I'm in awe of the NRA.

As an outsider (aka Canadian) I see an organization whose continued existence as a political force defies logic.

So what makes this org tick? How has it continued to grow in stature, membership and power, even as other countries boost gun regulation?...

For businesses, eco-certification labels are a manifestation of two forces. First, a desire to demonstrate responsibility in an easy to understand, shorthand form. And second, creating market differentiation.

This agenda coincides nicely with increasing public demand for information on how responsibly things are made, used, and disposed of.

Innovation is a concept that both thrills and terrifies organizations.

The word sounds great in ads and speeches. But in practice, innovation is often undisciplined, leading to erratic results and epic second-guessing. I'm reminded of Chuck Jones, Warner Brothers' famous animator, who said "Anxiety is the handmaiden of creativity."

When...

In the wake of Hurricane Sandy's carnage, Paul Barrett wrote a simple, plain-spoken indictment of U.S. inaction on climate change. The story made Bloomberg Businessweek's cover the same week Michael Bloomberg threw his support behind President Obama -- in Bloomberg's eyes, the only candidate who would do something,...

A major fashion manufacturer embarks on a journey to sustainability. Supply chains and operations are modified, new priorities added to governance, goals set and achieved. The entire product line grows greener by the year.

Then the manufacturer decides to launch an eco-line as a flagship. And things go wrong.

The...

I cut my advertising teeth in a world where massive campaigns were created to trumpet innovations that were usually incremental, or insignificant. While it was terrific fun for me as a creative director, I believe in hindsight our clients would've been better served diverting ad funds into R&D. Designer Yves...

I believe design is key to building a futureproof brand.

It bridges cultural divides and invites new users; it lowers our confusion and trepidation around technology; and, hey, it makes us feel like we're moving civilization forward, even if that progress comes dressed as a new phone or blender.

Having...

Last week, I delivered a talk on motivating consumers to action. My formula for success boiled down to two simple fundamentals. Understand yourself, and understand your customer.

How hard could this be? There isn't a brand manager alive who doesn't understand their brand and target market, right?

Wrong....

I've downloaded my share of magazine subscriptions. After a short trial, I discontinued most of them. The experience was clunky, and didn't feel like a natural evolution of reading.

As someone passionate about building futureproof brands, this piqued my curiosity. What exactly was it that was so...

Some of the hottest giveaways at this year's Sustainable Brands conference were Relan's iPad totes.

Made from jettisoned billboard vinyl, the colorful, playful bags grabbed eyeballs from across the room.

But there was more to these bags than meets the eye.

As Della Simpson, co-owner of...

I had a refreshingly candid conversation with Bob Taylor the other day.

Taylor's company, Taylor Guitars, personifies new thinking and engineering in the age-old craft of guitar building. I play a Taylor, and can enthusiastically vouch for the company's approach.

What Bob Taylor and I talked about, however,...

Sustainability provides a natural brand link in some categories. Organics are perceived as a step up in food and body care, high efficiency is an increasingly easy sell in automotive.

But casinos? It's hard to see how a happy planet could build the brand of the gambling, entertainment, and nightclub...

Chipotle is a restaurant chain that does extremely well serving fresh food fast. I was going to call it fast food, but that seems a bit denigrating to what Chipotle offers. Writer Tom Roston went so far as to say "comparing a Chipotle taco to one...

I admit it. I'm a sucker for big, bold innovation. It gets headlines, and reassures our belief in human ingenuity.

A great example is HP's flexible display. I was introduced to this research project at an innovation conference last year, and was captivated by its promise of potentially...

I had a great talk the other day about the timing of innovation with Rahul Raj, Director of Sustainability and Merchandising Innovation at Wal-Mart.

We were introduced through colleagues at Sustainable Brands, a conference Raj is speaking at this June. As we'd both attended several SB...

We live in a time of unprecedented chaos. Whether it's economic, environmental, technological or cultural uncertainty, the world we inhabit isn't easy for people, or brands to navigate.

Comfort would certainly come from predictability. Unfortunately, prognostication is a dangerous game. Consumer trends may seem logical in hindsight -- but they're...

Richard Branson is an entrepreneur who understands how business can shape a more sustainable world. Consider this quote from his book Screw Business As Usual: "Never has there been a more exciting time for all of us to explore this great next frontier where boundaries between work and...

Last summer, OgilvyEarth released Mainstream Green, a significant study on why mainstream consumers weren't buying into the green movement.

Mainstream Green noted that the majority of consumers were 'light green' and willing to act sustainably, but the incentives simply weren't motivating.

I've written and lectured quite...

I had an interesting conversation on innovation with John Viera, global director of sustainability and vehicle environmental matters for Ford. Viera was in town speaking at the GLOBE 2012 Conference.

The company has long embraced sustainability in its operations, consistently innovating greater and greater efficiencies -- the sort...

The concept of brand has rippled, or expanded, greatly with the rise of sustainability.

Suddenly, it isn't all about limiting interaction to times revolving around consumption. Companies are thinking about how the consumer can do more, impacting the environment during use or at disposal, for example. And they're also going...