Stakeholder Feedback

Following the release of our first Corporate Responsibility Report, Our Long-Term Perspective, in July 2007, we enlisted the help of SustainAbility, an external advisory firm, to evaluate the success of this report as it related to the industry, our employees, and our other stakeholders. The report itself, and resulting feedback, collectively serve as a benchmark for our future corporate responsibility reporting, beginning with the Web site updates posted in 2008. Our feedback was three-fold: benchmarking analysis, stakeholder interviews, and an online survey.

We do not expect the feedback from key stakeholders to end here. As we continually report on our ongoing corporate responsibility efforts, we welcome input and feedback on “how we’re doing.” For that reason, we have provided a link to allow visitors to our Corporate Responsibility site to contact us directly or to read and respond to our corporate responsibility reporting.

Benchmarking Our First Corporate Responsibility Report

In the first six months following the release of Brown-Forman’s first Corporate Responsibility Report, a benchmarking analysis was conducted by SustainAbility, using a similar methodology to one that has been used for 100-plus reports from various organizations. Read a summary version of SustainAbility’s analysis. Highlights from this evaluation include:

  • Forward-looking in terms of future plans.
  • The company’s issues are clear
  • There is a strong discussion of the company’s relationship with industry partners.
  • Some focus needs to be given to a comprehensive strategy towards managing and collecting performance data.
  • Stakeholder engagement should be further integrated into issue identification and decision-making process.
  • Philanthropy could be more closely aligned with core societal impacts

We appreciate and value this feedback and plan to utilize the results in our future reporting efforts.


Stakeholder Input From 2007 Report

Brown-Forman enlisted SustainAbility to contact several external stakeholder representatives to gather anonymous feedback. The interviewees included representatives from our competitors, the financial community, a distributor, industry associations, a supplier, an environmental group, and an alcohol policy advocacy group. Overall, this feedback was positive, and the participants also identified important areas of improvement, many of which we are addressing in our reporting communications for the upcoming year. Key points, and resulting recommendations, from these interviews:

  • For a first report, it provides a strong baseline for the future.
  • The voice and tone reflected Brown-Forman’s values and culture and established a sense of credibility. Recommended reflecting a stronger business case detailing the long-term benefits of a corporate responsibility strategy.
  • Commended Brown-Forman for addressing responsible advertising.
  • Recommended not focusing only on compliance, but to make strong statements regarding company policy as it relates to corporate responsibility issues.
  • Appreciated the examples and stories used throughout the report. Recommended including more stakeholder engagement and dialogue; condense text and replace with more diagrams and charts.
  • Recommended showing evidence of the effectiveness of programs and initiatives.
  • While most interviewees agreed with the issues that were selected for inclusion in the report, they would have liked to see more transparency on the issue identification process.
  • Many interviewees were concerned that the report was overly “U.S. centric” especially in the Community and Alcohol & Society sections, and given our growth in non-U.S. markets.

What some of our stakeholders have said about our first corporate responsibility report:

  • “It is full of potential...the real challenge is to make sure they do something with this potential.”
  • “The report needs measurements. It describes things it should be quantifying.”
  • “I would like to see them use advertising as a vehicle for responsibility.”
  • “I will look at their next report to compare progress on statements in this report such as ‘we don’t know’ and ‘will do this.’”
  • “I give them credit because they acknowledge where data is absent. It needs a timeline.”

Online Survey

Of the respondents to our online survey for the corporate responsibility report, most were from our employees:

  • 96% said the report affected them favorably or extremely favorably
  • 0% said the report affected them unfavorably
  • Using a five-point scale, Credibility (4.55) and Style/Presentation (4.58) were ranked highest; Metrics/Data (3.88) were ranked lowest.
  • 96% feel Brown-Forman’s corporate responsibility efforts are sincere; 4% are “not sure.”

We welcome your continued responses to our online survey!


Moving Forward

From the 2007 Corporate Responsibility Report, we’ve applied feedback from the benchmark analysis, stakeholder input sessions, and online survey to produce an up-to-date online posting of our corporate responsibility strategy and efforts.

  • This online update is aimed at providing a “current view” of our corporate responsibility efforts, covering updates from the past 12 months. The next full report will be issued in 2009.
  • This online update provides more metrics and expands upon some of the reporting from the first report.
  • We’ve incorporated stakeholder feedback, and expect to hear even more after you visit the site.