Teach a Cause to Fish
To infuse passion into a cause, organizations can look to this classic adage for inspiration - “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” In the cause-related marketing space, we’re seeing this concept play out as some organizations offer not just philanthropic dollars and product tie-ins, but the actual tools and infrastructure needed to empower consumers to rally their own supporters for the cause.
Case in point is the recently launched Bisquick Pancake Nation (Cone client), which provides consumers with the tools they need to host a successful pancake breakfast in support of a cause. Bisquick bypassed the more traditional cause route (i.e., donating a portion of sales) and instead is offering a collection of resources to help the organizers of the nation’s many community pancake breakfasts plan, promote and execute successful events. The Web site offers everything from pancake recipes to signage templates and downloadable placemats. In addition, there are grants available for organizations to promote their events.
Other recent examples of “teach a cause to fish” include Macy’s holiday 2009 “Come+Together” campaign and Yahoo’s 2009 year-end “You In?” campaign. Macy’s approach encouraged consumers to host a dinner party and ask guests to donate money to Feeding America (Cone client) in lieu of the traditional hostess gift. In addition to matching any donations, Macy’s provided celebrity recipe ideas/meal plans, invitations and music ideas to create the perfect dinner party. Yahoo harnessed the power of consumers by asking users to commit to random acts of kindness and use the Yahoo network to post their good deeds and encourage others to do the same.
Empowering consumers to lead cause efforts encourages a deeper level of engagement with both the brand and the issue and a bigger impact in the communities where it’s most needed. When consumers have an active role in the program, they’ll be evangelists for your message and more likely to engage in future efforts, too.
Have you seen other examples of this approach? Please share!
Tags: trends newmedia corporategiving causebranding campaigns
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Money Where Their Mouse Is
Cone’s latest research, the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study, shows consumers are actively engaging with companies and nonprofits through new media channels … but are they putting their money where their mouse is? The answer is divided.
When it comes to corporate responsibility practices, 62 percent of new media users polled believe they can influence business decisions by voicing opinions via new media channels. And although they report contributing their point-of-view on an issue (24%) or contacting a company directly to share feedback and grievances (23%), new media users are equally or more likely to bypass dialogue and act with their wallets:
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30 percent indicate they have made a purchase based on POSITIVE information learned about a product, company or brand; and,
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23 percent indicate they have switched brands or boycotted a company based on NEGATIVE information learned about a product, company or brand.
Yet, in the area of cause, consumer engagement and awareness is not fully translating into dollars. Although nearly eight-in-10 (79%) new media users believe companies and nonprofits should use these channels to raise money and awareness for causes, fewer than one-in-five (18%) have made a donation.
And some argue that’s quite OK.
As About.com’s nonprofit expert Joanne Fritz points out, using new media is “about making friends, not getting donations. If nonprofits focus on engagement first, the donations will come.” A sentiment nonprofit blogger Nancy Schwartz shares, saying she sees new media as “more about friendraising than fundraising.”
Do you agree – is it sufficient that new media is driving powerful awareness today, even if donations aren’t always quick to follow? Share your point-of-view by casting your vote in our latest blog poll.
For more information about the study, read the press release and download the fact sheets.
Tags: research cone trends corporateresponsibility newmedia causebranding
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2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study
Do consumers want to engage with companies and brands through new media?
Do they think they can influence corporate responsibility practices online?
Are they supporting social and environmental causes via new media?
According to the 2009 Cone Consumer New Media Study, the answer is a resounding yes … with a few caveats along the way. The new research released today explores American new media users’ interactions with brands, their engagement with corporate responsibility practices and their support of social and environmental issues.
This survey builds on Cone’s 2008 Business in Social Media Study, but this year, we expanded the research to explore the diverse ways in which consumers are engaging with companies and nonprofits through new media.
Key findings include:
- Brand Marketing: Almost 80 percent (78%) of new media users interact with companies or brands via new media sites and tools, an increase of 32 percent from 2008 (59%).
- Corporate Responsibility: Sixty-two percent of users polled believe they can influence business decisions by voicing opinions via new media channels.
- Cause Branding: Nearly eight-in-10 (79%) Americans who are active on new media believe companies and nonprofits should use these channels to raise money and awareness for causes. Yet, fewer than one-in-five users (18%) have made a donation through new media.
Read the complete release here, and visit www.coneinc.com/consumernewmediastudy to download all three fact sheets.
Tags: research trends newmedia corporateresponsibility brandmarketing causebranding
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Making a (Collective) Difference
It’s the little things that count - when you add up the small efforts of many, they can create real change. As consumers, we adopt simple behaviors that can make a collective difference; turn off the faucet, pick up a piece of trash, buy a product that donates to a cause, recycle a soda can. When times are tough and cash donations are in short supply, how can companies adopt this concept to make a difference in society?
