Beyond Branding challenges business to adapt to a world of transparencyby adopting new ways of meeting the needs of stakeholders and byoperating with openness and integrity. It is the view of the writers of this book that when businesses account for 51 of the largest 100 economic entities in the world, branding should not only have a wider social perspective, it must do so if it is to have continued relevance. Business has to have a human perspective so that it benefits people rather than manipulates. It has to be transparent and open if it is to overcome suspicions of duplicity. To be clear, the argument is not that business should suddenly become altruistic. That might feel good, but it is not sustainable. Rather business has to change its mode of thinking because it is good for business. It has to recognize its accountability not only to shareholders, but to all its audiences and to society as a whole. These are the sort of attributes we would expect of a nation state and increasingly we expect them of corporations. Business cannot assume a position of dominance without a concomitant assumption of responsibility. By ignoring these factors, we will face more protests from people who feel the threat of overweening corporate power. By accepting them business can have a beneficial influence and help solve (perhaps better than government) some of the most challenging problems in the world, while still being profitable. To get there, companies will have to incorporate into their brands a broader definition of their audiences and will have to adopt values that promote a human focus, authenticity, transparency and integrity. And they will also have to adopt measuring systems that focus on benefiting not just financial audiences. The fourteen authors present their ideas for how branding can move beyond its current limitations, so that it truly meets the needs of society. INDICE A Brand of Enlightenment Nicholas Ind Whose Brand is it Anyway? Denzil Meyers Authenticity John