saw him manage the likes of Coca- Cola , John West and The Famous Grouse – committed himself to raising awareness , and funds , for liver disease research . But instead of establishing a charity , he founded a limited company . The resulting product , LivOn !, is an antioxidant coffee drink that combats the problem , while also investing in finding a cure .
“ Very simply , we set up the company to transform liver health ,” says De Silva . “ 6 % of every sale goes into non-profits , which is actually about 11 % of our turnover . It ’ s often quite difficult for consumers to put their finger on exactly what they pay that goes into supporting a cause , whereas for us they can buy a bottle and calculate for themselves how much of it goes directly into supporting liver health .”
SOCIALISM MEETS CAPITALISM
Any brand tempted to tear up their existing business plan to reposition as a quasi-non-profit should likely exercise a little caution . If you can successfully withstand the argument that altruism should be motivated by an authentic desire to do good , or the danger that consumers can quickly sniff out cynical opportunism ( though not philanthropic , Pepsi attempting to co-opt a global protest movement with an advertisement is a recent cautionary tale ), there is no guarantee that backing charity boosts a brand .
“ I mean , ‘ the easy way ’ would be to not give 11 % of our turnover away ,” admits De Silva . “ That is hard-earned cash that we could keep and reinvest back into the business . But I think that ’ s a shorter-term view . We know there is consumer empathy for brands like us and , therefore , carry a longterm goodwill , rather than just the short-term gain that we could have .”
That is , unless we are in fact witnessing a bright new dawn for business on a wider scale . A world in which consumers and companies unite to change things for the better , under the banner of commercial altruism . Sounds like a fanciful pipedream , but … “ I ’ m a 100 % believer in that world ,” says De Silva , with a smile . “ I actually think that is ultimately the role of a business – to do good for society , but at a profit , because , if you take a political view , that ’ s where the socialism and the capitalism meet , isn ’ t it ?”
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