While cash remains critical to any nonprofit’s ability to fulfill its mission, this recession has led to innovative examples of companies leveraging assets, beyond cash, to solve social problems. Patrick Rooney, executive director of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University notes that many companies wanting to conserve cash have shifted from financial donations to in-kind contributions – taking a little and making it into something bigger.
Some companies offer employees a few hours time to volunteer for nonprofits, which combined can amount to hundreds of hours in professional services otherwise unaffordable. Others are donating new or unused materials that meet the needs of nonprofits, which when taken collectively can have big results.
In an interesting new approach to in-kind, a group of airline financiers has established a program called ISTAT AirLink that allows easy donation of unreserved airline seats and cargo space to causes who need to get volunteers and supplies abroad. The program brings together several airline carriers with excess space, offering valuable resources to nonprofit organizations.
A key part of this program’s success is the centralized organization, which allows aid agencies to list people, medicine and supplies they need shipped on a Web site, and permits airlines to post spare seats or cargo space. The result; nonprofits get people and resources on the ground, and companies are able to put to harness space which would otherwise be vacant. There is small added investment for the airline – extra cargo handling or passenger service – but the benefit to the nonprofit is huge. As airline financier and founding member Bob Brown notes, "If we can save an NGO a dollar in cost, that should flow right through to the people they're serving."
What excess capacity does your organization hold, and how can it be put to use for the greater good?
Tags: Volunteer corporategiving nonprofit sharedresponsibility charity trends economy donation
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Pink is in the Air
The Sunday paper is filled with pink circulars; breast cancer is trending on Twitter; the shelves are stocked with pink ribbon products; ah, it must be October. Every year, National Breast Cancer Awareness Month brings exciting momentum to the issue, and this year, some campaigns are taking on an edgy tone as they strive to reach younger women and men with information about this serious disease.
- Yoplait’s* newest initiative is titled “Know Your Girls,” aimed at encouraging young women to understand what is “normal” for their own breasts, or their “girls,” and recognizing important changes. The campaign features video and print materials focused on Gen Y females.
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Rethink Breast Cancer has released two controversial PSAs that take an unconventional approach to breast cancer. A bold new take on awareness, the campaign hopes to engage a younger generation of women and men.
Other breast cancer campaigns in the marketplace include:
- Following the recent introduction of limited-edition mike’s hard pink lemonade,* the malt beverage company is launching “Share Some Pink,” a promotion on Facebook. Mike’s will donate 10¢ for every virtual mike’s hard pink lemonade gift passed, in addition to a $250,000 donation already made to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation in memory of Jacqueline S., a part of the Mike’s family since its founding who lost her battle with the disease earlier this year.
- Taking a “girl-power” approach to awareness, women’s health care company Hologic, launched the “Promise to Me” campaign. On the program’s microsite, women pledge to take care of their own health and encourage women in their lives to do the same.
- Delta Air Lines lit up the JFK air traffic control tower in pink lights as part of its ongoing support for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. In addition, lucky passengers were treated to a surprise in-flight concert by Melissa Etheridge, a breast cancer survivor.
- Today is the 14th anniversary of the annual Lee National Denim Day, which is revitalized this year with celebrity ambassador and survivor Christina Applegate and interactive online communication components.
This October, stop for a moment and observe the sheer force of this cause. It boasts an incredible roster of supporters including corporate America, nonprofits, media, celebrities and retailers. Whether the approach pulls at your heart strings or tickles you pink, thanks to the ongoing efforts of these players, breast cancer has become an issue that resonates with all audiences and is truly a movement to admire.
* Cone Client
Tags: trends donation yoplait causebranding cancer campaigns
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Shared Responsibility: Game Changers
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.
Cause-related promotions and light-hearted campaigns have dominated much of the cause landscape this year as many companies took a “back-to-basics” approach to cause to drive short-term sales and loyalty. However, amid all the creative cause campaigns are the stirrings of a new crop of companies who, understanding their shared role in addressing crucial world issues, are stepping up to the plate to understand, to engage, to collaborate and to solve. These are the game-changers.
Two examples in the news this week:
P&G – No question, P&G is a cause leader with many of its brands executing some of the most creative and powerful campaigns in the marketplace today (e.g., Pampers’ One Pack = One Vaccine). But these campaigns all have their roots in a deeper corporate philosophy - P&G’s “purpose-inspired growth” strategy, which emphasizes the company’s culture and values as drivers for innovation and sales. New CEO Bob McDonald states, “We will provide branded products of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the world’s consumers, now and for generations to come. As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and value creations, allowing our people, our shareholders, and the communities in which we live and work to prosper.”
