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2010 Cause Marketing Forum Recap: Engagement is Key
I had the pleasure of attending the 2010 Cause Marketing Forum Conference in Chicago this month, and as always, David Hessekiel and his team did a great job encouraging conversation on hot topics in the industry.
Many of the discussions I heard and was a part of at the conference - and afterward - have been around legal issues (Ed Chansky scared everyone in a good way), transparency (Cone's Mike Lawrence helped to simplify it for everyone) and choosing the right partners (Komen & KFC is still being talked about heavily).
Ultimately, the common thread running through all of these topics is the need to engage stakeholders in your cause branding and corporate responsibility activities. At Cone, we call this "Shared Responsibility" and feel strongly that it's where the industry needs to go.
To have the greatest social impact, companies must move beyond philanthropy and transactional cause marketing toward supporting issues that are material to business growth and allow for stakeholders to be engaged in collaborative solutions.
Margaret Morey-Reuner from Timberland (Cone client) spoke directly to this concept during the “CSR Meets CM” dinner, sharing how Timberland has actively engaged consumers through its Earthkeeper program to provide input and be "Voices of Challenge."
No one company or nonprofit can do it alone. By embracing Shared Responsibility, not only can you better identify and avoid potential legal, transparency and partner selection issues, but you can also empower stakeholders to help drive innovation and become true advocates for your efforts.
- Chris Mann, Account Director
Tags: causebranding cone engagement sharedresponsibility conferences transparency
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Marks & Spencer Stay on CR-Point with ‘Plan A’
Is the sustainability message sustainable? This is the question posed for a session Cone will lead today for The Conference Board, and as many of us in this space know, the answer is an unabashed “yes.” For those still unconvinced, here are a few supporting points:
- Investment in CR Steady: 86 percent of companies say investments in green products and green product development will be the same or higher in 2010 than 2009. (GreenBiz.com)
- Consumer Expectations Remain High: 85 percent said their expectations of companies to make and sell environmentally responsible products and services during the economic downturn was the same or higher. (Cone)
- Reporting on the Rise: Nearly 40 percent of firms on the Standard & Poor’s 500 index filed non-financial reports last year, a one-third jump over 2008. (Corporate Register)
- Experts Agree Sustainability Works: 88 percent of global thought leaders agree that improving sustainability performance improves overall brand image. (GlobeScan)
There are many telling examples that showcase how sustainability is not just holding steady, but actually gaining steam, but yesterday’s Environmental Leader highlighted a particularly compelling case. U.K.-based Marks & Spencer launched Plan A in 2007, with 100 sustainability-focused commitments to achieve in 5 years. The program has effectively weathered the economic turmoil to stay on point to meet its 2012 goal. In fact, the company has achieved 62 of its original targets and is slated to achieve all except seven by 2010 – two years ahead of its original schedule.
The company this year ALSO added 80 new or extended commitments with a goal of becoming the world’s most sustainable retailer by 2015. The icing on the sustainability cake is that not only is the company meeting or exceeding its original goals, Plan A became cost positive in 2009. This year, Plan A generated a $73 million dollar profit that was reinvested in the company. And if there's one thing that makes a corporate initiative sustainable, it's a financial return.
See Marks & Spencer’s “How We Do Business Report 2010” for complete details about its commitments, including candid stakeholder feedback about the activities – and, yes, responses from the company on how it’s addressing these concerns.
Tags: corporateresponsibility cone economy sustainability conferences bestpractices campaigns research
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Trends in Cause Sponsorship
In follow-up to Chris Mann's recent post on tips to maximize cause sponsorships, I wanted to share a few distinct sponsorship trends that are helping some sophisticated corporate and nonprofit players get noticed in today’s competitive marketplace. These were gleaned from a combination of industry chatter, Cone client work and takeaways from the 2010 IEG Sponsorship Conference.
- Sponsorship Squared: Creative sponsors are leveraging current and new sponsored properties together to bolster returns on both, while carving out a niche to stand out from the clutter.
Example: Ask.com, as a new sponsor of Susan G. Komen for the Cure, leveraged its existing Nascar relationship, allowing fans to have a loved one’s name incorporated into driver Bobby Labonte’s pink tribute car design by visiting their site and honoring those impacted by the disease. - Partnered Promotions: More and more, sponsors are seeking introductions and co-promotions with other non-competitive, complimentary sponsors of the same properties. This can be a win-win-win. The cause property gets more highly engaged sponsors, one sponsor may get a benefit like access to a new customer base and the other may benefit from new, emotional content to further connect with customers. There are a number of ways to slice the varied interests of parties involved, depending on their goals and core assets.
Example: Children’s Miracle Network struck a deal with Microsoft’s XBox to sell bundled games. The games were sold at Walmart, an existing Children’s Miracle Network corporate supporter. The partnership tied all three organizations together, which proved highly beneficial to all parties.
