Host Universal
Encyclopedia
Host Universal is an ethical brand strategy and communications network founded in 1997 by Robin Smith
. Host is mission-driven and it works with clients on projects with social or environmental impact. Host has a core team in London, UK, and creates specialist teams for digital, print, video, film and identity tasks as well as live events, worldwide.
at The Body Shop
International. The partnership created a global Self-Esteem
strategy and creative campaign featuring Ruby, a size16 doll, who was presented as a role model
real women. The campaign aimed to bring attention to the issue of the media waif and skeletal supermodels, associated eating disorder
s and extreme diets, Anita Roddick argued, that fashion stereotypes did nothing for a woman’s self-esteem and, in the long term, are seriously damaging for society. “Once upon a time we cut a suit to fit a body, now we cut bodies to fit suits”. The global Self Esteem strategy was later picked up and utilized by Dove.
In the world of Fair Trade
, Host is widely associated with its work with Cafédirect with which it was involved from the company’s conception through to 2006. In 2006, Millward Brown
identified Cafédirect as the UK’s No1 brand. Cafédirect was created by Oxfam, Twin Trading
, Equal Exchange
and Traidcraft to sell coffee growers’ coffee directly to consumers and became a model Fair Trade business. Host Universal worked with Cafédirect till 2006 developing brand strategy and implementing design and communication work that included the creation of instant coffee
product 5065 and the cult 5065 Lift Theatre group. The 5065 Lift earned a cult reputation among new writers and fringe theatre
groups. The Lift performed to audiences in the UK but was best known for its Brighton Beach
and Edinburgh Festival
appearances. Host developed the communications strategy behind the Cafédirect Share Issue in 2004 which was targeted at Cafédirect consumers, many of whom became share holders. “We would not be where we are today without Host” Penny Newman, CEO, Cafédirect.
Host works with British Entrepreneur Dale Vince, the founder and CEO of Ecotricity. who was voted UK’s No1 entrepreneur in a New Statesman
poll. Dale Vince builds wind turbine
s in the UK and matches each pound spent with Ecotricity by a customer with a pound invested in the build of new green energy resources. Dale Vince experiments with renewable energy
technology and is currently investing in a 140 mph electric powered sports car
based on a standard Lotus. Dale Vince’s Green Britain campaign is supported with an iconic Green Union Flag. Ecotricity is the UK’s 7th largest energy provider.
. Some studies have shown that 20% of global carbon emissions can be attributed to deforestation. UBoC aims to encourage collaboration between Indigenous people’s, NGOs, brands, businesses, environmentalists and scientists to help preserve the Rainforest.
In 2009 Host has worked on a rebranding project with Paul Myers and his team at IFAT. IFAT changes its name to the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in February 2009. The WFTO aims to create a sustainable global trading system. In 2009, Host created the World Fair Trade Day website that on 8 May 09 became the hub for 1000 events in 70 countries. The event was themed Big Bang!!
In 2010 Host is developing strategy and communications for Social Finance.
can be defined as one that utilizes profit to deliver socially or environmentally motivated goals. Ethical businesses can be described as values-driven or mission-driven organisations. In the UK they are also known as social enterprises.
Robin Smith
Robin Smith may refer to:* Robin Smith , British comic book artist* Robin Smith , South African-born England international* Robin Smith , American seminarian and author* Robin Smith , American WWF performer...
. Host is mission-driven and it works with clients on projects with social or environmental impact. Host has a core team in London, UK, and creates specialist teams for digital, print, video, film and identity tasks as well as live events, worldwide.
History
Host was set up in 1997 to work with Anita RoddickAnita Roddick
Dame Anita Roddick, DBE was a British businesswoman, human rights activist and environmental campaigner, best known as the founder of The Body Shop, a cosmetics company producing and retailing beauty products that shaped ethical consumerism...
at The Body Shop
The Body Shop
The Body Shop International plc, known as The Body Shop, has 2,400 stores in 61 countries, and is the second largest cosmetic franchise in the world, following O Boticario, a Brazilian company...
International. The partnership created a global Self-Esteem
Self-Esteem
"Self Esteem" is a song by the American punk rock group The Offspring. It is the eighth track from their third studio album Smash and was released as the second single from the album. The song was a worldwide hit, reaching #1 in Latvia, Norway, and Sweden and was one of the most successful singles...
strategy and creative campaign featuring Ruby, a size16 doll, who was presented as a role model
Role model
The term role model generally means any "person who serves as an example, whose behaviour is emulated by others".The term first appeared in Robert K. Merton's socialization research of medical students...
real women. The campaign aimed to bring attention to the issue of the media waif and skeletal supermodels, associated eating disorder
Eating disorder
Eating disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual's physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific...
s and extreme diets, Anita Roddick argued, that fashion stereotypes did nothing for a woman’s self-esteem and, in the long term, are seriously damaging for society. “Once upon a time we cut a suit to fit a body, now we cut bodies to fit suits”. The global Self Esteem strategy was later picked up and utilized by Dove.
In the world of Fair Trade
Fair trade
Fair trade is an organized social movement and market-based approach that aims to help producers in developing countries make better trading conditions and promote sustainability. The movement advocates the payment of a higher price to producers as well as higher social and environmental standards...
