Rethinking ESG: From Social to Stakeholder
Attending Reset Connect North at the Royal Armouries was an eye-opening experience for me, both professionally and personally. One of the standout moments came at PPP, the official after-party for day one, where I had the pleasure of chatting with Matt Cooling. Our conversation introduced me to Social Value, a concept I had heard of before but never fully connected to my work.
That evening, I went home buzzing with ideas. I researched the topic, watched a webinar, explored social value roles and even had a thought experiment with ChatGPT about what a world would look like if we measured success by social value rather than monetary profit.
By the second day, I was eager to continue these conversations—only to discover that my audience was still largely focused on the “E” of ESG (environmental impact).
The “S” was often simplified to employee welfare, or shrugged off entirely.
This led me to a realization: perhaps the “S” in ESG should stand for Stakeholder, not Social.
Businesses influence far more people than just employees—they impact communities, customers, suppliers and society at large.
By framing ESG through a stakeholder lens, we can better capture the full scope of a company’s social value and align our work with meaningful impact.
At Sayers Solutions, through our advertising platform Work Rest or Play, makes this idea have practical significance.
Visit the website here – https://www.workrestorplay.co.uk/
Advertising with us isn’t just about promoting a company—it’s about enabling those creating the most social value to share what they do and reach more people.
We’ve already begun exploring how our advertising packages offer positive impacts on local stakeholders. In theory it is the Businesses that ‘subsidise’ the cost of the Community packages and Local Calendar.
Currently, our packages are already designed to balance the needs of both business and community, with a tiered structure—bronze, silver, gold—that makes participation accessible at every level.In fact, our community bronze package is entirely free, ensuring that organizations creating meaningful impact can reach their audience without barriers.
Explore the packages here – www.WorkRestorPlay.co.uk/join/
However, could there be another way to use social value and impact instead of traditional metrics like turnover or number of employees.
I wonder if there is potential to go even further. What if package pricing or allocation was directly linked to the social value or stakeholder benefit generated by the advertiser?
In this model, organizations that drive the most positive impact—whether through supporting local communities, advancing education, or promoting wellbeing—could be rewarded with greater reach or enhanced visibility.
By aligning advertising value with stakeholder impact, we can create a virtuous cycle: the more good an organization does, the more opportunity it has to share its story, inspire others and multiply its influence.
This approach could redefine how businesses think about marketing, shifting the focus from pure commercial metrics to tangible, measurable contribution to society. It’s a bold idea, but one we’re excited to explore as we continue to innovate at the intersection of advertising, stakeholder value and social impact.
Reset Connect North reminded me that success isn’t just financial. By measuring and amplifying stakeholder value, businesses can create a more equitable, impactful world—and advertising can play a vital role in that mission.
If you would be open to a conversation to help me explore the topic of Social Value, I would love the opportunity to chat – https://www.sayerssolutions.co.uk/book-a-session-with-sayers-solutions/
Alternatively I’ve started to run Sayers Solutions online drop-in sessions, every other Tuesday (tomorrow). More info can be found here – https://www.sayerssolutions.co.uk/blogs/2026/whos-welcome-at-sayers-solutions-drop-in-sessions/