Example: For a promotional period, pairs of New Balance pink sneakers benefitting Susan G. Komen for the Cure also included customer applications for the new Bank of America pink credit cards that benefit the same cause. - Niche is Necessary: While sponsors understand they may be sharing the limelight with other sponsors unless they shell out big dollars for total exclusivity rights, they are expecting a custom niche to help them stand out from the “logo soup.” Satisfy their craving for customization by developing unique, creative solutions and offering “ownership” in a multi-sponsored campaign.
Example: (PRODUCT) RED allows companies to customize their participation with brand-appropriate terms. The Bugaboo baby stroller is adorned with the word Ado(red), Flower Power markets its promotion using Flowe(red), Converse goes in a slightly different direction using Make Mine (Red). Sponsors get a sense of ownership, yet the (PRODUCT) RED brand tie-in is still obvious. - “Non-Cause” Causes: Many companies “invented” their own causes. Sponsors are not always looking to define their philanthropic focus through nonprofit beneficiaries – they are coming up with unique causes and giving the money away to multiple charities, to individual contest winners or to non-traditional partners.
Example: Green Mountain Coffee created the Revelation to Action Changemakers competition to provide grants for innovative solutions to solving community challenges. Its partner is Ashoka's Changemakers, not a traditional charity partner, and the money goes to individuals to help make change in their communities and not to nonprofits directly. - Starter/Teaser (not Discounted) Packages: Especially in this economy, it is important for properties to offer a range of options. It may be more difficult for sponsors to take a “leap of faith” and pony up for the top tier sponsorship. They may be more likely to spend less money to get a sense of how their objectives may be met on a lower tier package before taking the plunge. It is important not to succumb to discounting, as this makes it difficult to return to your fair market value. Instead, think creatively about how to offer smaller, start-up packages.
Example: The American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women (Cone client) does this by offering multiple tiered sponsorship packages, including short-term cause marketing opportunities to simply use the logo and raise funds for the cause. Companies can start here and see if they want to opt-up to larger opportunities with more tangible benefits.
- Anne Erhard, Vice President
Tags: causebranding nonprofitcausebranding conferences trends sponsorship
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Companies Need Courage to be Responsible
A couple of weeks ago I attended the Economist’s Corporate Citizenship Conference in New York City. The discussion focused on the role of business in our society and the opportunity to do well by doing good. There was much discussion around the different approaches companies are taking: various CSR programs, NGO partnerships, sustainable product launches, etc.
I think most would agree that there is a positive bottom-line impact to make the case for corporate responsibility, acting sustainably or whatever you choose to call it. But still many companies are hesitant to open that door. During the conference, one of the panelists said that companies need courage. That comment really resonated with me – and I think it’s true. Courage is an important trait many companies need in order to start looking at themselves with a critical eye and begin adopting strategies to become more responsible corporate citizens.
This idea holds true in several ways:
The courage to admit that your shareholders are just one of your many stakeholders
- Having recently witnessed the failure of many of our financial institutions and massive layoffs combined with big bonuses, it’s hard not to view companies as in the business of making money to pay off corporate leaders and shareholders, above all else. Somehow they have shifted towards this narrow focus of shareholder maximization, leaving all other stakeholders in the dust – employees, communities, consumers. Responsible corporate citizens are recommitting to this broader spectrum of stakeholders and addressing the interdependency among them in order to achieve more sustainable growth.
The courage to collaborate
- While companies have an important role to play in society, they are just one part of the equation. Some of the most impactful efforts are born through partnerships between companies and NGOs. One of the programs highlighted at the conference was 10,000 Women, a program supported by Goldman Sachs. Its mission is to provide 10,000 underserved women around the world with a business and management education (starting in places like Afghanistan). Goldman Sachs works with multiple academic and NGO partners throughout the world to develop curricula and help reach women in need. Goldman Sachs sees this program as more of an economic investment versus charity. They believe these women will play a critical role in building local economies and ultimately help drive future business. In the meantime, the program is empowering these women and changing their lives in extraordinary ways.
- Companies also need the courage to collaborate with their competitors. We often see companies within the same industry developing separate standards to meet their definition of sustainable practices. This can result in confusion among suppliers as they try to adhere to multiple sets of standards. Competitors need to find common ground and come together to harmonize standards and unify efforts. One example of this is the Leather Working Group which brings together competitors in the leather shoe industry, including Timberland and Nike, to agree upon one set of standards and positively impact a critical piece of their supply chain for themselves, for the industry and for social good.
- Being responsible also means being transparent and honest with your stakeholders. This can be a scary proposition for many companies unwilling to take the risk of exposing potential skeletons in the closet. But only by being aware can companies fully understand their impact and make the changes required to act more responsibly. It’s easy to talk about the great things we are doing, but it’s much harder to share those areas that need improvement.
