Marci's Interview with Jon Bailey, Founder/Chief Relationships Officer at i.d.e.a
My inspiration for wanting to spotlight i.d.e.a was not only to highlight the accomplishments of Jon Bailey and Indra Gardiner Bowers, but also let you know what a Certified B Corp is.
I have had the privilege of watching Jon & Indra grow their original business, Bailey Gardiner, Inc from a local PR agency here in San Diego to their current organization i.d.e.a. that is a fully integrated national marketing company.
Jon explains i.d.e.a. as an integrated marketing company that moves people, products and culture through its core disciplines: advertising, branding, public relations, social media, design, experiential, digital, mobile and media strategy. i.d.e.a. makes brands matter by creating right-sized ideas that live in all the places consumers play.
i.d.e.a has won too many industry awards to list them all here, but some of the projects they won awards for were: Major League Baseball, Alliance, Qualcomm, Harrah's Resort Southern California, Hotel Del Coronado and Seaport Village just to name a few.
Being the cutting-edge Agency that i.d.e.a. is, in 2013 they become the first and only marketing company in San Diego to become a Certified B Corporation.
There are now over 2,413 Certified B Corporations in over 50 different countries all with the unifying goal of “people using business as a force for good”.
The agency joins the ranks of other respected Certified B Corporations including Patagonia, Method, New Belgium Brewing Co., Ben & Jerry’s, Etsy and Seventh Generation.
B Corporations are certified by the nonprofit B Lab to meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability. To become a B Corp, a company must undergo a series of performance and legal measures, including evaluating its impact on stakeholders (e.g., workers, community, consumer and the environment); undergoing an assessment by B Lab staff; and incorporating sustainability into the company mission and its governing documents.
Consistent with its B Corp status, i.d.e.a focused on the two areas that matter most to the people who work for, and with the company, which are Community Involvement and the Environment. i.d.e.a. gives back to the Community by giving thousands of dollars-worth of pro bono service and donations to local and national nonprofit organizations each year. As well as achieving 100 percent staff participation in company’s paid volunteerism program.
The other area the Agency feel strong about is Environmental Stewardship. i.d.e.a.’s staff eliminated plastic water bottle use, and drastically cut their paper use all while growing their staff. When it comes to travel they are measuring, reducing and offsetting emissions from energy use, commuting and business travel to be “carbon neutral”. They work with The Conservation Fund to calculate their travel and plant trees to offset their carbon footprint.
Indra Gardiner Bowers, founder and chief influence officer of i.d.e.a. says, “We believe our business succeeds when we not only make a profit but also when we make a difference, in fact, through our Brand Purpose offering, we create and deliver powerful ideas that are good for business and good for the world. Earning B Corp status was a natural step for our agency, and we couldn’t be more thrilled – or in better company.”
For more information on Certified B Corps you can visit their website at www.BCorporation.net
In Jon’s spare time he loves to travel with his Husband and their two daughters. In fact, he created a Blog creatively titled 2DadsWithBaggage.com. The blog covers LGBT Travel, Parenting and a Lifestyle platform covering a range of topics for parents, travelers and wannabes, LGBT or not. Jon is also a Hilton Hotels Brand Ambassador and contributing writer to San Diego Magazine and TODAY Parenting Team.
To learn more about i.d.e.a. check out their creative website: http://www.theideabrand.com
If you know a great company that is using business for good that you think we should consider doing a spotlight on, feel free to contact me at Marci@BairFinancialPlanning.com