Professors in the Klein College of Media and Communication Heather LaMarre and Gregg Feistman’s new book “Raising Social Capital: Corporate Advocacy and Impact in a Time of Social Change” provides a roadmap and a set of management tools to guide executives, public relations professionals, and corporate communicators through the perfect storm of political controversy, partisan media, and global sustainability crisis facing today's leaders. Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies Fabienne Darling-Wolf talked to the authors about the project.

FDW: How did the project get started? How and when did you become interested in this topic?   

GF: By way of background, I’ve been teaching a master’s degree course in Corporate Social Responsibility for about 10 years—a topic I had some professional experience in before joining the academy—and I’ve been fascinated to see how CSR has morphed into Corporate Social Advocacy and Activism (CSA). When Heather asked me if I’d be interested in writing a book on the topic, I immediately said, “Yes.”   

HL: I worked in corporate government relations/public affairs for more than a decade before joining the academy, so I have been tracking the evolution of CSR and the collision of government/public affairs with PR—what we call CSA now—for two decades. I first wrote about it in 2010, after Citizens United, when Target donated to a superPAC that was anti-marriage equality, sparking outrage and causing backlash they still have to manage today. By 2020, companies were being taken to task for speaking/not speaking on special issues, especially through social media. Gregg and I had many conversations about the changing landscape, and we decided it was time to do a deep dive into the topic.

FDW: How did the project evolve over time?

GF: We did a ton of interviews with everyone involved or related to the topic. From scholars to professional practitioners of CSR/CSA, consultants, CEOs, CCOs (Chief Communications Officers), representatives from the investment community, both nationally and internationally.  

HL: What began as a book about how and why companies get involved in political issues grew into a holistic look at corporate social advocacy and impact ranging from the role of polarized media and employee activism to high impact philanthropy and partnering with non-profits to optimize social impact. We realized that there was no single book that really looked broadly at the landscape from a communication and social impact perspective.

FDW: What were the greatest challenges you encountered along the way?

GF: I’d say the biggest challenge was that we had the manuscript finished and were ready to submit it to the publisher last November. Then, with the election of Donald Trump to the presidency, the world changed. We realized we had to go back and totally re-write the manuscript. We did it in four months and are grateful that the publisher understood and granted us the time to do it right.

HL: Yes, the election had massive ripple effects on corporate behavior that we needed to examine. I also think we had to really think about how to organize such a broad set of topics. We didn’t want to simply lay out the problems; we also wanted to help train future business leaders to address these problems. We wanted to offer strategic solutions and management tools to balance influence and risk. In the end, I think we did a nice job integrating all these goals into one book.

FDW: What were the most enjoyable dimensions of the project?

GF: For me, I’d say interviewing the people who generously gave us time to give their perspective. I learned so much that I’m applying to both my graduate course and some aspects of my undergraduate courses. 

HL: I think it was extremely enlightening to interview people across an array of industries, roles and areas of expertise. We learned so much about the nuances of different industries and the real gap between intention and execution. It was nice to meet so many leaders who really want to share what works, what doesn’t, and what to watch out for when trying to create social good in a corporate space. 

FDW: Who were key collaborators on the project, who helped you see it through? 

GF: As I mentioned, the contributors we spoke with, our publisher, my family and, of course, my co-author, Dr. Heather LaMarre. 

HL: Everyone Gregg mentioned and my children. Gregg and I made a great team on this. I am grateful that he agreed to do this project with me. 

FDW: Anything else you'd like to share? 

GF: I’m very proud of the final product and hope readers find it interesting and informative. As Heather notes, we believe this book will lead into many more subjects to research and write about.

HL: I see this as a springboard. I am already diving into many more issues in this area of study. In the age of multinationals with budgets larger than many small countries, there is much to be examined in terms of the role business can (and should) play in solving social issues.