"ESG" Leaves Bad Taste in Executive Mouths - Will Business Circle Back to Generic Language Like "Corporate Responsibility?"

That was fast. In 2020 "ESG" was the designated way of virtue signaling. Now, documents The Wall Street Journal, the term has become verboten in the language of business. That extends to investing niches. However, this story isn't really new. Several months ago I analyzed the shift in O'Dwyer's Public Relations. 

In the WSJ article chair of law firm Paul, Weiss Brad Karp notes that the terminology is out but not the concepts it embodies such as the overall values of business. He's right. After all, business is a social institution. It exists in society and like the rest of us it has to conform. 

But there is a lesson to be learned. Here it is: The next stab at designatting values or virtue signaling should be positioned and packaged more generically. 

For decades, IBM had been respected for its policy of being "a good corporate citizen." It made the point that such an approach to business was not only good for society but also good for its global growth. It made explicit in all its messaging that the policy was in its own self-interest. For instance, in nations it entered it trained and promoted local talent. That insider strategy usually served to accelerate growth. Along the way, IBM did not impose on that successful outreach buzzy new titles. It kept the language simple.

During those years myriad other large corporations adopted the term "corporate responsibility." It was so open that in both their external and internal communications they could easily insert any and all initiatives. There was no rhetorical force-fitting by us corporate speechwriters/ghostwriters. 

That brings us to the linguistic nuts and bolts of possible resetting of the titles and mission statements of practices and progams in business, including professional services. 

Will Karp, for example, rename, reposition and repackage what stands now as the firm's Sustainability and ESG Advisory Practice? In addition will Paul, Weiss have to halt promoting that it had been the first-ever US law firm to establish such a specialized niche? It seems that could only remain an edge through a lot of force-fit communications.  

So, not only corporations but profesisonal services players might also have created problems for themselves down the road when they narrowly defined and named initiatives.

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Words Words Words

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It was Shakespeare's Hamlet who observed, with a sigh: Words Words Words. That's what too many organizations are stuck with right now. That is, words cleverly conjured up to signal doing the supposed right thing. 

In most cases you have only one shot in communications. Jane Genova is a communications coach and content-creator. Complimentary consultation (please text 203-468-8579 or email janegenova374@gmail.com) 




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