Brilliant Ideas - Pepsi and the Business of Social Innovation

I was impressed to see Pepsi taking on a new kind of challenge – looking for ways to catalyze social innovation through their Refresh Everything Campaign. Social innovation is about implementing solutions that improve social and environmental conditions around the world – a grand challenge, but one that more and more companies seem to be stepping up to.
A friend of mine at IDEO tweeted a fantastic blog entry about Pepsi’s decision to NOT spend the big bucks on a 30 sec advertisement that would be aired during the Superbowl, but rather to find a different way of doing good and building their brand.
For anyone not familiar with the Superbowl, it is an annual event which happens every January and captures the viewing attention of a large population of North America. Often it is a sensational affair – from big celebrity concerts during halftime to wardrobe malfunctions and even a little bit of football thrown in for fun.
But many people watch the Superbowl for what happens between the plays – the advertisements.
Interestingly, a study by ad agency Venables, Bell & Partners showed that 66% of viewers remember their favorite advertiser from the 2009 Superbowl and only 39% recall which team actually WON the game.
So in an increasingly expensive and noisy time for high glamour marketing, Pepsi decided to invest the money they would otherwise spent on captivating viewers with an advertisement, and instead created a $20 million fund. This fund is designed to invest in people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact on US communities. Grants will be allocated based on an open vote – where posted ideas are considered and ranked by members of the public. Those with the highest number of votes will win grants between $5k and $250k.
As stated on the Weiji Blog ‘Moving away from the norm seems to have worked, in a recent survey by Nielsen, Pepsi’s ‘Refresh Everything’ campaign accounted for more than 21% of the media coverage and online buzz around Superbowl advertising. Given that PepsiCo usually spends in the region of $30m on Superbowl advertising breaking away from the norm seems to have paid off.’
Thanks Tom for highlighting this great example of social innovation at work!

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2010/02/brilliant-ideas-pepsi-and-the-business-of-social-innovation/.

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Not only do they look good - but iPhones can save your life!

It is great to see examples where technology is celebrated for providing real and direct ways of delivering social good.    In this case, saving a life.  According to this article on Wired’s website ‘Man Buried in Haiti Rubble Uses iPhone to Treat Wounds, Survives’ U.S. filmmaker Dan Woolley was trapped in the rubble Haiti earthquake with his mobile phone.

‘He used this device to illuminate his surroundings and snap photos of the wreckage so he could find a safe place to wait for his rescue, after which he followed instructions from an iPhone first-aid app to fashion a bandage and tourniquet for his leg and to stop the bleeding from his head wound.  The app even warned Woolley not to fall asleep if he felt he was going into shock, so he set his cellphone’s alarm clock to go off every 20 minutes. Sixty-five hours later, a French rescue team saved him.’
Despite the fact that this is a small scale story, it does represent and symbol of how mobile technology has the potential to profoundly shape…and save….lives.

Thanks to Jim Vanides (@jgvanides) for the twitter link to the article.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2010/01/not-only-do-they-look-good-but-iphones-can-save-your-life/.

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Brilliant Ideas: Human Centred Design Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs

I was fortunate enough to speak at a fantastic Wavelength event yesterday, hosted by UK social enterprise guru Liam Black. After talking about what we do at Volans, and our view on how the corporate sector is increasingly interested in social innovation, a former classmate of mine, Tom Hulme, took the stage to talk about how his firm IDEO is also doing work in this space.

IDEO is a global design and innovation consulting company which works with many of the brands we all know and love. They apply a method called Design Thinking to the projects they work on with clients that include Nokia, Apple and many other multinational companies. In the words of their founder, Tim Brown, Design Thinking is ‘an approach that uses the designer’s sensibility and methods for problem solving to meet people’s needs in a technologically feasible and commercially viable way. In other words, design thinking is human-centered innovation.’ Full disclosure – Tim Brown is a member of our Volans Advisory Board.

In Tom’s remarks he mentioned that IDEO has created a FREE toolkit for social entrepreneurs which provides insight on how to apply Design Thinking to their models. The Human Centred Design Toolkit ‘helps organizations understand people’s needs in new ways, find innovative solutions to meet these needs, and deliver solutions with financial sustainability in mind’. You can download it from the IDEO website (you need to register for it first).

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2010/01/brillinat-ideas-human-centred-design-toolkit-for-social-entrepreneurs/.

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Brilliant Ideas: Patient Opinion

I’ve been fortunate that my experience with the NHS has been quite limited since I moved to the UK. That said, one can’t ignore the stories that seem to permeate dinner party conversations, twitter feeds and the pages of the newspaper that slam the service provision of the UK National Health System. OK – so there are inevitably problems – but where are the solutions?

