filter by author: Alison

Now that we are all relaxed after a long holiday break (except for those who have children like I do), many of us are trying to prioritize our work for the year.  Here are a few of my own thoughts regarding what we will see in 2008:

1.    Increased Expectations of Companies: As consumers’ purse strings tighten, they will expect more from companies, i.e., to both give back and to provide consumers with opportunities to shop with a conscience.
2.    Substance (with Sizzle) Will Prevail: Consumers will pressure companies to support issues beyond short-term, one-off promotions and will spur backlash against companies with insincere initiatives.
3.    Demand for Information and Relevance: Consumers will continue to pose questions before deciding if a cause tie-in will impact their purchasing:
     - What impact am I having with my purchase?
     - Will I see the benefit directly or indirectly? 
     - How is this cause or campaign relevant to me?
     - Is this company “walking the talk?”
4.    Alignment: Companies will support issues more closely aligned with their businesses, such as environment, economic empowerment and workforce training. They will utilize their scale, operations and assets for greater impact.
5.    Less Distinction Between Cause and Corporate Responsibility: As more companies align their philanthropy with their business needs, consumers will increasingly blur the line between a company’s responsible business practices and its support of causes.
6.    B2B Involvement: More business-to-business companies will realize they too have to support causes in a big, bold way as others beyond consumers (employees, investors, suppliers) are demanding more.
7.    Demonstrated ROI: Companies will seek (and actually commit time and money) to quantify the business and social returns on their cause-related investments.
8.    Increased Regulation: Government will provide guidelines and/or begin to regulate cause-related marketing and environmental messages and claims.
9.    Increased Interest in SRI: Socially responsible investing will become even more mainstream.
10. More and Instantaneous Communication:   We will see more cause-related advertising, social networking and instant communication about what companies are doing and the impact they and their stakeholders are having.

Well, these thoughts are hardly from a crystal ball, but I always find it helpful to start the year with reflection on what is to come. Happy New Year!

-Alison

I am a huge fan of Dove's Campaign for Real Beauty. I find it refreshing that the campaign is meant to challenge stereotypes, "to celebrate the diverse, the healthy, the real, the truly beautiful."  The Dove Self Esteem Fund backs up the advertising campaign and demonstrates the brand’s sincere commitment to building self-esteem in young girls.  The Fund raises money and awareness through forums, workshops and global research.  They have even sponsored a program at Harvard University. I have been buying more Dove products over the last year, and I can’t help but wonder what influence its campaign has had on my decisions.

All that said, Dove has received significant backlash recently because its parent company, Unilever, also owns Axe, the top selling male body spray whose advertising depicts women as primarily sexual objects.  These are two different brands, with their own identities and marketing plans. Neither brand is accountable to the other. However, Unilever is ultimately accountable for both.

As more and more brands are creating powerful cause-related campaigns that strike an emotional and relevant cord with their consumers, their parent companies – often those without a strong brand themselves – are trying to figure out what it means for them.  To some extent, the parent company receives a halo and accolades, even if it is not the catalyst or an active participant in the campaign.  In other cases, like with Unilever, it creates a new pressure, forcing the parent company to more clearly articulate what it “stands for” in the community and in regards to its responsible business practices.

Cone has worked with several multi-national manufacturing companies with diverse brand portfolios, and has a few best practices for parent companies to consider:

1. Clearly articulate your values to your brands and key external stakeholders. For internal audiences, provide guidelines and tangible examples of how to live those values in action regarding responsible business practices, marketing and communication, support of issues and other key areas
2. Assess your brands’ current cause-related activities to identify “common threads.”  What issues are supported? Who are the more common target beneficiaries?
3. Create an umbrella cause platform for your parent company based on what you (and your brands) want to “stand for.”  This umbrella will be somewhat broad – it may include several causes or it may focus on benefiting a certain group, such as children worldwide. This platform should be broad enough so that you can package most of your brands’ key programs underneath it. However, the platform should not be so broad that it is all things to all people, and hence, your brands will not understand what it means to them.
4. Conduct a risk assessment to see if there are any brands whose products or practices are in conflict with the cause platform (ala Axe). Address, rectify and/or create crisis prevention plans prior to launching the new platform.
5. Educate all the brands in your portfolio about your cause platform and how they may want to support it in their own ways.  Provide examples about how other brands are executing with success.  Consider providing some sort of incentive, such as additional grant dollars, if they create programs consistent with the new platform.
6. Recognize that you want to encourage your brands to be true to themselves and that not all will fit within your cause platform. Create key messages for your corporate office, brands and partners to use so that expectations are clear regarding your commitment and that of your brands.

Best in class is P&G’s “Live Learn and Thrive.”  Please visit the Web site to learn more!   

-Alison

As I shop the grocery aisle with my six-year-old son, I am constantly reminded about the power that the next generation will have on the world.  I am not exaggerating when I tell you he looks for General Mills Box Tops for Education Labels when he clamors to fill up my grocery cart.  He even has the core message down, “Mom, for every label that you redeem, I will get money for my school for needed stuff.”  What started as a loyalty program targeting mothers in 1996 has turned into a grassroots movement with children in the driver’s seat.

A few weeks ago, MTV announced it will launch a new Internet social network to encourage youth activism. It is being backed with funding from the Case Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  The site, Think.MTV.com, is actionable and relevant to young people.  It aims to inform as well as let users connect with other like-minded people on issues from the environment to sexual health to discrimination.  MTV is putting a lot of muscle behind this as thinkMTV co-sponsored the musical event at the Apollo Theater to cap off the Clinton Global Initiative Summit.  Former President Clinton, Bono, Wyclef, Shakira, Chris Rock and Alicia Keys were all in attendance to reinforce the importance of individual action.

This effort reflects a trend that Cone has identified and tracked since conducting our 2006 Cone Millennial Cause Study .  Our research found that Millennials care, want to get actively engaged and want to see the impacts of their efforts.   

Our research found that 80 percent of those surveyed have volunteered their time over the last year to support a social or environmental cause, participated in a fundraising event or written a letter to a company and/or the government in support of a cause.  However, Millennials question whether their efforts are making a lasting impact.  As a generation that expects immediate gratification and feedback, Millennials need to learn about and/or see an immediate benefit from their actions.

Several pioneering companies, such as ALDO, have harnessed the passion of young people not only to help solve social issues, but also to create the strongest brand ambassadors.  Our research also found that after learning a company is socially and/or environmentally responsible: 83% of Millennials are likely to trust the company more, 79% are likely to purchase that company’s products and 74% are more likely to pay attention to that company’s message because it has a deep commitment to a cause.

A significant way for companies to gain Millennials’ trust is by actually “walking the talk” through substantial cause alignment.  Companies are still in the early adopter stage when it comes to effectively embedding causes into their brands and engaging young people in a larger social purpose.  We encourage all companies to think about how to harness the passions of Millennials by creating authentic, impactful and well- communicated initiatives.

For examples of other powerful and recent initiatives, please check out some of the following links: 

A 16-year old teen in LA is throwing a fundraising event at the House of Blues to benefit homeless teens in the area.  

Unilever’s contest, “Go Green & Small with ‘All,’ ” a promotion targeting and rewarding students and schools with demonstrated environmentally friendly actions.
 
-Alison