Effective Cause Branding Campaigns
Creative Writing Portfolio Mastery Assignment
Branding is a necessary marketing strategy that enlarges and ensures the visibility of a company or organization. One form of branding that addresses and fulfills a company’s CSR - Corporate Social Responsibility is Cause Branding. Cause Branding is defined as “the process of crafting and marketing a social or environmental identity in order to differentiate a business or otherwise enhance the image of a business’s overall brand”(https://www.causegood.com/blog/cause-branding/).
There are branding campaigns going on every single day, but very few catch my attention like the following three have. Each campaign answers the social responsibility that companies must fulfill to ensure their culture and products reflect the people who produce and purchase their goods. With cause branding, there is an additional element of giving back to the communities and world in and from which these companies operate and benefit. Here are my favorites:
Barbie (http://shop.mattel.com/family/?categoryId=45063936)
Barbie had a midlife crisis on her 57th birthday this year and finally caught up with the times. Mattel unveiled their new line of dolls that are a beautiful reflection of the thousands of shades and sizes of young women who have grown up on Barbie. Dolls now come in all shapes, sizes, and ethnicities allowing little girls to see themselves on store shelves across the world.
Coca-Cola (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgGfBiswon0)
Coca-cola has long since been a global leader and now their new initiative, which brings awareness to such issues as rebuilding schools and providing clean water to poor communities, brings their Corporate Social Responsibility to a new level. Coke is still giving out smiles. (http://blog.hubspot.com/blog/tabid/6307/bid/33857/10-Businesses-We-Admire-for-Brilliant-Global-Marketing.aspx)
Yoplait Save Lids To Save Lives (https://friendsinthefight.yoplait.com/#enter-your-codes)
You can’t walk a city block without bumping into someone who has been affected by cancer. Yoplait’s “Friends In The Fight” (formerly known as “Save Lids to Save Lives”) has been in existence and a staple in my household since 1999. With its lid redemption program, where each one is worth ten cents, Yoplait has raised more than $30 million dollars towards breast cancer research specifically.
If you have a global presence, use that as a platform for causes that matter.