Kevin Sweeney

The form and typeface clearly show we’re reading a brief text message. Given the context, even with no details, we sense that the worker is confused and afraid.

“We believe you very much. Hope you can keep secret our question. Why was a copy of the labor contract we signed with the factory not provided to us?”

This note about factory secrecy and deception, sent to Reebok’s staff, is one of dozens in the company’s “2005 Human Rights Report.” (Among other text notes: “Reebok please help,” and “Factory paid us too few wage.”) Reebok executives didn’t bury that first quote in an appendix or hide it on a dense page. They put it on the cover.

Reebok has a good record on human rights issues, so why highlight the bad news? The answers are simple.

It makes the entire report believable. It also makes the report interesting. Think about the typical corporate social responsibility report. The cover has soft images, perhaps the faces of children of different races, and the text is bland. These reports tend to look and feel the same, and we often take the company’s word with a grain of salt. Not so with Reebok. They shattered the glass of corporate-speak.

In shattering the glass, we get an audience’s attention. We make it possible to be heard, to communicate. We build trust, which is essential to the work of sustainability, particularly if a company wants to work closely with its stakeholders. Trust is also essential in building and protecting a brand. What more is a strong brand than a name some have come to trust?