Hill+Knowlton Strategies

So… In a recent post, Kevin Dugan points out that McDonalds has set up a new (and this time real) blog focused on talking about its corporate social responsibility activities. Like Dugan, I applaud this effort and look forward to seeing how this site will evolve. Blogging in the area of CSR is, in my mind, a “no brainer” for corporations, as it speaks directly to many of the foundational elements upon which CSR is built — communicating openly and forthrightly with stakeholders, making the discussion an inclusive one, and being transparent in behaviour.

What I hope this site doesn’t become is a one-way communications channel built on a blogging platform — rather, that it seek to acknowledge meaningful criticism and discuss it openly and frankly (so far so good given that it has opened itself up to comments). That said, I also hope this site is accepted for what it is, and doesn’t become the whipping boy for all who might take issue with this company.

(Updated – Jan 27, 2006)

Stephen Baker, a BusinessWeek blogger, provides additional background on McDonalds’ larger blogging strategy and the company that produced it. You can read that here.