TOP STORY
WHAT’S IN A NAME?
Nic Jooste: JULY 2020
WHEN I HAD TO DECIDE ON ONE WORD THAT COULD BEST DESCRIBE MY NEW ROLE IN THE BUSINESS WORLD IT DID NOT TAKE LONG.
I simply borrowed that word from my middle son. He is the epitome of passion, living life to the fullest, often leaping before he looks, standing up for the rights of disenfranchised people… the list goes on and on. One of the bands that he formed was called ‘Immersed’. They performed with such fervour and immersed themselves so deeply in their genre that it had to be ‘Nic Jooste Immersed’.
My son recently wrote me a letter in which he touched on some really important issues. ‘Dad, people of my generation have all the information in the world available at their fingertips. With this growing awareness of, and exposure to, global issues, we are also starting to care more and more about things that don’t directly affect us. What is the direct result of what we spend our money on? Can the money I spend today not only provide me with sustenance, but can it also provide someone else with safe housing? Healthcare? Education? The power of Generation Z — and others like us — is that one day we will be your only clientele. We will be the ones who will need to be marketed to. We will have to be provided with reasons why we should buy your products. I urge you to listen to the younger generations; we are on the frontlines of the social and environmental revolutions’.
In addition to the corporate work that I will be performing, NJ Immersed intends to be a catalyst for communication between generations, especially in view of the generational changes that we are yet to see.
RETAIL
PLUS RETAIL SCORES AGAIN
PLUS RETAIL IS A NETHERLANDS-BASED CO-OP OF NEARLY 270 STORES, AND IS COMPLETELY IN TUNE WITH RESPONSIBILITY DEMANDS FROM GEN Z AND MILLENNIAL CONSUMERS.
Competition in Dutch retail is extremely tough, so scooping a coveted sustainability award six years in a row would seem improbable, especially for one of the market’s smaller players. Yet cooperative supermarket group PLUS Retail did just that. It a trendsetter in Dutch food retail. A unique, close-knit cooperative of independent supermarket entrepreneurs, the group’s corporate communications reflect a clear focus on good food. But there is much, much more to this no-nonsense retailer’s modest style.
READ MY ARTICLE ON PLUS RETAIL HERE.
Nic Jooste: JUNE 2020
CSR
LOCKDOWN FOOD RELIEF RSA
AS THE WEEKS OF ‘SOCIAL DISTANCING’ – ALSO KNOWN AS AN INTELLIGENT LOCKDOWN – IN THE NETHERLANDS ROLLED BY, I CAUGHT MYSELF BECOMING INCREASINGLY IRRITATED.
Small discomforts such as standing in line at the supermarket waiting for a shopping cart, or the online supermarket being 30 minutes late with my delivery, became ‘issues’. I was saved from this unbecoming behaviour by several people who were (and still are) moving mountains in the country of my birth, South Africa.
You see, while I was struggling with First World discomforts, people in South Africa (my birth country) were going hungry. A huge percentage of the population lives from hand to mouth. The COVID-19 lockdown simply means ‘no work, no income, no food’.
READ FURTHER
Nic Jooste: JUNE 2020
SOLAR ENERGY
SOLAR ENERGY FOR AGRICULTURE
NJ IMMERSED WAS RECENTLY GIVEN AN ASSIGNMENT TO CONCEPTUALISE AND BUILD A WEBSITE FOR A UNIQUE SOLAR ENERGY PARTNERSHIP.
We had great fun diving into this interesting energy transition project, in which the Forest Effect Fund from The Hague, New Southern Energies from South Africa and Barendrecht-based Jaguar The Fresh Company are teaming up to create an exciting new opportunity for South African farmers.
Nic Jooste: JUNE 2020
CONTACT
Doing the ‘right thing’ requires more than good intentions, passion and commitment; it also requires a solid understanding of the processes involved in corporate social responsibility, and the ability to communicate about it in your target market.