Merck & Co. – The pharmaceutical giant announced a partnership with British nonprofit the Wellcome Trust, to create affordable vaccines against diseases common in underdeveloped countries. Both partners will make equal cash contributions for the project, but what is most powerful is the “shared responsibility” approach this project requires. It will engage governments, charities, universities and other for-profit pharmaceutical companies for additional funding and solutions. Merck spokeswoman Amy Rose says, "The goal here is to involve a number of parties that would be interested in the success of vaccines in the developing world.”
“Shared responsibility” is about identifying the right opportunities to engage stakeholders and to collaborate to solve the world’s most pressing issues. It’s about being part of the solution, without going it alone. In these examples, company goals are not lost, but rather enhanced through collaboration, stakeholder engagement and a focus on innovation. These companies are not only supporting important social or environmental issues. They are also changing the way they – and others – do business.
Tags: trends corporateresponsibility causebranding sharedresponsibility
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Eco-Flair
Products on shelves today have more eco-label flair than a casual-dining restaurant’s employee of the month. This week alone, announcements for a Good Company Seal and a new “Clean Water Wash” label for Gap Inc. jeans were announced, adding to the explosion of new certifications. As organizations create countless standards using different measures and methodologies, how can consumers know which products are “best” or which companies are truly “good?” And with so many certification options, how do companies themselves know which to pursue?
For companies or products that focus on environmental responsibility and value the credibility certifications can provide, any new standard or label is something they will examine. But which are the best? Which are most relevant to your consumer? And how many is too many? At some point, your target customers become overwhelmed and unaffected, so it is important to qualify all the options before jumping in. It won’t make sense to chase after every “latest and greatest” environmental label or certification, as most require a rigorous verification process that companies must commit to, which can mean a large investment of time and money.
When deciding which certification to pursue for your organization or product, do your research. Consider the criteria Consumer Reports uses to evaluate eco-labels which include:
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Meaningful and verifiable: Check for an independent 3rd party inspection organization.
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Consistent and clear: Standards should be written in a way that can be verified in a consistent manner so that the label is consistent in meaning among different products.
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Transparent: The organization behind an eco-label should make information about organizational structure, funding, board of directors, and certification standards available to the public.
Don’t treat your eco-labels as flair on your sash. Think strategically to determine which label is the best fit for your organization.
Tags: trends labels corporateresponsibility transparency
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Tracking Cause Trends Spring/Summer 2009
Dawn, a P&G brand, has launched special-edition packaging and a social media and advertising campaign to revitalize its commitment to a cause it has supported for over 30 years – wildlife conservation. It’s all part of a trend we’ve seen in recent months as companies infuse fresh life into their existing causes, a rebirth if you will. That’s why we have coined this trend the “cause renaissance.”
This is just one of 10 hot cause-related trends we have identified in the marketplace over the past several months. Our list includes:
- Cause Lite: organizations approach heavy issues with a light heart
- Seasonal: when life gives them lemons…companies make lemonade campaigns
- Home Grown: there’s no place like home…to focus a cause campaign
- Feeding America: companies are feeding America by partnering with this eponymous organization
- A La Carte Cause: brands put consumers in the driver’s seat and let them choose from a range of options
- BOGO: the cause value equation is simple = you buy one + we give one
- Ready, Set, Activate!: for these companies, consumer engagement doesn’t stop in the store
- Service with a Smile: companies encourage volunteerism by tying it to some of America’s favorite indulgences
- Cause Renaissance: if it ain’t broke…companies infuse new life into existing causes
- Make Your Mark: the messages may be temporary, but the impressions are lasting
These trends reveal some interesting insights into the state of cause as we endure a reset global economy. Many of these examples are cause promotions, so it is clear that organizations are taking a back-to-basics approach to cause, seeking to connect with consumers and ultimately drive sales. Companies are also handing over much control to the consumer, giving him or her the ultimate voice in supporting the cause that matters most.
Intrigued? For details and examples for each cause trend, download the list from our Web site. Then cast a vote in the poll to the right for which trend you think will stick.
Tags: cone trends campaigns causebranding
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Supermarket CR Makeover
Organic, non-GMO, 100% recycled, “oh my!” By default, supermarkets are getting a rapid makeover as companies strive to become more responsible.
To start, shoppers can likely expect an influx of organics on local shelves, as it’s been identified as the No. 1 food trend of the coming decade, far surpassing easy meals and low-calorie labeling. With a market already estimated at more than $23 billion annually, there is no doubt that continued consumer interest will have companies rushing to capture a piece of the expanding pie.
Not to be outdone, Whole Foods is adopting a non-GMO verification for all its private-label products and is expected to begin rolling out new packaging later this year. Executives note that although the verification is not required, they hope it will help consumers make more informed purchase decisions.
