From his humble beginnings selling soap in a sales training program to his rapid rise in the fast-paced New York advertising scene, Bill Novelli was well on his way to becoming a leader in the hypercompetitive business world. But it wasn't long before he became disillusioned with the drive for profits at any cost. He knew that his marketing skills made those companies successful, but what good did that success do for the world? That question sent him on a career path that involved taking the marketing and communication tactics long used by big businesses and applying them to social change. He found that this strategy was not only good for the world but also good for business. In Good Business, Novelli begins with his early career success in Mad Men-era marketing, which left him feeling unfulfilled. He describes the process of changing career trajectory: how he helped reposition the Peace Corps; built Porter Novelli, a global PR agency for social impact; fought the Tobacco Wars; and became CEO of AARP, the largest nonprofit in America. Drawing practical lessons and principles from play-by-play stories of his experiences in large and small organizations, Novelli deploys his characteristic wit to stress the importance of building and maintaining connections with people-and engaging them in the cause. Good Business, which is part behind-the-scenes look at crafting social and health policy, part inspirational guide, proves that you can do well (creating economic and financial success for yourself and your company or organization) by doing good (helping to solve the world's and society's major problems). Throughout the book, Novelli shows that you can make a positive social difference regardless of what business you are in or where you are in your career. Readers will come away with the message that anyone who wants to have a positive impact on the world can do it right now from where they are-or can be inspired by Novelli's story to make the leap to somewhere they can.
Bill Novelli is a Distinguished Professor of the Practice in Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business, where he started and oversees the Business for Impact center, and is the cofounder of Porter Novelli, one of the first social marketing companies, and now a global PR agency. Formerly, he was the CEO of AARP, the president of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, and the COO of CARE USA. He is the coauthor of Fifty Plus: Give Meaning and Purpose to the Best Time of Your Life, Managing the Older Worker: How to Prepare for the New Organizational Order, and editor of A Roadmap for Success: Transforming Advanced Illness Care in America.
Foreword, by Jim Clifton Foreword, by Jo Ann Jenkins Introduction Chapter 1. Finding My Purpose: From Selling Soap to Selling Causes Chapter 2. Purposeful Work: Building a Purpose-Based Company and Applying Social Impact around the World Chapter 3. Fighting the Tobacco Wars, Then and Now Chapter 4. AARP and the Brawl to Get Prescription Drugs into Medicare Chapter 5. The Best Offense Is a Good Defense: Battling over the Future of Social Security Chapter 6. The Opportunities and Challenges of Our Rapidly Aging Society Chapter 7. Blending Profit and Purpose: Building an Academic Center for Today's and Tomorrow's Leaders Chapter 8. Your Purpose: People and Organizations Making a Difference Chapter 9. What Do We Owe Our Grandchildren? Acknowledgments Index
An inspiring and practical look inside the mind of Bill Novelli, one of the founders of social marketing, Good Business challenges all of us to change the world for the better and is a blueprint for tackling today's critical issues.
Good Business shows how to make a career in communications both a way of making a living, and of making the world a better place. * O'Dwyer's *
