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I love brilliant ideas, especially when they apply to purpose. The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity ended last week and the winner of the Glass Lion for Change was especially moving. Originating from South Korea, where domestic violence has increased more than 700% over the last 8 years, “Knock Knock" is a silent emergency call to 112. With just two taps on a phone screen, users can alert the police to a domestic abuse situation. Why silent? Most often, abusers are in the same physical location as the woman they are attacking. The technology also allows a secret chat and provides a link to the phone camera for recording and instant location identification. Since launch, the 112 service has responded to more than 5,000 abusive cases and has become the official emergency call for South Korea. This technology reminds me of My Special Aflac Duck, our purpose invention designed to comfort children with pediatric cancer over their 1,000 day journey. If you love this type of impact, my advice is to find a nugget of real need and invent around it. You may win at Cannes. And, more importantly, transform lives.
On the horizon. Corporate boards are more diverse than ever, but won't mirror US diversity until 2060. Deloitte's latest census of Fortune 500 boards reveals that women and individuals from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups hold historically high levels of board seats, accounting for 44.7% of Fortune 500 directors. African American women have seen a 47% increase in their representation, while Asian and Pacific Islander women have experienced a 27% increase. However, women from these groups still only represent 7.8% of Fortune 500 directors. Deloitte projects that although the representation gap will narrow in the coming decades, boards are still far from reflecting the demographic makeup of the U.S. population. // Forbes—Boards could start mirroring US diversity by 2060, Deloitte projects
"Stop the insanity." The American public is increasingly on the side of supporting human and civil rights when it comes to safe, appropriate abortion access, found a recent Suffolk University/USA Today poll. Despite ongoing attacks on abortion rights in all 50 states, the poll showed that 58% of respondents were in favor compared to 30% opposed, indicating a positive shift in public opinion. The survey also demonstrated non-partisan support for abortion rights, especially among women, with 80% opposing a federal ban on abortion. Businesses operating in anti-abortion states may face challenges in terms of workforce recruitment and healthcare, highlighting the need for business leaders to have a clear and science-oriented stance on abortion. // Triple Pundit—The public is behind US corporations that stand up for abortion rights, survey finds
Fighting climate change is good business.
Despite continued turmoil around ESG, the majority of Fortune 500 CEOs believe action against climate change is good for business. Respondents said they believed a focus on climate would better engage employees (77%), strengthen bonds with customers (61%), open up new markets (59%), and improve relations with shareholders (51%). Notably, only 12% said climate efforts would have no business benefit. // Fortune—Companies are wavering on ESG—but Fortune 500 CEOs still think fighting climate change is good business
Navigating a recession with purpose. Prioritizing the needs of stakeholders is always a good idea, but research demonstrates it can also help companies navigate economic downturns. "Companies that double down on progressive, transformational strategies—and that use their material issues to map both risks and opportunities—do more than survive. They thrive."// Sustainable Brands—5 ways to recession-proof your brand with purpose
Listen to the latest episode of Purpose 360 Podcast with Carol Cone here What is your organization’s employee purpose iQ? Host Carol Cone and Wendy Salomon, Managing Director of Reputation & Corporate Strategy at The Harris Poll, introduce EPiQ (Employee Purpose iQ) the first-of-its-kind tool to measure the success of your organization’s purpose. EPiQ uses a succinct set of targeted metrics exploring Credibility, Talent, and Activation to understand and diagnose where purpose is not optimized while identifying efficient strategies to move the organization forward.