I like dogs as much as the next guy. Hey, we have a dog, adorable Zoe, who I take for walks more often than do the two adorable kids who promised they’d be the ones to do so. Zoe has become a member of our family, an integral part of our home life. Now, before all you cat people jump off to another article, let me quickly make clear that this article is not about dogs, per se. It’s about marketing and, specifically, something known as corporate social responsibility marketing, or CSR. More specifically, this article is about the difference between using CSR as a business model and using it as a promotion.
Recently, I was made aware of the incredibly creative and heartwarming initiative undertaken by Ikea called Home for Hope. Originating in Singapore and now going global, its dual objective is to raise awareness of the plight of shelter animals and to promote their adoptions. While I love the effort and can definitely see the connection between a pet making a house a home, it raises an important question: Does Ikea believe Home for Hope will prompt consumers to make Ikea their home furnishings brand of choice? Asked another way, does the company think it will fundamentally change how consumers think about its brand? It’s a legitimate question, and raises a couple more: What differentiates corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a business model from a promotional one-off? And, what are the key factors for success when using CSR as a promotional tactic?
Ikea’s Home for Hope campaign aims to raise awareness and increase adoptions of shelter animals. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Going back to academic basics, there are some brands for which CSR is a business model. A company’s bottom line is based as much on creating good quality products as it is doing good things for the world. Consumers immediately associate this with the brand and its products and make a conscious choice to patronize this brand as a result. Toms Shoes is a great example of a brand whose CSR is embedded in its brand promise, as its business model is based on donating one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair a customer purchases. Patagonia is yet another example, most recently in the news for its continuing efforts to manufacture athletic clothing and gear using sustainable materials—in this case a wetsuit for surfers made out of naturally derived rubber, not petroleum-based neoprene. Going back a few years, but still as relevant as ever, is the Newman’s Own brand of food products. When Paul Newman launched his brand in 1982, he established that the brand’s purpose would be to make stuff that tastes good while the profits would be used to better society. This clearly differentiated the brand in the minds of consumers.
A CSR promotion, on the other hand, is a short-term proposition. From a tactical standpoint, the best CSR promotions are those that are linked in some meaningful way to the brand’s core product or promise. One example is the program launched by Coca-Cola that makes clean, accessible water available to rural communities around the world. This makes sense because Coca-Cola and water are both thirst-quenchers. Hanes, America’s number one sock brand, came up with a fantastic promotion. Through its Hanes for Good campaign, it donated over 2.7 million socks to those served by the Salvation Army. Hanes discovered that clean, warm socks were among the most requested items in homeless shelters and the brand was able to fill this need. So, for Ikea, Home for Hope makes sense: It’s connected to the Ikea promise of providing the makings for a happy home—including pets.
Back to my questions, however. If your brand’s business is not built on a CSR model, what are the key factors for success when taking on a CSR promotion?
1. Keep it simple. Make sure consumers can quickly see the connection between the initiative and the idea on which your brand is based. You want to reinforce what you stand for.
2. Keep it genuine. As we all know, everyone sees everything and everyone shares what they see. Make sure you deliver on the promotion in a way that meets expectations. Build trust.
3. Keep your core brand promise. A high-quality promotion can change perceptions about your brand for the short term. If the quality of the brand experience, in products or services is not equally high, the perception will be short term.
I like dogs. I do think they help make a house a home. As such, I hope Ikea’s effort to get people to adopt shelter animals is successful, and I hope it does for its brand what it envisions. In the meantime, it’s time for Zoe’s walk.
This article was taken from here.