- Being responsible (vs. reactive) means being proactive and able to adapt to change. Some of the best examples of responsible corporate citizens are also some of the best examples of innovative companies – Method, ZipCar, Aveda, all come to mind. P&G has taken this innovation for social good and turned it into a new product line called “Future Friendly”. Launching this month, this new line consists of environmentally friendly products to address the needs of the “Sustainable Consumer”. This line will enable P&G to help the earth while driving value via a niche consumer segment.
What do you think? Do companies require courage in order to be good corporate citizens? Please share your thoughts below.
- Erica Vogelei, Account Director
Tags: corporateresponsibility conferences cone engagement timberland
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Wisdom from the Dalai Lama: for Business and Personal Relationships
On October 1, 2009 Carol Cone had the unique honor of speaking at the EngageNow Conference in Calgary, Canada directly following the Dalai Lama. She was so moved by the experience that she decided to share her thoughts here. To view a brief video clip of her speech, visit the event blog.
Now that I have met His Holiness, the 14th Dalai Lama, and he has deeply touched my head and heart, I continue to look to his wisdom. So many have asked what it was really like to meet him, so I’d like to briefly share my experience with you.
The first time I saw him in person was among a crowd of 15,000 spectators. When he entered the arena, I felt a warm white light inside of me. Really. Truly. It calmed me and filled me with serenity. The arena full of people was so completely mesmerized; you could hear a pin drop. As he talked, his comments on universal responsibility gave me hope for mankind, to make peace with one another and the planet.
The second “meeting” was in a more intimate setting among a group of 1,200 at the Telus Centre in Calgary, where I would follow him on stage. While his energy was a bit lessened, (even the Dalai Lama who travels 300 days a year, with a jam packed schedule of multiple speeches and meetings a day, combined with 5+ hours of meditation can become burnt out) his message deeply penetrated the audience. “Be kind to one another. Help others to gain peace inside yourself.”
When I met him and he grabbed my hand, I felt so humbled, and grateful for just a moment of his presence. His look into my eyes deepened my resolve to share his message through my work, speeches, friendships and acquaintances.
When I came across blogger Justin Dixon’s list of “20 Quotes from the Dalai Lama,” I wanted to share them. So much wisdom from a “simple monk.”
Enjoy.
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“Happiness is not something readymade. It comes from your own actions.”
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What Can Business Learn from the Dalai Lama?
Recently I “spent” two days with the Dalai Lama at the EngageNow conference in Calgary, Alberta. Hosted by the University of Calgary, the focus of the event was to inspire and create active participation in local communities throughout that city.
I was asked to speak at the conference, joining a global roster including F.W. de Klerk, Sir Richard Branson, Stephen Covey and His Holiness. Certainly I was honored to join such accomplished individuals. “When will I speak?” I asked the event organizers. “Directly following the Dalai Lama.” Humbled and curious, I inquired, “Why?” The answer was that they felt my life’s work and message about the power of business authentically embracing social issues would provide a perfect bridge for the audience.
A request like that causes one to deeply reflect. I reviewed my work spanning over 25 years guiding companies to genuinely embrace social issues. Our clients approached this strategy quite personally. Paul Fireman at Reebok, Jim Preston at Avon, Bruce Rohde at ConAgra, and more recently, Clarence Otis at Darden, Jim Rohr at PNC, Christina Gold at Western Union and Steve Loranger of ITT. Each desired to authentically and sustainably engage with a cause. Intuitively they knew this could be a powerful way to inspire employees, engage more fully with customers while enhancing their reputation and make a social impact.
In each case, the work with these companies resulted in innovative and long-term commitments to many causes, new awareness and increased funding, with each showing significant results. The issues and approaches varied: human rights, breast cancer, childhood hunger, youth enrichment, economic opportunity for migrants and access to clean water. While each CEO explained his or her vision in a different manner, they all had one thing in common: compassion.
Compassion? Frankly, in the years of our work, I never thought of it as the expression of compassion. That is, until I “spent” two days with this self-proclaimed “simple monk.”
Indeed, I had to ask myself, “Could business be compassionate?”
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Shared Responsibility: Green Tchotchkes - An Oxymoron?
Shared Responsibility is a new What Do You Stand For? series from Cone’s Corporate Responsibility team that focuses on addressing the sustainability challenges of our time.
I’ve spent the past year attending many conferences. Green conferences. Sustainability conferences. I’ve also spent time counseling clients on corporate responsibility thought leadership strategies and how to engage with key influencers. Some of these discussions go down to the pedantic, such as being appropriate in terms of the brand’s presence at shows.
At every show, there are branded reusable shopping bags. I have so many – too many – strategically placed in my office, in my car, etc. There are also a variety of other tchotchkes. I use the word because its definition is: inexpensive, showy trinket. I wonder if we could do ourselves a favor and not buy trinkets for the sake of branding, but instead spend time, money and resources on doing, connecting and making a collective difference in the issues that matter.
