Each week, I have my students in my PR Cases class write a mini case study on an article and blog post that they find interesting that it related to the class topic for the upcoming week. The topics have been very interesting and insightful. One of the students in the class discussed the new cause marketing campaign that Sonic is launching titled “Limeades for Learning,” a cause marketing and PR campaign that rewards teachers with grants who are nominated to their web site.
Another example is the major retailer Target, who launched the “Bullseye Gives” campaign in May 2009, which focuses on inviting their customers online to choose a specific charity for Target to donate $3 million to. Also, Kraft has also implemented their own cause marketing campaign titled “Share a Little Comfort” where they will donate 1 million boxes of Kraft Macaroni & Cheese to needy families.
There seems to be a lot of support and response to this type of campaign. People want to contribute to a brand and corporation that they trust not only for their business practices, but also for their contribution to society and various causes that are important to the community. However, it is important for the corporation to be active in charities and causes that are aligned with what the corporation stands for in terms of their reputation and perception in the business community. The corporations that have been successful in doing this have aligned themselves with an issue that is relevant to them (ex. Kraft and donating food products for families in need).
In current economic times like we are witnessing today, I believe that we will see more corporations shifting their PR and Marketing strategies and campaigns to addressing certain causes that are important for their key audiences. Siocial media in many ways has given these corporations and brands an outlet to really engage their audiences about their campaign and cause they want to contribute to – it has been a very fascinating process to look at from a PR and Marketing standpoint.
Hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
0 Comments