Brand Karma

Thanks for being curious - some short answers to FAQs and WTFs.

• What is Brandkarma for?

  Brandkarma is a new reputation system designed to keep brands honest and change them for the better. It's not just how good their products are that matters, it's how well they treat people and how well they look after the planet.

  We believe in healthy conversation, transparency and accountability. No closed books or black boxes. Because, when it comes to building a better, brighter future, none of us is as smart as all of us.

• What problem does Brandkarma solve?

  'Sustainability' sounds complicated and far too hard for most of us to get involved with. Yet millions of us are concerned about it. Brandkarma is a simple, social platform that allows everyone to participate.

  It's your chance to rate brands, suggest how to make them better and share your views far and wide.

• What do you mean by the three Ps?

  A brand's karma is a made up of user ratings for Product, People and Planet.

  Good brand karma requires healthy ratings for all three Ps. If a brand makes good products, but damages the environment or exploits people, it won't have great karma.

  • Product karma relates to the products and services provided by the brand.
    How well do they perform? How good is the customer experience?
  • People karma relates to the brand's treatment of employees, workers in the supply chain
    and the wider community they work in
  • Planet karma is tied to the brand's use of natural resources and its impact on wildlife and flora.

  In calculating the Brandkarma score, Product, People and Planet karma are weighted equally.

• Why do I need to sign in to Brandkarma?

  We want Brandkarma to be a community of people who care about the world we live in and the world we leave our kids. By signing in, we know you're a person and not a bot.

  It's also hard for brands owners or interest groups to 'game the system' when users have to sign in with a current social profile.

  And finally, we know that you're highly influential with your friends and family. By signing in, you can amplify your ratings and suggestions via your social network.

• How many times can I rate a brand?

  You can rate as many brands as you want as often as you like, but you only get one 'vote' for each brand suggestion. When you update a rating for a brand we count the update and not your previous rating.

• How do I add brands to Brandkarma?

  You can nominate a brand at any time from the "Add a brand" link on the top right of most pages. When we get 50 people supporting a brand's nomination, we'll add it to the system and let you know.

• How does Brandkarma actually make a difference?

  Brands have always been interested in consumer opinion. Now, thanks to the power of social media, it's more the case than ever.

  Brandkarma is designed to amplify and spread the opinions of "conscious consumers" so that brands can't afford to ignore them.

  You become the boss of brands and, together, we start changing them for the better.

• Can brands get directly involved?

  Yes, of course. We're not anti brands, we're simply for good ones. Conversation and collaboration are key to making progress. In time, brand owners will be able to get actively involved on the platform. See information for Brand Owners.