Solutions is what Patient Opinion is all about. I first met Paul Hodgkin at a dinner I was invited to crash. He is a GP with a clear desire to make the system better for people. He works with a terrific team, including James Munro, who shares his GP background and also has a flair for technology.

Together they have built an organisation that allows patients to have a voice when it comes to their healthcare. It boils down to storytelling.

There are three key kinds of messages that pass through the patient opinion portal:

1. People can share their thoughts on the service and standards of local hospitals, hospices and mental health services.

2. They can also share the story of what happened to them or their family when they were ill.

3. Most important of all patients and carers can tell it like it is - patients and carers know what the service was like and come up with lots of great ideas about how it could be better.

What makes this a truly brilliant idea is that it is about communicating solutions. People who have had experiences which can help uncover service improvements are connected to people who can implement them. The stories are posted through the Patient Opinion website and then forwarded via RSS feed to the relevant hospital manager or carer to act on.

Brilliant!

For more information on Patient Opinion, check out their website.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2010/01/brilliant-ideas-patient-opinon/.

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The future of MBAs

I was impressed by a recent report by McKinsey Quarterly which looks at how MBA programs are responding to the changing landscape of business education.
This report takes the format of a short (10 minute) interview with the Dean of Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business - Blair Sheppard. In the first few sentences of his remarks, he indicates that there has been a twentyfold increase in student interest in public-policy and social entrepreneurship by his students over the last 5 years. Twentyfold! The time has come to recognize this in business schools and really give students what they are asking for…
Dean Sheppard also talks about the future of MBA programs - and presents a case for truly interscholastic learning models. This might include mergers between policy schools and business schools in order to give students what they want. What nailed this point for me was his positioning of what is needed to prepare the future leaders of banks. Is it a business degree? Is it a policy degree? The answer is YES! Both practices are necessary to arm this future leader with the necessary toolkit and experiences.
For more on this discussion, check out at the McKinsey Quarterly article Reshaping Business Education In A New Era.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2010/01/the-future-of-mbas/.

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Brilliant Ideas - ColaLife

This is the first instalment of a regular blog series I’m launching tonight called ‘Brilliant Ideas’.   In my role at Volans, the BEST part of my job is getting to know outstanding entrepreneurs around the world.  These include some of my favourite models – Eako (transforming fire hose into high-end handbags), Red Redemption (video games that teach kids about climate change), Red Button Designs (and their innovative water transport and purification device), MyBnk (financial literacy programs for youth) - all ‘brilliant ideas’.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/11/brilliant-ideas-colalife/.

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Carbon Scenario Tool from London Accord

In the lead up to COP15, The London Accord has launched a series of innovative scenario tools which allows users to chart models for their carbon reduction strategy. Check them out HERE.

The tools are designed to help a user calculate potential future CO2 prices under different policy scenarios and estimate the possible impacts on business. They include:
1. Price Impact Calculator
2. Carbon Footprint Calculator
3. Investment Return Calculator

I’m a big fan of the London Accord’s mission to take the sustainability reports from finance institutions and open them up to policy makers and NGOs to use in their decision making. These reports cover a range of topics - from renewable energy to carbon pricing.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/11/carbon-scenario-tool-from-london-accord/.

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Health Care Innovaton - Robotic Surgery

Over dinner last night with a good friend who works at Guy’s Hospital (London), we had a lively conversation about new technologies being used in hospitals. I was amazed to hear that robotic surgery is not just another one of those ideas that is stuck in an endless ‘approval’ process or being ‘tested’ by regulators, but is actually used in practice today. Frequently!

Guys’ Hospital has two DaVinci Robots which are used in a range of surgeries. Apparently surgeons are using it for a range of procedures and find it effective in doing very fine and precise surgeries, as the robots can accentuate the movements of the surgeon. A wave of the hand by the surgeon translates into very small and discreet movements by the robot.

It is exciting to see technology innovations being applied in practice to help improve health care delivery.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/09/health-care-innovaton-robotic-surgery/.

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Vertical Farms – A new feature to the future urban landscape?

We are facing a few big ‘crunches’ right now…the credit crunch which we all know, as well as an emerging energy crunch and climate crunch. Many also argue that another big one on the not-to-distant horizon is a food crunch.

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With the longest season of drought in 83 years in India, where 700 million people depend on the earth and rains for their livelihood, there are signals this crunch is approaching fast and furiously. As we race towards a world with 9 billion people, how are we going to feed this rise in population?

< In the midst of the loud and active debates about the virtues and vices of GM (genetically modified food), I’ve recently been thinking - are there other ideas out there?

