CSR HIGHLIGHT
Lessons from NBC’s VP of Green is Universal
Literal gold from Beth Colleton
The price of gold went down after GreenBiz’ interview with Beth Collation, NBC’s VP of Green is Universal, because of how many amazing things she said. I’ve highlighted and reflected on some of her most relevant points in this post.
Beth came to NBC in 2008 after doing CSR for the NFL. At NBC she manages the Green is Universal initiative, which encourages actions towards sustainability in all areas of NBC’s reach.
Let’s just go in order and start with her answer to one of Maya Albanese’s (the interviewer) first questions of why Beth is passionate about sustainability:
“My interest in sustainability comes from recognizing that we’re all going to continue to be producers and consumers, but it doesn’t mean that we can’t continue to move our communities and our countries forward in a more sustainable way… It is provocative and it’s inspiring people to move forward rather than just being an issue of regulatory compliance that restricts or inhibits growth.”
Okay, besides appreciating her acknowledgement of the fact that our society will always be one of production and consumption, I LOVE how she seeks to inspire people towards sustainability. Sure, legislatively forcing people/corporations to be sustainable is okay, but it turns people off. People love to find loop holes. However, by inspiring people to take sustainability into their own hands, it can be a key aspect of innovation and growth for an organization. Throughout this interview, it is clear that Beth understands this because she encourages each facet of NBCUniversal to participate in sustainability efforts in the best way for them, which brings us to her next spewing of gold.
Maya asks why media companies have a such a vital role in driving social and environmental change. Beth responds beautifully. (Disclaimer: I seperated her response into several sections so that I could reflect on them individually).
“As a media company, we do play a different kind of role in this space. While we’re constantly looking at improving our footprint, our consumer interface is really our best asset. We have access to hundreds of millions of people in any given month through all the outlets in our portfolio. We have the platforms to educate and inform many specific types of demographics…”
THANK YOU BETH! This is precisely why I believe it is crucial for the entertainment industry to be deeply involved in corporate responsibility, because they reach such a vast population and largely shape public opinion and action. As an entertainment-obsessed society, the companies that produce this entertainment have the potential to do immense good.
“…You get traction only when you talk to people in an authentic way about things that they really care about. We call this a ‘customized value proposition.’ It’s not about what you’re selling; it’s about what they’re buying…”
There are two great lessons here: (1) For all of us interested in CSR, we must always be honest because people can see straight through inauthenticity; (2) For all of us just generally interested in change, we must speak in a way that intrigues our audience, otherwise we’ll never get them to disrupt their routine.
“…You can’t talk about sustainability in one general way or people will just tune out. For example, CNBC brought Green is Universal to life by talking to their investor community about renewable energy portfolios and resource availability. For MSNBC, the message is bended toward politics and policy. For Oxygen, it is about lifestyle, and how folks can go green in their everyday lives.”
Since Beth’s Corporate Sustainability department at NBCUniversal works with a portfolio of over 50 on-air, online and experiential brands, her team works with each one to help them promote sustainability in their best way. To make the most impact, a generic statement about turning off your lights and putting your empty cans in the recycling simply will not do. Instead, Beth’s concept of tailoring the sustainability message to speak to each audience has the strongest punch. She also works with the roller-coaster builders to help them create in a more sustainable manner, with the animation department to lessen the electricity use of their computers, with the remote filming teams to reduce travel and transportation impact, and on and on. These ways in which Beth helps each and every department in their own way extends to every aspect of the NBCUniversal structure. As she says, “We must empower the individual crews to make their footprints smaller.”
Working so specifically with each department takes a substantial knowledge of sustainability. In a similar vein to my last post (about doing our homework as radicals), Beth didn’t just wake up and start shouting “Go Green” from the NBC rooftops. She has undoubtedly researched extensively and hired a team of excellent people who can all view and teach sustainability in many different lights.
“As I like to say, ‘Don’t talk to people about apples when they’re interested in oranges.’ You must understand the people in your system— what they do and what they care about. To advance your company’s platform effectively, focus on understanding how sustainability can provide value to each of the stakeholders you’re dealing with and customize that proposition accordingly.”
With that, good luck and happy tailoring!
Take a look at the original article here:
