2 posts tagged “social causes”
World Changing had has a wonderful article (Kingdom Come: Striking the Balance between Celebrities and Causes) yesterday about the role of celebrities in promoting causes, pointing out how celebrities have replaced others in bringing a high degree of visibility to pressing world issues. Not only is this true, I think it might be a "good thing" given the way in which celebrities have become role models to so many people. especially youngsters. So whether it is for truly ultruistic reasons or to "look good", having such high visible people showing concern for social, environmental, and other causes has multiple benefits for society.
The article referenced above begins by focusing on the example of Jay-Z, who apparently approached UN Secretary General Kofi Anan and was linked to helping with the global water crisis. The UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors program (which has been around for quite some time), Bono's Product Red, Brad Pitt with Global Green are just a few examples of celebrity - cause partnerships. Time will tell whether these types of efforts will inspire others and remain a long-term committment. But for the time being, our celebrities are off to a very good start.
Business Edge aticle, Consumers drive 'cause marketing' trend, discusses the role of consumers in and the increased popularity of cause marketing. But neither are new. Many cause marketers and writers typically cite statistics by Cone (I know I have) to show the interest of consumers in charitable causes. But what isn't often mentioned is that such statistics (like the roughly 8 out of 10 consumers who would switch brands for a good cause) aren't new on there own. What one could be pointing out that is different than the typical article is that while these numbers aren't new, they are on the rise. What research shows in the last few years is that a higher and higher percentage of people are concerned about the "social conscience" of the companies they work for, as well as the associations of brands (companies) with causes.
In fact, the biggest shift in recent years was just prior to and just after the September 11th crisis.
The article also discusses the position of Samantha King who has a problem with the rise of cause marketing. And if the summary of the article is accurate, I think that Ms. King might be missing the point. According to the article, Samantha King in ("Pink Ribbons Inc., ") "says corporations generally spend more money on promoting their Pink Ribbon campaigns than they end up donating to the cause". Congratulations on pointing out the difference between cause marketing and corporate philanthrop. It is unfortunate if a misunderanding of a couple of defnitions turned into book that is off-topic.
The point of cause marketing is for corporations and charitable causes to benefit. It is not the job of companies to be the nonprofit organization. But by leveraging the additional resources (financial, media, customer base, etc.) of a business, nonprofit organizations have an opportunity to promote their cause more extensively. And while Samantha King may not understand this, Jocelyne Daw, who authored, "Cause Marketing for Non-Profits: Partner for Purpose, Passion and Profits", does.
Consumers are increasingly interested in buying from companies who support their communities and causes they care about. Employees are increasingly concerned about "soul" of the companies they work for. And nonprofit organizations and businesses are increasingly aware of the mutual benefit of a symbiotic relationship. Enter cause marketing, a tool that is helping to bring more resources to charitable causes than ever before.