While watching a BBC show this Sunday on I was struck at first by the aesthetic, followed quickly by an appreciation of the functionality – of a brilliant architectural wonder – The Vertical Farm. Dickson Despommier from Columbia University’s School of Public Health proposes that there are ways of combining advances in architecture with sophisticated farming technology. The result? A 30-story building occupying a Manhattan block that, in theory, could produce enough food for 50,000 people.

In a recent interview, Despommier argued that to continue farming as we do now, we would need to set aside new land the size of Brazil. So if we can grow horizontally, we better find a way to grow vertically.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/09/vertical-farms-%e2%80%93-a-new-feature-to-the-future-urban-landscape/.

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Green Bonds - Building a Case for Social Finance

The movement to organize a Green Bond is one of the most compelling examples of ‘social finance’ I’ve seen in awhile. Kudos to the team in Canada who have put together a detailed and comprehensive public policy proposal – which you can download from the Green Bonds website. I’d recommend watching the video introduction on the site – it will leave you with goosebumps.

In the lead up to COP15, I can only hope that ideas like the Green Bond become reality. Governments need to recognize that there is a market failure – and it is critical that the funding gap is bridged…FAST!

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/green-bonds-building-a-case-for-social-finance/.

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What can we learn from a Valley Boy?

I recently finished the autobiography of Tom Perkins, of Kleiner Perkins, Caufield and Byers fame, and one of the fathers of Venture Capital. Kerri Golden, a VC specialist I’ve been working with in Canada at MaRS, passed this book along, suggesting it might provide some insight on how to help the social finance market take flight.

It is interesting to compare some of the challenges of the early days of Silicon Valley with what we’re seeing in the social finance market today. I found the references to Perkin’s struggle to find places to invest his first fund something that resonates with what I hear from some social investors - namely that ‘good’ deals are not always as easy to find as you’d think…

Check it out on Amazon if you’re looking for a quick but entertaining read (with the occasional sprinkling of stories about race cars, yachts and other insight on the lifestyle of the rich and famous).

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/08/what-can-we-learn-from-a-valley-boy/.

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The Greenest Hotel in North America

Green or Green Wash? Lessons from building North America’s greenest hotel in Toronto

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of attending a fascinating workshop at MaRS by their new CleanTech specialist, Tom Rand. Tom is an investor and entrepreneur who is committed to building clean green businesses in Canada. The enterprise featured in this discussion was his new hotel/hostel which has incorprated all the best in class features of a green building - and then some. What impressed me the most about his discussion, however, was his refreshingly candid breakdown of the energy reduction, costs and expected payback of these features….

Geothermal Exchange: energy reduction = 40%
Solar Thermal: energy reduction = 7.5%
Solar PV: energy reduction: energy reduction = 15% (up to 25%)
PowerPipe: energy reduction = 7.5%
LED Lights/Switches: energy reduction = 5%
TOTAL energy reduction = 77.5%
TOTAL cost = CA $200K (5% of building value)
15% return with a 6.5 year payback

For the full speech - check out the video.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/07/the-greenest-hotel-in-north-america/.

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Obama announcement on Social Innovation Fund

President Obama gave a compelling speech today on social innovation and the need to scale the work of entrepreneurs in the US. To do this he has set up a $50million Social Innovation Fund to support non-profit social enterpreneurs.

One of my favourite quotes “Solutions to America’s challenges are being developed every day at the grassroots. And government shouldn’t be supplanting those efforts, it should be supporting those efforts”.

Check out the full text

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/07/obama-announcement-on-social-innovation-fund/.

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Phoenix 50 Pioneer has a new website - check it out!

I was impressed to find a FANTASTIC new website for The Global Impact Investing Network.  There is some great information on some of their current projects.  Check it out! 

http://www.qk18ad7×79.web.aplus.net/index.html

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/05/phoenix-50-pioneer-has-a-new-website-check-it-out/.

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An Electrifying Announcement by the UK Government

Today the UK announced a new plan to get more people driving electric and electric-hybrid vehicles. In addition to providing up to £5,000 to motorists investing in this new technology, the government is also putting £20 million to build out the infrastructure that will enable citizens to charge their vehicles in public places.

Earlier this month, while walking through Berkley Square in Central London, I came across one of these charging stations and was intrigued by the design and functionality (as well as the bright green electric car which was ‘plugged in’). It is a tangible signal of things to come!

Stay tuned later this month, when the government is expected to unveil a programme that allows car owners to trade in their old cares to buy new ones.

For more information – check out this video from the BBC website Plug-in petrol-electric hybrid car

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/04/an-electrifying-announcement-by-the-uk-government/.

