• by John Gaffney , October 22, 2002

Before September 11, before Enron, before WorldCom, and before Martha Stewart appeared on the SEC radar, Scott Bedbury was on the case about ethical brand values. Bedbury is a marketing and advertising legend with two high-profile gigs to his credit. He was behind the Just Do It campaign at Nike during the 1990s and developed Michael Jordan and Bo Jackson into media superstars.

Then he went to Starbucks and as senior marketing VP put in place the socially responsible marketing that the chain is known for. Then he took a break. He put his philosophy into a book that came out earlier this year, called A New Brand World, and it’s more relevant now than when it was published.

Bedbury believes advertising needs to communicate a brand’s core values, and that a good brand will incorporate simplicity, patience, relevance, accessibility, humanity, omnipresence, and innovation. He especially emphasizes humanity in terms of the creative, planning, and buying processes of advertising. "Have a heart," he writes in A New Brand World. "And by that I mean don’t just settle for writing a check to charity. Show that you care about your customers [and] the community they live in."

Bedbury also seems to predict the current climate and how advertising can work in it. "I learned that the ability to build a brand that evokes positive human qualities was quite valuable. In this age of widespread distrust of large organizations, that ability is invaluable…. Getting to know someone means getting to know his behaviors, attitudes and values…. Convey your human values wherever you can."

The book also urges marketers and media professionals to plan for 75% of all their activity. The spontaneous 25% of effort should be reserved for the present climate, with its market shifts, and the "emergence of a new opportunity or challenge."