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Cause marketing: build your image and bottom line through socially responsible partnerships, programs, and events PDF

241 Pages·2002·1.58 MB·English
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This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other profes- sional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought. Vice President and Publisher: Cynthia A. Zigmund Editorial Director: Donald J. Hull Senior Acquisitions Editor: Jean Iversen Senior Managing Editor: Jack Kiburz Interior Design: Lucy Jenkins Cover Design: Design Solutions Typesetting: Elizabeth Pitts Portions of Chapter 5, “September 11, 2001,” appeared in another form in the November-December 2001 issue of Interface, a publication of the American Marketing Association, Chicago, and is used with permission. © 2002 by by Joe Marconi Published by Dearborn Trade Publishing, a Kaplan Professional Company All rights reserved. The text of this publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America 02 03 04 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Marconi, Joe. Cause marketing : build your image and bottom line through socially responsible partnerships, programs, and events / by Joe Marconi. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 0-7931-5258-5 (6 × 9 hardcover) 1. Social marketing. I. Title. HF5414 .M37 2002 658.8—dc21 2002004699 Dearborn Trade books are available at special quantity discounts to use for sales promotions, employee premiums, or educational purposes. Please call our Special Sales Department to order or for more information, at 800-621-9621, ext. 4410, or e-mail Mindi Rowland at [email protected]. DEDICATION For Todd and Kristin and Emily and for Karin F O R E W O R D This book about cause marketing appears in print when com- pany policies and practices are being scrutinized more closely than at any time in recent history. This has led to a rich and healthy debate about the role of business in our society, the way business costs and benefits are allocated, and the best way to ensure that business operates for the benefit of everyone. While there are widely diverging views about how business may benefit and harm local communities and the global economy, there is also a growing consensus that the measure of these impacts must take into account the consequences of not just philanthropy but all business activities. These include the operations of a company and all of its business partners in every part of the world. Company executives face a daunting challenge as they seek to get their arms around and manage strategically their company’s corporate social responsibility activities. As is true for all other business issues of fundamental importance, this means gathering information, setting goals, defining measures, establishing systems for accountability, and assessing progress. In the case of corporate social responsibility, it also means doing this in a way that engages stakeholders and incorporates a commitment to transparency. As the links between corporate responsibility and business per- formance become more irrefutable, there is a growing awareness on the part of business leaders that the most effective way to sus- tain commercial success involves creating corporate cultures that inspire trust and attract support from all key stakeholders. This cannot be done without a thorough consideration of the social, eth- ical, and environmental consequences of business decisions. These include the following: how capital is acquired and invested; what products and services are offered to the market; where facilities are v vi FOREWORD sited and how they are constructed; who is hired and how these employees are treated; and how a company behaves as a participant in the global marketplace. All of these traditional business decisions have as much or more to do with how a company affects the community and how it is per- ceived as do the more traditional investments companies make in providing cash, products, or employee volunteers for community- based charitable organizations. As companies have begun to understand the potential benefits and costs associated with the full array of their business activities, there has been a dramatic increase in the allocation of funds from marketing budgets that provide some benefit to nonprofit organi- zations. The expenditure of these funds to serve the interests of both the company and the community has come to be known as cause marketing. When properly planned and executed, cause marketing can ben- efit a company by boosting sales, increasing market share, and strengthening brand image and loyalty. At the same time, such ini- tiatives also can deliver substantial benefit to the public, including access to new financial support, increased visibility, and new and effective mission-related strategies for specific nonprofit organiza- tions and social causes. If cause-related marketing is not done well, however, both the community and the company can be damaged. Nonprofit organi- zations can compromise their purpose, launch initiatives that are not sustainable, and skew their priorities to accommodate business interests. Companies can make investments that do not show a sub- stantial return, help sales or brand image, and even stir up contro- versies that claim valuable management time. Effective cause marketing must be viewed by all parties as serv- ing a beneficial purpose. These partnerships must be characterized by integrity and mutual respect. Everyone must share a commit- ment to clear, timely, and honest communications, and there must FOREWORD vii be effective mechanisms to address any issues that raise trouble- some questions for any of the collaborators. A cause marketing initiative alone will not persuade the public that a company is a good corporate citizen. Nor will a campaign that seeks to wrap an otherwise offensive company in a cloak of virtue alter the views of any key stakeholders—except perhaps to make them more cynical. However, a carefully crafted cause marketing campaign, executed well, can make an important contribution to a company’s overall objectives and provide unique benefits to communities where it operates. This book offers a thoughtful and practical approach to cause- related marketing for large and small enterprises. We at BSR are pleased to have contributed to the content of this book and encour- age readers to take its solid advice to heart—and action. Robert H. Dunn CEO, Business for Social Responsibility C O N T E N T S PREFACE xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii 1. Understanding Cause Marketing 1 2. When the Cause Fits the Company 27 3. The Company, the Cause, the Community, and the World 49 4. Damage Control: Responding to Crises Relating to Your Cause 81 5. September 11, 2001 109 6. The Cause Marketing Casebook 133 Philip Morris, ConAgra Foods, Eddie Bauer, Liz Claiborne, Taco Bell, Target Stores, Timberland Company, General Mills, UPS, Ford Motor Company, Grabber Performance Group, Compaq, Mattel, Wal-Mart, and snapshots of other cause marketing cases. 7. A Crash Course in Cause Marketing 203 BIBLIOGRAPHY 213 INDEX 215 ix

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Your company's a success, thank you, and now you want to give something back. What should you do? Write a check? Start a foundation? Joe Marconi explains that cause marketing is all this and more. In cause marketing, you identify how your company can best make a contribution while leveraging its goo
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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.