And the momentum in the supermarket doesn’t end with the product itself. Earthbound Farm and Naked Juice separately announced they are raising the bar by converting to 100% post-consumer recycled plastic packaging. "These are major consumer brands using recycled content," says Anne Johnson, director of the Sustainable Packaging Coalition, in an article in USA Today. "It's a big deal." For its part, Earthbound Farms explains the move is about marrying its organic food with a responsible image. The switch has happened in light of research that found environmental packaging by food companies to be the third most important purchasing factor for North American consumers — ranking slightly below freshness of ingredients and additional health benefits.
Tags: trends corporateresponsibility research
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The New School of Societal Change
Business leaders who hold traditional beliefs about the role of business in society continue to use the economic crisis to espouse their conviction that the primary responsibility is to do well, not good. In their recent BusinessWeek column, Jack and Suzy Welch argue just this. It’s not as one-sided of an argument as we often see, but the point is clear: profit begets purpose, not the other way around. If a rash of new M.B.A. programs is any barometer, however, fresh thinking is on its way in.
Case in point—a story this week about Harvard Business School’s creation of “The M.B.A. Oath.” This promise “to serve the greater good” was organized by students and 20 percent of the program’s 2009 graduating class has opted to take it. Student advocates of the oath hope to establish a formal code that all future graduates will be required to uphold, similar to the Hippocratic Oath for physicians or the pledge taken by lawyers to uphold the law and Constitution.
M.B.A. professors, too, are recognizing the shift in attitudes among today’s students, and schools have ramped up courses and created new centers focused on ethics and corporate responsibility to satisfy the increased demand. Business school professors agree “they are seeing a generational shift away from viewing an M.B.A. as simply an on-ramp to the road to riches” and are viewing “business as more than a money-making enterprise, but part of a large social community.” This trend shows that future leaders may well care about more than just profits, and feel a stronger sense of responsibility for the good of society.
It’s not just corporate responsibility seeing this shift in thinking. Enrollment in climate-focused M.B.A. programs is surging, graduates are opting for careers in community organizing and public service agencies such as Teach For America and the Peace Corps are experiencing a swell in applications. In fact, research shows that M.B.A. students are willing to sacrifice an average of 14.4 percent of their expected compensation to work for a responsible company.
There is little doubt that corporate America’s attitudes will shift even further when these graduates become leaders. Dare we predict consumer perceptions of corporate America will follow?
Tags: research trends economy MBA corporateresponsibility
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Trend: Easy Recycling and Disposal
This week Sony joined a roster of companies providing in-store recycling kiosks for any electronic product, regardless of its brand. Waste Management also launched a new CFL bulb that comes packaged in a postage-paid box. Consumers can use the container to return dead CFLs to a recycling center, ensuring the bulbs, which contain a small amount of mercury, will be properly discarded. And earlier this month, the Estee Lauder brand Origins announced it will accept and recycle used cosmetic containers from any manufacturer (cosmetics packaging like lipstick tubes and shampoo bottles account for a third of landfill waste!) at all of its stores and counters nationwide. What does this mean for consumers? It’s getting easier to be “green.”
Step one was creating and providing environmentally responsible products, but the cost of a corporate environmental commitment today goes far beyond the store shelf. Companies are stepping up to help ease the common barriers which prevent consumers from proper use and disposal of their products. They are extending their commitments by offering turn-key solutions for responsible engagement throughout the product life cycle, minimizing not only the manufacturing impact of their products, but also accommodating the safe disposal or reuse of materials they contain. And frankly, they are eliminating, one-by-one, the excuses consumers have for not being green.
Tags: corporateresponsibility trends recycle environment
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Resilient "Green Purchasing" -- But Why?
Business and consumer news could hardly be more grim, but corporate environmental efforts seem to be coming through relatively unscathed. Companies are maintaining their investments and consumers continue to buy.
So why is “green purchasing” proving so resilient?
Three driving forces:
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Small Change – Companies are providing easy, cost-effective opportunities for consumers to make a difference through everyday purchases and activities (e.g, Marriott’s “Celestial Seasonings Trees for the Future” and the ongoing success of Clorox Green Works).
- True Value – Consumers evaluate much more than price when determining a product’s “value.”
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EcO-bama – The Obama administration’s continued attention to environmental policies and green stimulus spending have brought complex environmental issues into living rooms across America.
Trendspotting.com also lists 12 of its own eco-trends fueling today’s “eco-bounty” in its latest trends report, but we want to know what you think. Why does consumer environmental purchasing continue to grow despite the economy? Vote in our poll, located on the blog sidebar, and share your thoughts on what is motivating consumers to shop with the environment in mind even as they pinch pennies.
Tags: environment research trends corporateresponsibility economy
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