Instead of another pin, bag or magnet, why not sponsor an extra networking session, a special guest speaker or a donation to an important cause on behalf of attendees? Your company will still benefit from the brand recognition, but instead it will be tied to a thought-provoking discussion or issue, not desk drawer clutter. We can and do work with companies, NGOs and others to make this world a better place – one less trinket at a time.
- Jonathan Yohannan, Senior Vice President
Tags: environment corporateresponsibility conferences sharedresponsibility
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Judging the PR Lions at Cannes: Reflections
In a career one gets few once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Being a judge for the 1st PR Lions is certainly one of them.
While I looked forward to Cannes, my vision was an over-the-top glam week of parties, parties and more parties ending with awards, the global advertising businesses gushing self congratulations – think unrelenting double-cheek kissing (its France naturally), fist pumping in the air Gold Lion in hand, and all night carousing. (One of the agency winners even brought his dog on stage…4 times! Talented agency. Lucky dog?)
Perhaps that is true. Yet with digital media and a shattered world economy, things have really changed for the communications business. And in my experience, and that of my fellow judges, the new PR Lions and the content of winning campaigns mirror the emerging new “world” order.
First I feel the advertising industry has moved beyond just ads with spectacular creative – to a world of amazing ideas executed in multiple mediums. So many times the presidents of the various juries said “The lines have blurred between disciplines.” Great ideas, born from considered insight, executed in surprising ways that engage and deeply inspire audiences win the day.
Questions asked during the judging at the three concurrent juries – PR, Direct and Promo – revolved around their very definitions. Throughout our reviews we kept asking; “What is PR?” Besides shining a spotlight on great, breakthrough work, what message were we, as well as the other juries, trying to send to our communications colleagues around the globe?
At the awards ceremony Monday night, it was fascinating to see campaigns winning across disciplines. The Best Job in the World, winner of the PR and Direct Grand Prix, was such a simple idea that became a “shot heard ‘round the world”. The client, Tourism Queensland, sought to inspire visitors to visit. With a limited budget was born the idea: offer "The best Job in the World” – become the guardian of a magnificent island, with simple responsibilities – feed the fish, clean the pool, take in the mail (delivered via sea plane) and blog daily. All this for about $8800 per month, at a fabulous three bedroom villa overlooking breathtaking green and blue sparkling lagoons. Small space ads around the world announced the job; sent in a short video telling us why you should be selected: 35,000 responses, narrowed to 50, then 16 finalists flown to the island for a hands-on interview, then selection. Mountains of publicity, online submissions so clever providing non-stop entertainment, followed by mountains of publicity. The buzz throughout the judging, even before Cannes, this campaign was THE ONE TO BEAT! Just “brilliant.” CumminsNitro, Brisbane.
Another campaign winning multiple categories included Yubari Resort, The Store of Hope, The Great Schlep and Khede Kasra, among others.
Yubari Resort
Yubari was a small Japanese town, fallen on very hard times, $300 million in debt, with an aging population – what was the city to do? Beacon Communications, Tokyo, on a small budget, started with the right move: through research of the city’s history and personality, they found it to have the lowest divorce rate in Japan. Thus was born the idea of focusing Yubari as the city of happy couples. Their line, “No money, but love.” (Surely in Japanese that was more eloquent, but you get the idea.) A mascot was created to draw attention to the new positioning. Over 3,000 couples came to renew their marriage vows. The mascot soon took off with organic uses around the city, from the obvious T-shirt, to packaging of foods and other items.
Massive press covered the repositioning. Over 100 articles and tons of TV. The City gained much-needed word of mouth, exciting energy, more than $30 million in new revenues, 10% year-over-year increases in tourism and most of all – restored pride.
I just loved this campaign for its core insight, its highly cultural execution and deep results. I was so please my other judges agreed and gave it a PR Lion. When it won the Promo Grand Prix, I jumped out of my seat with joy, pumped my fist and cheered. It wasn’t slick. It wasn’t fancy, though the mascot was right on, not too Hello Kitty, just correct to represent a happy couple. The campaign reflected the inner spirit of Yubari in its better times, gave it hope and a new future. What a great PR result!!!!
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Tags: conferences cannes campaigns cone awards publicrelations
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Judging the PR Lions at Cannes: Day 4
Today we finally got down to the best part of the competition. We combined with all judges and Jury President Lord Tim Bell, to view the better entries from our previous voting. In all, we had 49 to discuss and debate. And debate we did! No shouting nor object throwing -- but certainly lots of laughs.
By now, we knew the basic positions of each jury member. To name a few: Jimmy Tay (CEO of Southeast Asia, H&K, Singapore) talks softly, but with deep insights; Penny Furniss (Founder and Creative Director of Sputnik, London) is snappy, funny and very direct; Bjorn Mellstrand (Managing Director from JMW Kommunikation, Sweden) sharp, in your face, vacillating from “boring” to “brilliant” as he swiftly assessed campaigns; and myself (always looking for the authentic insight related to a social issue). Then of course, there was “The Lord,” “Oh Lord,” “Praise the Lord” or “M’Lord,” as we kidded, Jury President Lord Tim Bell.
