose contract factories in an effort to increase transparency and promote systematic change.
But that disclosure is just one of many efforts that hinge on transparent business practices. In 2007, Nike released the third report, extending the dialogue about the
company's performance to all stakeholders by taking it to the Web.
Just Do It
Before going global via the Internet, Nike execs gathered internal and external feedback to refine their reporting approach. This feedback, coupled with the formation of a
Report Review Committee of credible external stakeholders, further formalized the push for complete transparency; the team even provided a statement that accompanied the report,
which validated the committee's involvement.
With a full-frontal transparency strategy behind it, the team repositioned the content to a focus on business as a catalyst for growth and innovation. Then, it shifted the
traditional dialogue with stakeholders from defining problems to designing solutions, all through a digital strategy.
The resulting report is shaped by rich Web content, using the online forum to provide additional discussions of core impact areas. To round out the transparency theme, the
Committee's full feedback--both positive and negative--is available as part of the report.