$130,000,000 is the amount of funds created by the purchase of (RED) product for Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Now, this is impressive result.
Is Bono right after all? Is shopping politics? Is shopping answer to the world's biggest problems? (RED) campaign, arguably the biggest cause marketing campaign to date has received endorsements from corporate sector and celebreties but it was not all kudos to Bono; there were also considerable amount of backlash too. Some of them took it further and created an anti-RED campaign. The point of view was that Shopping is not the solution, and people should but less (crap) to give more.
But what is the reality? Can Corporations be allies in the fight against world's worst problems. Never forget for a a second that companies are into that in order to build their brands at least to dimensionalize their brands using social causes. Personally I am not against that as long as it is done sincerely and in the right way. Let me put it this way; I am a big fan of strategical approach to Corporate Social Responsibility. What I mean by that is:
- Companies should strategically choose which social issues to address. To give an example; If you are strictly a brand for men and if you are positioning your brand in somehow sexist agenda, do not pretend like you care about issues around women. People would only laugh at you.
- Choose a social issue that is affected by your company's activities. If you are a high-tech company, do not get involved in Breast Cancer campaigns; do something around accessibility to technology. (It is good for your business in the long-term too)
- Walk the Talk: If you are in fast-food business and if you care about your consumers, do not only throw money to "Anti-obesity campaigns" go ahead and look at your product; offer healtier alternatives, try to make your product healtier (using different ingridients), do not force people to buy more just for extra 50 cents.
- Choose an issue that your consumers care: If your target consumer is teenagers, find an issue that would resonate better; do not go to them with the products or the issues their parents would care for.
The list can certainly be longer but the point is first rule of a succesful cause marketing campaign is being honest and sincere.
I will continue to discuss Cause Marketing in the next posts giving some insights from my personal experience.
Aykan Gulten
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