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Where are the solutions? Road notes from Davos to Barcelona…

I know there is a crisis going on out there. I experience directly every morning as I get on the Tube at Liverpool station, in the heart of London’s financial district, where people walk slouched over, noticeably dragging their feet with their grey suits and greyer faces and actively avoiding any chance of eye contact. I try to force myself to smile when I walk in the station, even if it’s before I’ve inhaled my first coffee, but inevitably the headlines in the newsstands catch my eye, or I see another 70% off sign in a shop window….

This feeling of there being a giant discontinuity playing out around us was thick in the air at an event I attended in Davos this January. Despite having my new favourite accessory, ready to use as a show-and-tell to explain what social entrepreneurship is all about (one of Eako’s stylish handbags made of salvaged fire hose - http://www.fire-hose.co.uk ) I was surprised at the heaviness and pessimism that infected the town. I’ll admit that my time and exposure to the full ‘Davos’ was extremely limited, however from my eavesdropping perch at one of the bars in the main hotels it seemed people were mainly focused on the problems, with little talk about solutions.

Fast forward one month exactly to Barcelona the weekend of February 27th. I was invited to chair a panel at the Doing Good and Doing Well Conference at IESE (http://dgdw.iese.edu/) with three upbeat and positive entrepreneurs. Kyle Zimmer from First Book (http://www.firstbook.org/ ), Lily Lapenna from MyBnk (http://www.mybnk.org/) and Jessica Jackley from Kiva (http://www.kiva.org ) - each a stunning role model and inspiration in their own right. Yes, they admitted that the recession was making things tough, but guess what, that didn’t mean that there wasn’t room out there for growth and ideas – and with times changing there will be new opportunities to create new kinds of value!
The students agreed…

In the panel introduction I asked the group of about 100 how many of them were entrepreneurs. A handful of hands went up. I then asked how many aspired to be entrepreneurs either after graduation or down the line. Many hands shot up. And how many people had an idea that connected to social and environmental value creation at its core? Most of the hands STAYED up! I then asked if there was anyone brave enough to share their idea with the crowd - which led us to twist the panel into an interactive session where these entrepreneurs in the making bravely and energetically pitched their ideas to the group. Fabulous. Opportunity bursting forth!

The students and other participants seemed to agree. With very few recruiters on campus this year, MBA graduates are being forced to think about solutions –and it is encouraging to witness creativity emerging - rooted in looking for opportunity in these dark times. And what better setting than a city full of colourful and vibrant art like Barcelona where Gaudi’s La Sagrada Familia serves as the beacon?

So maybe this is a generational thing. If it is, then I’ve found the light I’m setting my sights on to get me through the doom and gloom. What is putting a smile on my face in the morning is the Phoenix generation of business leaders and entrepreneurs who see opportunity in the ashes of the crash.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2009/03/where-are-the-solutions-road-notes-from-davos-to-barcelona/.

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Trashbergs, photovoltaic tress and houses made of water bottles? What else would you expect to see in Venice?

Social business models have found a new platform … the Venice Biennale! The major theme of the Biennale changes from year to year and the focus in 2008 is architecture and space.

I expected to be dazzled by a buffet of cultural treats on my recent visit to this international arts mega fair, and was pleasantly impressed by the number of exhibits which highlighted social and environmental solutions to some of the biggest issues facing our planet.

Some of the more provocative displays included painted images of ‘Trashbergs’ – giant mountains of garbage that collect in the ocean.

Another interesting concept which stuck in my mind, from the Italian pavilion, was an exhibit which modelled various scenes of dystopia, including one where most natural plan life had been replaced by photovoltaic trees.

The future-forward German pavilion was definitely a highlight. As a self-proclaimed social business model junky, I had to be dragged out of the room that assembled innovative ideas on how to reuse waste. One idea was to create water bottles that when stacked up together could create housing. Brilliant!

Another involved reusing fabric from clothing to create funky furniture. Nothing terribly new about this idea, except that they have been really well designed and are surprisingly comfortable.

The Dutch pavilion was fairly text heavy, but focussed on sustainable cities and the mega environmental meeting in Copenhagen next year. In addition to a black room with the full text of the Kyoto Protocol there were some interesting essays on the future of cities. Check out the link to the Ecotopia exhibit at www.sustainablecities.dk.

I’m still not sure what to make of a forest of trees that were hooked up to drips in one of the exhibits…but all in all it was a compelling afternoon in Venice.

The address for this blog entry is: http://www.volans.com/2008/10/trashbergs-photovoltaic-tress-and-houses-made-of-water-bottles-what-else-would-you-expect-to-see-in-venice/.

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