Access unrivaled

Alex Bogusky, FearLess Cottage

This past week, Oakland law firm Wendel Rosen Black & Lean interviewed Bonnie Nixon and Alex Bogusky on its weekly radio show, The Wendel Forum, as a preview to the Sustainable Industries Economic Forum Oct. 20 in San Francisco.

The breakfast Forum, which maintains open registration through Oct. 17, features Nixon, newly anointed executive director of The Sustainability Consortium, and Bogusky, chief creative insurgent officer at FearLess Cottage, as keynote speaker. This year’s theme, “The Access Economy,” takes a closer look at issues such as transparency between brands and consumers. 

Wendel Forum host Bill Acevedo managed to get a few minutes with Nixon and Bogusky for interviews offering a sneak peak at the themes to be explored Oct. 20. 

In the first segment, Bill talks with Nixon about The Sustainability Consortium, a diverse group of stakeholders who have come together to drive a new generation of sustainable products and services. A number of private retail and consumer product companies are engaged in the Consortium, along with representatives from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academics. All are exploring ways to advance science to drive a new generation of innovative products and supply networks that tackle the environmental, social and economic imperatives society faces today.

In the second half of the show, Bill talks with Bogusky, who spent the first part of his career building great brands for companies. At some point he became disillusioned with what he calls the one-sidedness of the brand/consumer relationship. He took that frustration and founded The FearLess Cottage, described on its web site as “an informal clubhouse for insurgents in a new consumer revolution.”

Bogusky explains there is a current window of power in the hands of consumers to help shape companies and products to better match their values through consumption and buying habits. By asserting this “voting choice” the consumer/citizen can influence even the large corporations, which have considerable sway over government – and, in turn, over us. He suggests that, while there is a potential for more transparency, consumers don’t always choose to look as closely as we should, saying “democracy hasn’t permeated capitalism yet.” He challenges the listener to use resources like Good Guide and to vote with purchasing dollars as a way to combat corporate special interests.

The full interviews can be listened to on The Wendel Forum web site.

A few tables and tickets remain on sale for the Oct. 20 event on the Sustainable Industries Economic Forum registration page.