, Host is widely associated with its work with Cafédirect with which it was involved from the company’s conception through to 2006. In 2006, Millward Brown
Millward Brown
Millward Brown is a global company focused on brands, media and communications. It is part of Kantar Group, the insights arm of WPP plc, and the world’s second largest market research organization after Nielsen Company.-Leadership:...
identified Cafédirect as the UK’s No1 brand. Cafédirect was created by Oxfam, Twin Trading
Twin Trading
Twin Trading is a leading alternative trading company in the United Kingdom. It was founded in 1985 and is based in London.Twin Trading is wholly owned by Twin, a registered charity and membership organisation. Twin's membership comprises 24 farmer co-operatives in eight countries, drawing together...
, Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange
Equal Exchange is a for-profit Fairtrade worker-owned, cooperative headquartered in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts. Equal Exchange distributes organic, gourmet coffee, tea, sugar, cocoa, and chocolate bars produced by farmer cooperatives in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Founded in 1986, it is...
and Traidcraft to sell coffee growers’ coffee directly to consumers and became a model Fair Trade business. Host Universal worked with Cafédirect till 2006 developing brand strategy and implementing design and communication work that included the creation of instant coffee
Instant coffee
Instant coffee, also called soluble coffee and coffee powder, is a beverage derived from brewed coffee beans. Instant coffee is commercially prepared by either freeze-drying or spray drying, after which it can be rehydrated...
product 5065 and the cult 5065 Lift Theatre group. The 5065 Lift earned a cult reputation among new writers and fringe theatre
Fringe theatre
Fringe theatre is theatre that is not of the mainstream. The term comes from the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, which name comes from Robert Kemp, who described the unofficial companies performing at the same time as the second Edinburgh International Festival as a ‘fringe’, writing: ‘Round the fringe...
groups. The Lift performed to audiences in the UK but was best known for its Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach
Brighton Beach is an oceanside neighborhood in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. As of 2000, it has a population of 75,692 with a total of 31,228 households.-Location:...
and Edinburgh Festival
Edinburgh Festival
The Edinburgh Festival is a collective term for many arts and cultural festivals that take place in Edinburgh, Scotland each summer, mostly in August...
appearances. Host developed the communications strategy behind the Cafédirect Share Issue in 2004 which was targeted at Cafédirect consumers, many of whom became share holders. “We would not be where we are today without Host” Penny Newman, CEO, Cafédirect.
Host works with British Entrepreneur Dale Vince, the founder and CEO of Ecotricity. who was voted UK’s No1 entrepreneur in a New Statesman
New Statesman
New Statesman is a British centre-left political and cultural magazine published weekly in London. Founded in 1913, and connected with leading members of the Fabian Society, the magazine reached a circulation peak in the late 1960s....
poll. Dale Vince builds wind turbine
Wind turbine
A wind turbine is a device that converts kinetic energy from the wind into mechanical energy. If the mechanical energy is used to produce electricity, the device may be called a wind generator or wind charger. If the mechanical energy is used to drive machinery, such as for grinding grain or...
s in the UK and matches each pound spent with Ecotricity by a customer with a pound invested in the build of new green energy resources. Dale Vince experiments with renewable energy
Renewable energy
Renewable energy is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, and geothermal heat, which are renewable . About 16% of global final energy consumption comes from renewables, with 10% coming from traditional biomass, which is mainly used for heating, and 3.4% from...
technology and is currently investing in a 140 mph electric powered sports car
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
based on a standard Lotus. Dale Vince’s Green Britain campaign is supported with an iconic Green Union Flag. Ecotricity is the UK’s 7th largest energy provider.
Recent projects
A major project for Host in 2008 was starting a company called the United Bank of Carbon (UBoC) in partnership with Jonathan Wild, the Chairman of UK company Betty’s& Taylors. UBoC aims to develop sustainable investment opportunities for businesses and brands within the World’s remaining Rainforest. UBoC hopes to cause a reduction in logging and deforestation of the Brazilian rainforest by realising the commercial value of the carbon that it stores. Value gained from the storage of the carbon will be used to generate income for indigenous communities, protect Rainforest ecology and reduce global carbon emissionsGreenhouse gas
A greenhouse gas is a gas in an atmosphere that absorbs and emits radiation within the thermal infrared range. This process is the fundamental cause of the greenhouse effect. The primary greenhouse gases in the Earth's atmosphere are water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone...
. Some studies have shown that 20% of global carbon emissions can be attributed to deforestation. UBoC aims to encourage collaboration between Indigenous people’s, NGOs, brands, businesses, environmentalists and scientists to help preserve the Rainforest.
In 2009 Host has worked on a rebranding project with Paul Myers and his team at IFAT. IFAT changes its name to the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO) in February 2009. The WFTO aims to create a sustainable global trading system. In 2009, Host created the World Fair Trade Day website that on 8 May 09 became the hub for 1000 events in 70 countries. The event was themed Big Bang!!
In 2010 Host is developing strategy and communications for Social Finance.
Ethical business
An ethical businessBusiness ethics
Business ethics is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business conduct and is relevant to the conduct of individuals and entire organizations.Business...
can be defined as one that utilizes profit to deliver socially or environmentally motivated goals. Ethical businesses can be described as values-driven or mission-driven organisations. In the UK they are also known as social enterprises.