Debate. Debate. Debate. Often we had to ask for clarification regarding special cultural nuances for campaigns. The Japanese entries were especially different – I liked them a lot – but they have a very different flavor, some parts very campy, others poignant. At times we were extremely split as to their merit.
Today, as a group, we were exposed to many hometown phrases: “Looks bonkers to me,” “They managed to market themselves without looking like a tosspot,” “The link is so f…ing obvious. It’s solid,” and “Goes beyond the superficial to my heart.”
We had a few ad campaigns that sought PR, meaning publicity, for the efforts. One effort must have been created by “a group of advertising lads sitting around a table.” It was criticized strongly as Fake. Fake. Fake.
At the end of a very long day, we agreed on the shortlist. Each campaign will win either a PR Lion or a certificate. We will make those decisions tomorrow.
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Tags: conferences cannes campaigns cone awards publicrelations
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Judging the PR Lions at Cannes: Day 3
Today we finished the second round of the overall judging. Our team of five, again a new mix of judges, hail from Singapore, India, Germany, Argentina and USA. Lively debate continued, although overall, we were disappointed by most of the submissions in the following categories: internal, integrated programs and travel/tourism and leisure.
While I can’t divulge those I liked today, countries capturing my highest votes included: Japan and Australia.
To aid our deliberations, and to add more context to our numerical scores, we gave brief descriptions to each number. So, our “unofficial” characterizations follow below (Remember, 1–3 means drop from further review; 4–6 may make the final review; 7–9 absolutely in the finals.):
1 = No comment. Just silence. We were surprised these passed from the first round of judging we did at home
2= Nix it. (In many cases a stunt – that really turned us off)
3 = BORING!!! (In many cases a stunt plus something else. Very unoriginal)
4 = Barely ok
5 = Cute
6 = Solid (There were a good many solids awarded. Strategic, ok creative, thorough execution, ok results – just not great)
7 = Very good. Just one or two of the four criteria weren’t superior
8 = Close to Brilliant. A hair off of all criteria being fulfilled and then some
9 = Brilliant. Lively “ahs.” Gave some of us chills. May also be considered for the Grand Prix!
Insights to future entrants: success comes from really original ideas developed from keen insights and ideally some research, with stunning creative, thoughtful execution and results described qualitatively and quantitatively. Again, make sure the goals are crisply defined, ideally quantitatively, and as specific as possible, AND the results round back to address the goals.
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Tags: conferences cannes campaigns cone awards publicrelations
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Judging the PR Lions at Cannes: Day 2
Up bright and early today. Walked and ran three miles along the promenade with barely a soul in sight. Though there were lots of men planting flowers, cleaning the streets, keeping Cannes tres beau!
Today I teamed up with four new judges from the U.S., Brazil, Australia and France. Our categories were consumer marketing and social media. In all, there were 40 entries to individually view and discuss.
What is it really like to judge? It’s quite fun, actually.As I have great curiosity about programs around the world, this experience provides a bird’s-eye view into so many varieties and approaches to programs.We analyze one entry at a time, quietly reading, then view a storyboard and usually a 2-3 minute video.
Then it’s not so quiet anymore. We critique, debate, question “where did the idea come from?” and then bounce back and forth regarding its power, originality and results.After a while, each judge seems to have a recurring comment – “solid” said one, (meaning ok, but not great); “boring” said another (meaning really not original and not up to short-list caliber). Other comments included: “Is this all there is?” “Where’s the insight?” “Measurement tells us what?” and “How is it sustained?”
If we need clarity regarding the power of the campaign in a specific country, we seek out that judge and get excellent context. It’s very helpful to separate fact from hyperbole.
Candidly, a lot of the work was “solid” as the best descriptor.Ok, but not good enough and really not great enough to win a PR Lions. Interestingly there is a feeling among all the judges that, as this is the FIRST PR Lions, we have to set a standard for the future for great PR work.Brilliant strategy, fresh creative, thorough execution and real results, not just clips. How did the program increase reputation or sales, change a law, influence behavior?So many of the programs we wanted to like, but they fell down in the results section.
“Really amazing” and “wow” were few and far between.
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Judging the 1st PR Lions at Cannes
When USA Today asked me to be part of the judging panel for the first PR Lions at Cannes , I was deeply honored to join this preeminent global competition with 14 other seasoned public relations professionals from around the globe; from the U.K. to Singapore, Argentina to India, Sweden to Spain and beyond. Interestingly, it took 56 years for the Cannes Lions Festival to acknowledge the critical role of PR as part of the communications and marketing mix. Ah, good things come to those who wait.
