There’s nothing technologists love better than a TLA — no? Well, even marketers are guilty of the occasional three-letter-acronym and the one that stumps people the most is CSR. So for Marketing 101 Mondays, we’re going to tell you about CSR — or, Corporate Social Responsibility. Because if you don’t practice CSR, you should. You should for the great marketing benefits for your organization, but also to inspire your corporate culture to greatness, build teams and, well, feel really great about your company and the work you do.
But back to the explanation. What, exactly is CSR or Corporate Social Responsibility?
Tom’s Shoes made CSR an acronym
While they certainly weren’t the first to do it, you can actually blame Tom’s shoes for coining the acronym “CSR”. When they became famous for their buy-one-give-one program of donating a pair of shoes for every Tom’s pair bought, the industry decided to define a practice which had long existed under the Public Relations moniker as “Corporate Social Responsibility” — CSR.
And we will give Tom’s Shoes props for doing it right. They didn’t just write a check. They made a CSR program that ensured a need was actually met. And they didn’t stop with shoes. When they added eyewear? They gave away eyewear. When they started roasting coffee, they made sure clean water (a key ingredient for good coffee, we know, we are totally ROCKET FUELED around here!) was a need they delivered. And when they launched a bag line, they made sure their matching bag program contained necessary birthing items to ensure safer deliveries of babies worldwide. Whew!
Doing CSR right
We develop a LOT of corporate social responsibility for our clients. So much so, we’ve been asked by a local charity to help them with a case study about this one, so they can expand their corporate sponsorship programs.
But, as we noted above, doing CSR right is more than just writing a check to a charity. Here are a few tips to make sure your CSR plan is effective as a tool for your marketing.
- DO GOOD. You cannot just act good. You have to BE and DO GOOD. Try and skimp on a CSR campaign and you’ll have a brand equivalent on par with a pre-visit-from-three-spirits Scrooge! Put not only your company dollars behind the campaign, but also your team members and community resources to give the campaign real value.
- Align your choice of charity with your company brand AND your company values. We developed a full YEAR of activities during our “Good DEEDS Matter” CSR campaign for our real estate client. We worked with them to develop a mix of organizations that fit their brand and their values. We made sure the choices had one of the following four aspects:
- Brand alignment. For example, we are doing work with the Coalition for the Homeless because housing and real estate align.
- Community. We did a project for the community’s recreation center because it’s smack dab in their core geographical community
- Families and children. The company’s corporate profile is married couples with 2 children in primary school. Children’s charities are a passion of these customers.
- Agents’ values. Agents picked a wide variety of charities that matter to them — from arts to veterans groups
- Develop a theme that will last and resonate. Tom’s theme is giving something that matches the product being bought. Our Good DEEDS Matter campaign was planned as a year-long project, but can continue to be the brand for all of the client’s CSR because it is an umbrella brand for whatever they choose to support.
- Engage outsiders. Never limit your resources to just your own company. Our “Mission 500” flash mobs included our client and Mission sponsor AXIS communications, but also the ISC West show staff, other exhibitors and the volunteers who organized the connection to World Vision.
- Give media exclusives. This is one time where exclusives really make an impact. The CSR story is usually complex and has multiple angles that need development. The story of the charity must be told. The recipient humanizes the story. And, of course, as the company supporting the gifts, you want to have your brand included. When a reporter has an exclusive, they can dedicate the time and resources to fleshing out the whole story, because they aren’t competing with time and what they think three other stations in the same market are saying.
Do Good
This just bears repeating. When you set out to develop a CSR campaign, have your intentions straight. You don’t want to just act good, you want to DO real good. Your return on marketing activities surrounding your CSR might be measurable, but there will be an immeasurable return for your company’s heart.
So, now that you know what CSR is — go forth and add a CSR plan to your marketing mix! You’ll be really glad you did.