The objective light of day

After a good night's sleep I feel more able to reflect less emotively on my experience at the Skoll World Forum! Spending three days in the company of some of the most influential changemakers in the world was truly inspiring. The most impacting element for me was hearing the stories of scale and leveraging resources to make wide-reaching, global impact. This is the area in which I feel I have the most opportunity. Four months ago at a creative entrepreneur workshop I set a goal to have an international business by the end of this year. This week - and this trip - feel like a definite step towards that destination.

One of the most stimulating sessions I attended was on Cultural Branding, run by Douglas Holt from Harvard Business School. He has created a model of branding distinct from conventional branding, designed to market social issues. Where traditionally branding aims for consistency and distinction in the market, cultural branding strives for social and idealogical relevance in order to move society forward. Similar to traditional models, cultural branding relies on the building of trust, symbolism and reputation. Holt shared the notion of providing solutions for shared anxieties where, on the individual level, people's life story leads them to seek an ideal identity, which they achieve through a "life project". He stressed the need for a brand to build an "iconic myth" (myth here meaning a commonly held belief of the time, not an untruth), which will translate into value, cultural leadership, resonance and innovation.

This was heady and inspiring stuff, speaking strongly to the work I've been doing recently on my own, personal brand, but also sparking ideas for me about future projects that could be more purposefully branded in this way. Holt had some interesting things to say about fundraising and dual marketing strategies to wealthy and less wealthy audiences, which has sparked a string of ideas in my head. I'm purposely not divulging more as these ideas are but seeds in my mind needing germination and protection from the scrutiny of outsiders for now!

Another fascinating idea I saw presented was by Dr. Thomas S. Clark, Founder and Executive Director, of Grassroot Soccer, Inc, in a session on the Cultural Arts Industry. Now, you know I'm not one for sport, but Clark's programme to use soccer as the catalyst for education on HIV/AIDS in Zimbabwe was true genius. Using children and young people's passion for a national pastime to engage them in preventing a pandemic social issue worked and is, in my estimation, truly entrepreneurial. If anyone reading this is involved in Diversityworks and CCS Disability Action's Diversity Challenge project, I am affirmed that we are on the right track!

Finally, I think the highlight for me has to be the masterclass held with Said Business School students on the first morning of the Forum. This was run like a speed dating session where students circulated between groups of social entrepreneurs. While a little chaotic (it may have worked better one-on-one than in groups), it stands out as the most engaging session of the Forum in some ways and I was buoyed by the calibre of the world's young up-and-coming social innovators.