Barbara Schoen de Bruin – Samsung Benelux

Barbara Schoen de Bruin, Head of Corporate Communications at Samsung Electronics Benelux, leads the team in terms of PR, CSR, sustainability, internal communication, and crisis communication. She shares her insights on the role CSR plays within Samsung, one of the biggest electronics brands in the world, and in the Interbrand Top-5 Best Global Brands 2022. 

Taking responsibility – the key component of CSR

”Samsung is a large firm that manufactures products for a variety of markets, and we make an effort to utilize technology to enhance all aspects of life, using technology in a way that’s more sustainable, less time-consuming, and has a beneficial influence. However, our ambitions are challenged by the current market situation. To effect change, we must have a thorough understanding of the impact of our operations on both a global and local level.”

But with such a challenge, what lies at the heart of CSR for Samsung? Barbara explains: ”We believe that the term ‘responsibility’ is the most important regarding CSR. We are accountable for the impact of our business on society, the environment, and people. As a result, our business’s objectives should support societal, environmental, and humanitarian principles. Therefore, as we design and manufacture new products, we aim to boost the complete cycle in terms of recycling, product life, and working towards a circular economy with our Samsung products.”.

“We believe that CSR ought to be a company-wide obligation rather than the sole responsibility of marketing teams.”

Samsung’s strategy: giving back on a local level 

“The primary objective of our company’s CSR initiatives is to invest in constructive change that benefits humanity, society, and the environment. Our funding is aligned with this goal: we do not have a specific budget. Instead, Samsung engages in CSR-related activities as part of its overall strategy.” Barbara further explains: ”You must give back and bring value to life and society as a business, and I don’t just mean monetary value; a company’s expertise and ability are far more significant. Samsung has a rich history of technology and innovation, which are valuable assets that can and ought to be utilized to create beneficial developments in the present technological era.”

Seeing the impact Samsung can have on people’s daily lives is why the company made its strategy to empower and share its skills with vital local target audiences. ”You can accomplish so much as a brand, especially one as large as Samsung, as we possess so much knowledge and technological advances that we can share with society. And if we can create positive change that helps society flourish, we can simultaneously develop as a brand as well.” Barbara explains.

“We want to translate our actions into effective local results; it is extremely rewarding and inspiring to have our expertise contributing to the common good.”

Working for a better future

As previously stated by Barbara, Samsung also wishes to share its expertise and skills as a technical pioneer. ”We established two programs that we believe contribute to tackling contemporary societal concerns. These programs are designed exclusively for Gen Z students as they are our leaders of tomorrow and we seek to empower them through creativity, technology, and self-development that will assist them in working toward a brighter future. It is immensely precious to spend time with youth every month and discuss their experiences, perspectives, and current concerns. We learn a lot from one another” Barbara shares enthusiastically.

Samsung Innovation Campus

Samsung noticed that in today’s labor market, there is a greater need than ever for tech-savvy professionals. However, there aren’t many instructional programs for coding and programming, particularly for teenagers, to pique their curiosity as coding can be boring. Barbara shares how Samsung’s Innovation Campus aims to overcome this barrier: “We’ve teamed with H20, a large local Esports Campus, to create a curriculum for youngsters who want to learn coding and programming through video games that they already enjoy (such as Roblox and Minecraft).” Barbara tells.

Samsung Talents of the Future

Another initiative – Samsung’s Talents of the Future program (the first pilot year was launched in November 2002 and in the Benelux region) – is aimed at young graduates. “Many individuals feel lost after graduating. The theoretical concepts that they picked up in college and the actual application required in the field are as different as night and day. We have built up a complimentary & extracurricular year program delivering seminars to selected Master students, with each class focusing on a particular topic of their interest, as we are fortunate to have plenty of specialists in numerous disciplines of sales and marketing inside our local offices. We narrow the gap between theory and practice and prepare them for what comes after graduation by hosting this program and sharing our skills and knowledge.”

“Key aspects of these initiatives are that they are practical, executed on a local level, and we simply share our expertise. No intention to sell whatsoever.” 

Communicating about CSR

“Communication about our efforts and their outcomes is an important part of the process as we are genuinely happy that we’re able to contribute to the community as a company. But the so-called buzz is not our main goal. We believe that CSR ought to be a company-wide obligation rather than the sole responsibility of marketing teams. Therefore, we tailor our CSR communication to the program. In general, we share news about our programs with the public through our owned channels like social media, our Newsroom, our local website, and through the network of our partnerships.” Barbara explains.

Importance of research 

When it comes to research, Barbara shares how at Samsung it is believed that research remains crucial no matter what you do. “Conducting research and gaining insights from the findings can help you decide on your objectives, strategy, and tactics. With every initiative, we consistently conduct a study before launching a project, then analyze the results to make the required modifications and continually evolve to meet the requirements. For example, through Talents for the Future, we constantly gather feedback from students through questionnaires to tailor our program properly. Only then, you can make a meaningful impact.”

CSR for the future 

Barbara concludes that from her perspective, all businesses, large or small, should contribute to society and the environment in some way. Every contribution helps, and there are numerous possibilities. “I believe we can also learn from one another and collaborate to have an even greater impact. There have been several companies that have done an excellent job with their CSR approach. For example, I admire Ocean Clean-up and am inspired by Patagonia’s social and environmental efforts.”