Branding & Corporate Responsibility

Is our collective preoccupation with corporate social responsibility — judging companies by their standing (or lack thereof) as good corporate citizens — a fad, flash in the pan, a passing fancy? According to Forbes.com, integrity pays – it pays to be the good guy; it pays to be
socially responsible.

It’s the art of doing well by doing good.

Who wants to support a company whose values are out of whack
with the rest of society? Companies driven solely by quarterly sales figures
and stock price increases demonstrate they’re in business largely for
themselves and little else — or so the argument goes

But companies with a cause–those who tell us how they’re making the world a
better place–hope to create those critical emotional connections with customers–
customers who, it is hoped, can turn into it greatest promoters.

CSR is not, however, a new concept. Think Mobil and Masterpiece Theater. In fact, it has become a multi-million dollar PR specialty, with many large firms opening practice divisions to advise their clients on how to market their philanthropic and charitable activities.

As The Wall Street Journal said recently, “Corporate-responsibility campaigns, once a backwater in the ad business, have taken off in recent years. Recognizing the rising fervor around environmental and social issues such as education, hunger and poverty, companies are devising ad campaigns to remind consumers of whatever do-good efforts they have made.”

Is there a downside, a marketer-beware here? Yes, and yes. Any promotion of social responsibility must be intrinsically tied to the organization, to its core values, to what it stands for. Touting what you do for your employees, your community, your world has to be an authentic reflection of your core brand.If not, your brand’s value will begin to erode.

Because social responsibility gets to the heart of what branding is all about –we do business with the companies and people that we trust, who
represent our view of the world, and whose values mirror our own.