“A rude awakening and urgent new vision for business, brands and our future.”
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“The future of profit is purpose.”
“Be the chief celebrant, not celebrity, of your customer community.”
“The future of profit is purpose.”
“Be the chief celebrant, not celebrity, of your customer community.”
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY
Best Business Book
We First is that rare marketing book that is truly visionary. It is also sure to be controversial, because Simon Mainwaring takes trends such as green marketing, cause marketing, and corporate social responsibility and pushes them to their farthest extreme, urging corporations to stop pursuing profit for profit’s sake and instead refocus their efforts on pursuing profit by benefiting the world. (This, of course, flies in the face of one of the basic beliefs of certain economists, perhaps summed up most succinctly in Milton Friedman’s provocative 1970 essay titled “The Social Responsibility of Business Is to Increase Its Profits.”)
strategy+business Magazine
A must-read for those who want to understand and engage the power and potential of social media
A prolific blogger and social media consultant uses his online expertise to provide a framework for how businesses, consumers and social media can combine to make a better world.
Mainwaring is adamant that business as usual cannot be sustained in this era of corporate greed and a warming planet. The author’s vision for a “We First” society, named after the social media consultancy company he founded, would have businesses take greater steps toward sustainability and social responsibility. In an age of growing interconnectivity, consumers, he writes, are vocal about wanting their purchases to promote social good. Corporations, whether altruistically or otherwise, have caught on and geared their brands to promote these values in order to maintain their consumer base. As a result, the private sector has begun to shift away from self-focused policies to those that include volunteerism, donations and sustainable manufacturing, building community and profits. But when contrasting the $20 billion in corporate donations to the trillions made in profits, plainly a great deal more can and needs to be done. The author offers clearly written and well-informed solutions, and end-of-chapter synopses and an appended reference guide flesh out his vision.
A must-read for those who want to understand and engage the power and potential of social media to promote a healthier, more equitable world.
Kirkus Reviews
The author’s enthusiasm makes an excellent case for big business’s ability in creating a more equitable world
Can big business be socially responsible? Brand consulting expert Mainwaring certainly thinks so. He believes new technologies aren’t merely making life easier, they’re making us better: in allowing us to connect with each other across geographic, cultural, and language barriers, the Internet and social media might very well be increasing our capacity for empathy. His “We First” ethos proposes cooperation between governments, philanthropies, and capitalist corporations to achieve meaningful social transformation. Social media — viral, borderless — is the perfect vehicle to promote “contributory consumerism,” and Mainwaring has fascinating suggestions for technological innovation and systemic change: he proposes a “Global Brand Initiative”: an association of corporate brands and their advertising partners and competitors that willingly work together to advance corporate social responsibility and charitable donations. Tall orders, all — but the author’s enthusiasm and evidence make an excellent (and counterintuitive) case for big business’s ability to make major strides in creating a more equitable world.
Advance Review, US Publishers Weekly
Brilliant synthesis concerning the forward evolution of capitalism
Simon Mainwaring’s We First is a brilliant synthesis of today’s best ideas concerning the forward evolution of capitalism. Better still, Mainwaring compellingly builds upon these ideas with vision and an intense, infectious passion.
Tom LaForge, Global Director of Human & Cultural Insights (fmr) at CocaCola
Lays out a movement that looks to transform corporate America
We First lays out a movement that looks to transform corporate America, providing plenty of food for thought for the business leaders of today and tomorrow.
Tony Hsieh, New York Times bestselling author of “Delivering Happiness” and CEO of Zappos.com, Inc.
Powerful foundation for a complete re-imagination of business and philanthropy
It is no secret that our society is being transformed – rapidly, and constantly. Still, most people don’t fully understand exactly what is changing or what specific steps must be taken to survive, let alone thrive, in this new age. Simon Mainwaring understands. He knows that every organization needs to dramatically shift how it operates and communicates. He knows that individuals want to have a meaningful, measurable impact on the world. He recognizes that the platforms and channels that have developed over the past few years provide a powerful foundation from which a complete re-imagination of business and philanthropy. Simon Mainwaring has counseled clients throughout his distinguished career on how brands and consumers can work together, fueled by social media, to build a better world. Now, in his extraordinary new book, he offers his insights and guidance to everyone else. Ignore this book at your own peril.
Brian Reich, SVP and Global Editor, Edelman Digital
Demonstrates the power of turning Me into We
We First elegantly demonstrates the power of turning me into we by aligning brands and consumers as social collaborators
Peter Guber, Chairman & CEO, Mandalay Entertainment
A must-read for any professional in consumer products, sales, marketing, media and advertising
Simon Mainwaring provides essential insight about the link between social media and corporate responsibility. We First is a must-read for any professional in consumer products, sales, marketing, media and advertising. The balance of power has now shifted decisively towards a new class of consumers who hold corporations accountable for their actions. Read Simon’s book to understand exactly what steps your company must take now in order to preserve customer trust.
Robert Tercek, Former President of Digital Media OWN (Oprah Winfrey Network) & Founder, General Creativity
A must read. A Must do.
We First is more than a must read – it’s a must do. Buy it, act it, and most importantly – LIVE IT!
Gary Vaynerchuk, author of New York Times bestseller Crush It!
As prescient as it is visionary
We First is as prescient as it is visionary – a must read for marketers and consumers intent on creating a prosperous future for all.
Rishad Tobaccowala, Chief Growth Officer, Publicis Groupe for VivaKi
The evolution of capitalism
The evolution of capitalism is putting We First. Mainwaring not only gets this, but helps us understand how to make it happen.
Jay Coen Gilbert, Co-founder, B Corporations
The passion of a postmodern philanthropist
Mainwaring shows, with the rigor of an innovation researcher and the passion of a postmodern philanthropist, that capitalism needs not a revolution but an evolution.
Maria Popova, Editor
A roadmap to living within the natural means of our Planet Earth
To avoid collapse of the natural resources that support the business activities that human beings are so feverishly pursuing, we must move from the Industrial Age to the Sustainability Age. But how will that happen? We First explains how it is already happening in the new alignment between brands and customers that promises a roadmap to living within the natural means of our Planet Earth.
Rick Ridgeway, VP Environmental Initiatives, Patagonia, Inc.
How capitalism transforms from an engine for profit into one that’s driven by purpose
We First explains how capitalism must transform from being an engine just for profit into one that’s driven by purpose. A veteran brand marketer, Simon Mainwaring shows how to use social technologies to create and deepen business relationships, which in turn drive profits. Put meaning back into your business by buying this book. Actually, buy two and give one away to someone who is also yearning to take their business to the next level.
Charlene Li, Author of Open Leadership and Founder, Altimeter Group
An inspiring leader that understands the dynamics in the new world of business
Mainwaring is an inspiring leader that truly understands the dynamics in play in the new world of business, online consumer behavior, and how they can collaborate to rethink and rework paths to true global renewal.
Brian Solis, Award-winning author of Engage
A critical resource for corporate leaders
We First is a critical resource for corporate leaders and will inspire consumers, individually and collectively, to recognize their inherent strength. It is an invaluable blueprint for building this new societal structure we so urgently need.
Philip Seib, Professor & Director, Center on Public Diplomacy, Annenberg School, USC
A truly compelling vision of how to transform capitalism
Few understand the power of brands and consumers better than Simon Mainwaring. In We First he presents a truly compelling vision of how to transform that power to the benefit of society and the good of capitalism.