Jury President, Lord Tim Bell warmly welcomed us Tuesday evening for a kickoff dinner at the Carlton Hotel. Joining Cannes Lions CEO Philip Thomas, we all toasted to the next era of the awards and to setting a new standard for public relations excellence in strategy and creativity.
Early kudos to the Cannes organizers for selecting a great PR jury. Today, during our first deliberations, all fell easily into our significant duty of short- listing the best campaigns. Unlike the other categories, the PR division was prejudged due to the more complex nature of the work. The initial 431 entries from 48 countries in 20 categories were narrowed to 322. Today, we divided ourselves into three groups, each given approximately 40 entries to judge against four criteria: strategy, execution, creative and results -- with strategy and results having a slightly greater weight across the four. Animated debate characterized all three groups, with Lord Bell occasionally overseeing the conversation with a sometimes quizzical look. He promised not to weigh-in until the final stage of the short listed entries, approximately 12% of the total.
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Entrepreneurs Foundation Recap
Carol Cone had the privilege of traveling to San Jose, CA this week to speak with members of the Entrepreneurs Foundation at a roundtable entitled “Anatomy of a Corporate Soul.” Please click here to view her presentation.
Thank you to everyone who attended!
Tags: cone causebranding conferences
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Using New Media to Advocate
In an “always online” culture, it is increasingly important to communicate with and engage audiences where they’re plugged in. At Cone, we define new media as “technology-facilitated dialoguesm among stakeholders.” Engaging audiences through technology is a powerful tool to increase awareness of issues. In fact, The New York Times recently highlighted an organization using new media - the Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Campaign of North Carolina (APPC), whose innovative Birds and Bees Text Line offers information to curious teenagers about sexual heath on their mobile devices.
The state faces growing teenage pregnancy rates and risky behaviors - issues that weren’t being mitigated by traditional classroom education. The APPC knew its target audience of 14-19 year-olds had mobile phones, and that the anonymity provided by text messaging would offer a safe and comfortable forum to ask difficult questions about sexual health. The choice of mobile devices as a communications tool shows the APPC understands new media is less “build it and they will come” and more “build it where they already are.” APPC health educators respond to text inquiries within 24 hours, and refer to the service as “sex ed on their turf” - therefore creating a dialogue with teens as opposed to talking at them.
Unlike similar programs in other cities and states, the program provides for one-to-one interaction, demonstrating that new media can still be an intimate forum for communication. The Birds and Bees Text Line is only a piece of a larger strategic plan to educate teens about sexual health beyond the classroom, but it has allowed the organization to reach its target audience more effectively and in a way that is culturally relevant.
Cone will be speaking more about how to align new media with a corporate responsibility communications strategy at the 2009 Sustainable Brands Conference, where Mike Hollywood, director of new media, and Jonathan Yohannan, senior vice president, will be leading a workshop about New Media for Sustainability.
For much more news on this topic, please see our weekly newsletter. Subscribe to Cone's newsletter here.
Tags: conferences campaigns nonprofit engagement newmedia
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Conference Season 2009
Spring is in the air, and Cone is revving up for an exciting (and busy) conference season. Here is a sneak peek of where you can find us in the next two months:
The Better Business Bureau of NY
CSR Forum II: Leading the Recovery and Restoring Transparency and Trust in Business
May 12, 2009
Carol Cone will be moderating a panel entitled “Responsibility Strategies for Rough Times.” The discussion will include representatives from Verizon, Time Warner and Pfizer.
Sustainability 50
May 12, 2009
Jonathan Yohannan, SVP, will join a candid discussion among business leaders about effective environmental communications.
May 14, 2009
Carol Cone will lead a roundtable discussion entitled “Anatomy of the Corporate Soul.”
The Bulldog Reporter Media Relations Summit
Expanding the Value of PR in the Digital Age
May 18, 2009
Mike Lawrence, EVP and Chief Reputation Officer, will speak on a panel entitled “Lightning Response: Surviving the First 24 Hours of Crisis.”
The 2009 Cause Marketing Forum Conference
May 27, 2009
Carol Cone will help kick off the event with a keynote at the opening dinner about trends in cause marketing and Cone’s latest cause research.
CECP’s Corporate Philanthropy Summit
Under a New Lens: Corporate Philanthropy in a Changed Economy
June 2, 2009
Carol Cone will moderate a panel entitled “Beyond Cash: Leveraging Your Resources.” The discussion will include representatives from Cisco, American Express Foundation and The Eli Lilly and Company Foundation.
June 4, 2009
Mike Hollywood, Director of New Media and Jonathan Yohannan, SVP, will lead a half-day workshop on “Sustainable New Media” where participants will learn how to successfully integrate new media into corporate responsibility communications strategies.
We are honored to be speaking at these leading conferences and hope you can join us!
