With Women’s Day in August and Mandela Day in July, it’s a time of year when many companies focus on their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives. So, it can be a busy time for me. And it got me thinking about what’s changed in CSR.
There is virtually no ‘free’ space in today’s print publications. Most media have moved to an ‘advertisers-only’ policy for editorial coverage as a survival tactic.
Exposure for CSR campaigns is lean and tougher to get.
Cause Related Marketing Grabs Attention
American Express’s innovative marketing campaign, launched in 1984, promised to donate a penny to the Statue of Liberty Restoration Project for each cardholder transaction, and a US$ for every new credit card opened. The campaign quickly raised a million dollars and increased cardholder transactions by 28%.
And so, the win-win-win for corporates, non-profits and consumers was demonstrated in what has become an immortalised cause marketing campaign.
The power of social media
Just imagine what social media and digital marketing could have done for that campaign! It would be a match made in heaven. The campaign has so many news angles and opportunities to engage and get involved. It becomes a living, moving narrative, instead of a post-event report on what the company has contributed.
As a subset of corporate social responsibility, cause related marketing (CRM) creates a deeper connection between customers, their favourite brands, and the causes they care about. It’s an opportunity for brands to leverage their efforts to promote their business goals.
Cause marketing involves a collaboration between a for-profit business and a non-profit organisation for a common benefit. It can also refer to social or charitable campaigns put on by for-profit brands.
The three steps
Simplistically, there are three steps:
1. Identify your cause
Ideally, the cause should reflect the values of your brand and resonate with your audience.
2. Determine your contribution
This doesn’t have to be just financial. However, even monetary support can be funded in a variety of ways. For example, your company could create a promotion that donates a certain amount to a non-profit for every sale you make on a specific product or service.
3. Involve your audience
This is where social media’s network effect performs well. The audience can be a driving force in your cause marketing campaign if you let them.
A few recent local Cause Related Marketing campaigns stand out as good case studies:
- Black Label’s #NoExcuse campaign took a stand against gender-based violence.
- Sanlam One Rand Man. During National Savings Month, a man undertook all his transactions in R1 coins to reconnect with the value of money.
- KFC’s ‘Add Hope’ asks consumers to donate to feed over 150 000 underprivileged children.
And I see Checkers 60Sixty is working with Meals on Wheels for what is a very topical and worthy cause right now.
May we help you?
would love to explore Cause Related Marketing opportunities with you. They don’t need to be big budget affairs. It just takes a good, authentic idea to grab attention.
Caption: Yolanda Shabalala an ECD practitioner at an ECD facility in Hammarsdale show children how to tend the vegetables they are growing. This facility is supported by Zero2Five