Saints and Sinners: A Theory // 02.18.2009 at 11:49 AM

In the next few years, we are going to see two kinds of companies emerge from this mess: Saints and Sinners.

A very recent survey indicates that CEOs are less popular than politicians -- a sign of things to come. In my book, Saving The World At Work, I predicted that the Responsibility Revolution would reshape branding as we know it.

My research indicated that the 2002 scandals, such as Enron and WorldCom, gave rise to the corporate social responsibility movement. Consumers began to gravitate to companies that offered a social value proposition: Green, community focused or good to employees. This is a natural psychological reaction to scandals and the resulting landscape.

This will only get bigger.

This is why a recent article (Surprising Survivors: Corporate Do-Gooders) indicates that leading companies with sagging stock prices are holding firm to their commitments to the Triple Bottom Line.

So don't give up on your commitments to connect your company with a cause bigger than surviving. Your future brand depends on it. Also, many companies will cement a social reputation over the next year or two, based on their ability to continue to 'do the right thing', when media pundits are suggesting they jump the shark instead.