The AEB Co-Organizes the IV International Forum on CSR

03.03.2015

AEB member companies and employees of the AEB attended the IV International Forum on Corporate Social Responsibility organized by the Fund Idea on February 26. The Association of European Businesses co-organized the Forum and brought Mr. Christian Katholnigg, the managing director of the Austrian CSR Company International, to speak at the event.

Mr. Katholnigg shared his experience and the latest trends in brand promotion through social marketing. Today, social networks have changed the way of communication: Information and ideas are being exchanged much more rapidly than ever, and the emphasis has shifted from content to emotions. Therefore, not only information itself but also emotions, which companies broadcast, are important.

“Now it is important for companies to transform people's emotions into affection that people will experience to a company or a product. Brain plus heart equals approval. It is impossible to achieve success in communication without trust and affection,” said Mr. Katholnigg.

The Austrian speaker also told about the most trustworthy sources of information – family and friends, experts from the scientific community, as well as companies, the products of which people already use. Neutral sources of information include journalists and employees. CEOs, famous media persons, government officials and companies, the products of which people do not use, are not trusted by people.

The Centerof Management Decisions Sarmont presented a study on corporate responsibility in Belarus in 2014. Sergey Turkin, the founder of the agency Social Investment (Russia), Julia Novichonok, Coordinator of Information UNICEF programs in Belarus, Irina Korzyuk, Head of Corporate Communications at Velcom, Anna Danyluk, coordinator of the Global Compact Network of the UN Office in Ukraine, Michal Kiss, Program Manager at the Fund Pontis (Slovakia), and Dmitry Gmyza, the co-founder of GrandBS (Belarus), shared their experience in implementing CSR projects.

To see the presentation of Mr. Katholnigg, click here.