Generative A.I. is all the talk in marketing these days. Yet, we are framing our conversation about it in the wrong way. The critical shift is not about our internal processes. The way we work will certainly change. But what will change the most is not the way we work but the ways in which consumers will engage with us.
Every required element of a business is a cost of doing business, and thus subject to cost pressures. Organizationally, finance may not be in charge, but finance gets a big say.
The war for talent has been relentless, even before the so-called Great Resignation and quiet quitting that followed the pandemic. Silicon Valley perks were all about attracting scarce talent. The power of employees has been most evident when it comes to corporate purpose.
The status quo is always being challenged. Whatever dominates is always being criticized and derogated. The mainstream is never the only thing. Trends invite counter-trends.
A story late last year in The New York Times about the proliferation of classes at elite business schools teaching “corporate social obligations and how to rethink capitalism” is emblematic of what has taken place with corporate social purpose over the past decade. Purpose has gone from an insurgent idea challenging capitalism to a mainstream part of 21st century capitalistic thinking. Purpose has gone mainstream.
