Pearson

Pearson is an education publishing and assessment company that provides services to schools, corporations and students directly. With a score of 7.91, it comes in at number 16.

Pearson is a well-known name and its high scores across the criteria reflect its strong reputation. The purpose, ‘To help people make progress in their lives through learning’, is ownable and relevant to its business. More importantly, Pearson’s purpose is supported by its new 2030 sustainability strategy which includes a materiality assessment, ESG performance data and assurance, and progress reports on public frameworks (e.g. GRI, UN SGDs). We see two key areas of opportunity for Pearson. While the brand is inspirational and a positive contributor to society, its visual style feels overly functional and corporate. It fails to capture a sense of warmth and ambition. With a lack of tailored propositions across its wide range of external stakeholders, the messaging also falls short.