Empty business statements are meaningless in the era of the socially conscious consumer

Customers are becoming more conflicted. Now is the time for corporate kingpins to get some principles, says Chris Blackhurst

Shoppers are worried about the environment and their fellow man in a way they never were previously (AFP)

What is on the minds of business chiefs as the year ends, and they contemplate a holiday season and a welcome break – one in which they can be a bit more reflective about where they are heading?

Putting aside anxieties about the general election and Brexit, and encroaching globalisation and the rise of artificial intelligence, the one abiding worry is their sense of purpose. Perhaps late in the day, corporates are realising that if they don’t have an objective, coupled with principles that they are seen to be adhering to, they will suffer.

This is beyond the now old-fashioned mission statement. When they became the rage, seemingly every company everywhere chose a few words that appeared to mean something they could put under their logo and use to adorn their marketing material. They were empty and meaningless, and nobody could ever judge them on whether they matched what they proclaimed or lamentably failed. “Building homes for tomorrow” – isn’t that what builders do? They don’t construct homes for the past. “To help make every brand more inspiring, and the world more intelligent” – please. “Our mission is to operate the best specialty retail business in America, regardless of the product we sell” – so we have no particular affinity for the product we sell, it could be anything?