Authentic Marketing

CHAPTER 8Use Data-Telling to Anchor Objectives and Validate Progress

Moral missions typically involve lofty goals set against very complex problems. Therefore, it’s important to outline reasonable, measurable objectives your company can make progress against. For example, if your goal is to deliver sustainability, you should outline what you can realistically accomplish in a certain time period and then track and measure it as you make progress. You may set yearly goals or longer-range goals. Companies do this in a variety of ways, depending on the types of initiatives they are undertaking.

This speaks to the importance of showcasing quantifiable data so that your company can validate progress made against your mission. This is the data-telling piece of your story. Data can be woven into the narrative to quantify the extent of the problem and impact of the solution. It can be used to create a simple powerful visual, chart, or graph, showing the progression of the impact of your solution over time, for example. Many websites illustrate their impact in a simple format with just a few words, and it is very powerful. Whatever form it takes, data will anchor your story with facts that substantiate the extent of good you are doing to combat an issue.

Following are several examples of this:

Walmart Sustainability Index

The retail giant is an excellent example of setting goals and tracking quantifiable progress. In addition to its sustainability efforts in its retail operations, ...