Tags: Reputation corporateresponsibility newmedia causebranding crisis conferences environment
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2009 Conferences
USA Today reports that twice as many U.S. companies as previously expected are cutting their travel spending this year in response to economic weakness and uncertainty. At the same time, however, attendance at leading business conferences may actually rise as executives seek and share advice on pressing business issues. To ensure great value for your time and financial investment, Forbes has a list of 12 Executive Gatherings for 2009 to consider adding to your agenda. Many focus on corporate responsibility, sustainability and philanthropy.
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Is It Finally Time for Girls/Women to Rule the World?
With our world turned upside down through so much economic calamity, greed and selfishness, is it finally time for women to rule the world?
At the recent World Economic Forum at Davos, some 100 women got together on a Saturday morning to hear a panel discussion called "The Girl Effect." These female leaders from around the world talked about focusing on helping girls and women in developing countries gain better access to health care, education and job opportunities.
"This is the solution to a long list of world messes from poverty and hunger to the spread of HIV and violence -- and in this financial crisis its one of the best investments we can make," said Helene Gayle, president and CEO of CARE USA, who moderated the panel. Joining her were Nike CEO Mark Parker, Mari Pangestu, Minister of Trade of Indonesia and Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus.
Kudos to Nike who has focused much of its recent charitable efforts on helping girls in poor countries. Kudos to Kiva.org with its microfinance focus on women. Kudos to Connie Duckworth who created a rug weaving business in Afganistan called Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women initiative, that aims to educate emerging women business owners with certificates of business and mentoring to help their ventures grow.
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Tags: philanthropy conferences Women Leadership
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Association of Fundraising Professionals Toronto: Wrap-Up
I recently had the pleasure of presenting two sessions on Cause Branding and Passion Marketing at the Association of Fundraising Professionals’ 2008 Congress in Toronto, Canada -- two rooms full of extremely insightful and well-read nonprofit executives. Based on the tremendous response, not only to the presentations themselves, but also to the compilations of research and case studies that we covered, I am posting the links to the information here, for all to easily access. Enjoy!
Cause Branding: The Power of Focus - This presentation demonstrates why cause branding is a must-do business strategy in creating brand personality, passion and trust in today’s marketplace, in developing innovative programs and in communicating them in a credible way.
Addicted to Love: Infusing Passion into Your Brand - This presentation drives home the payoffs of emotive communications and illustrates the path to reaching, engaging and impacting diverse audiences. It is highlighted by successful audience segmentation examples employed by the American Heart Association (AHA).
More detail on each of the AHA’s cause campaigns is included in these word case studies:
Go Red for Women
Start!
Alliance for A Healthier Generation
Power to End Stroke
Relevant Cone research (as referenced in the presentation) is included here:
Past. Present. Future. The 25th Anniversary of Cause Marketing
2006 Nonprofit Research
- Kristian Darigan, Vice President
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BSR- Addressing CR in the New Economy
Against the backdrop of economic turmoil and a historic U.S. presidential election, business leaders from around the world shared their sentiments about the future of corporate responsibility during the Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) Conference last week in New York.
Photo credit: www.bsr.org
A third of attendees, representing corporations, NGOs, government and academia, took part in the BSR/Cone Corporate Responsibility in a New World Survey , which revealed that despite tough times and the possibility of declining budgets, these corporate responsibility leaders share a surprising optimism:
- Seventy-seven percent remain optimistic that global business will embrace responsible business practices as part of their core strategies and operations in the next five years.
- Nearly three-quarters (72%) believe there will be increasing demands on business to solve social problems, but more than half of these respondents expect business will meet these demands.
- Nearly nine out of 10 believe President-elect Obama will have a positive impact on advancing the corporate responsibility agenda around the world.
The continued drive toward responsibility, despite the declining economy, is rooted in these business leaders’ belief that corporate responsibility is core to sustainable economic growth worldwide. In fact, more than two-thirds of respondents said that more responsible business practices could have lessened, or even prevented, the current economic downturn.
As Jeff Immelt, GE CEO and keynote speaker, explained during the conference, his beliefs on the role of business addressing climate change and selling products that help solve environmental problems are not just feel-good; it’s ultimately about the bottom-line. GE’s suite of ecomagination products is evidence- it’s grown from $5 billion since its inception to about $17 billion today.
Click here for additional findings from the BSR/Cone 2008 Corporate Responsibility in a New World Survey . And, for information from the BSR conference, including session summaries and video highlights, click here .
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Reset - Jeff Immelt from the BSR Conference
This fall I have been at three terrific conferences, each having GE CEO Jeff Immelt as a key speaker. From Arthur Page (membership-only senior corporate communications executives), to the Harvard Business School Centennial, and last week, at the Business for Social Responsibility Conference, Jeff provides tailored comments that are candid, audience-specific and provocative.
I got the most from Jeff's BSR speech, so I will share those comments here. Let's call this one: 'Doing well and doing right.' He focused his comments on five key points.
#1. Jeff talked about the current economic crisis as a 'reset,' not a standard business cycle. Three things will come from this: Specific industries will be restructured within the next 6-12 months (ex. the financial services industry), the intersection with government and business in the U.S. and Europe will change for at least a generation and now we are in an era of transparency that is profoundly different than even six months ago. 'That companies need to stand for something beyond the bottom line is profound.' said Immelt. 'We are in an emotional, social and economic reset,' he continued.
#2. People are afraid, especially regarding financing and credit. We need strong leadership now to reinstill confidence in people, especially our employees. 'We need to teach our people to compete,' especially in the areas key to the economy -- energy, healthcare, education and financial systems. These pillars, he said, play a central role in a reset world. It is critical to turn the fear, via strong leadership, into self confidence.
#3. Corporate social responsibility must be strategic from the core of the company, and then move outward. In the end, he emphasized the 'corporate' part of CSR. It needs to make money for the corporation, or it will not be sustainable. Within CSR he talked about the critical areas of governance, transparency, building trust and innovation. He mentioned that GE is spending over $6 billion on R&D in the recession to stay ahead of competition and to be customer focused and socially relevant.....of course he mentioned the company's investments in environmentally and socially-focused new products and services -- clean energy, water, access to affordable healthcare, with their foundation focusing on helping develop new engineers in key cities where they have large operations.
#4. Engagement. It is critical to fully engage with key stakeholders -- employees, customers, governments, NGOs, even with people who 'make you feel uncomfortable.' Discussion and relationships are critically important in a reset world.
#5. Globalization. In a global world, everything is interconnected and will only become more so.
Companies and their leadership must get the first four things right -- understanding we now live in a reset world, that we must regain our confidence, that we must act in a socially-responsible way, that we need to be fully engaged in our work as well as committed to solving today's and tomorrow's challenges -- doing these well sets up a company to compete successfully in a global economy and in an ever-increasing interconnected world.
Competitiveness. Trust. Confidence. Great people. Technology to help solve the world's biggest issues. That is how GE will march forward in a reset world. Great insights for companies, large and small.
- Carol Cone
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Front End of Innovation
Last week, I attended the Institute for International Research Front End of Innovation conference and thought I’d share a few themes. The group spent some time over the two days talking about: what innovation is (hint: no one is sure...at least no one can truly define it); how you identify it (hint: you really can’t...until the success comes); and how it differs from failure (hint: not much...until the outcome).
However, with some incredible minds presenting, including: A.G. Lafley (CEO, P&G); Peter Guber (Founder and Chairman, Mandalay Entertainment Group); Dean Kamen (Inventor, Founder of FIRST); and several other innovators, many characteristics of the most successful, innovative ideas were shared. Each presenter called these “best practices” something different (to Guber, they’re MAGIC, Motivating your Audience to a Goal Interactively and surrendering Control; to Kamen, they’re Rude Realities and Somewhat Serious Suggestions; and to Lafley they’re Game-Changing principles). Below are five key themes with examples and anecdotes that were shared across the two days that can be applied to corporate or nonprofit cause branding innovation:
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Presenting Cause
This past week, I had the pleasure of spending three hours with the communications and marketing pros who make up a good portion of Lutheran Services in America. We spent time discussing the emergence of trends within, and the future of, cause branding and social marketing in corporate, nonprofit and individual contexts. Based on the terrific response that I recieved, I thought I might share it with you. It is a compilation of many of the presentations (all much less than three hours!) that I have given over the course of the last two years. Let me know what you think. Download LSA.pdf
- Kristian Darigan
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Social Enterprise: A Source for Innovation
This is an exciting time in the world of philanthropy. Strategic philanthropy and cause branding are both widely accepted as viable business strategies for companies. With new resources and professional talent at their fingertips, nonprofits are more empowered to make a sustainable impact. Given the attention to our depleting global resources and international tragedies, Americans are also feeling a greater responsibility to take action and solve social ills. So what does this mean for us?
After attending and presenting at the 2008 Social Enterprise Conference , hosted at Harvard Business School, I felt recharged that we are at another exciting cusp of innovation. There are new synergies among big business, entrepreneurs, NGOs and government agencies that are all striving for a similar goal of a long-lasting triple bottom-line, doing good by doing well. Sure the lines amongst these three sectors are beginning to blur, but is that a bad thing when new models of positive change are being developed?
As Harvard states, “Social enterprise offers not only economic resources, but also the strategic and management expertise to ensure that change is long-lasting and large-scale.” Topics covered during the March 2nd conference included: microfinance, innovative foundation business models, humanitarian response, enterprise solutions for poverty, climate change and international development.
It was inspiring to see leaders from the World Bank, United Nations, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Citigroup, P&G, Morgan Stanley, Timberland and others come together to talk about new approaches to working together for a shared goal. I encourage you to check out the site and to keep social enterprise models in mind when thinking about partnerships and approaches to leveraging your scale and core competencies for great good.
-Alison
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