By Kate Olsen | @Kate4Good & Allison McGuire | @Calimcg
Consumers in the age of social media can smell disingenuous cause marketing a mile away. Plus, they now have the tools to broadcast the bad (and the good) with every share, tweet, and pin.
The consequences of poorly constructed cause marketing efforts are played out in real-time online and in the media. Watchdog groups like Breast Cancer Action’s Think Before you Pink project and BuyLessCrap.org’s (RED)ICU(LESS) campaign are quick to focus attention on companies that are perceived to put business goals ahead of social impact, especially as their campaigns relate to pink (or green or cause) washing – the act of making false or exaggerated claims that a product or company is socially or environmentally friendly.
To ward off any cause marketing backlash, clearly answer the following questions before embarking on your next campaign.
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By Katya Andresen | @KatyaN4G
The following post was originally featured on Edelman's goodpurpose blog.
Humans are inherently empathetic. Our brains are hardwired to relate to other people’s experiences. When we witness or imagine someone acting, our neurons fire the same way they would if we were undertaking the same action.
That’s why your heart races when your favorite athlete soars toward the basket or why the sight of a mother struggling to save her child from floodwaters causes you pain.
While our hearts translate empathy into helping another person, our brains have another reaction: We’re rewarded with happy feelings, thanks to a dopamine dose to our brain’s pleasure center.
If empathy is a preexisting human condition, and if it feels good to do good, then it should be easy-peasy to be a cause marketer. Take your product, slap on a pink ribbon, and watch people act.
Guess what? It’s not that easy.
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By Kate Olsen | @Kate4Good
Are you attending the Conference on Volunteering and Service this year? Network for Good is looking forward to inspiring conversation about social impact and change this June 19-22 here in DC.
Why CSR practitioners should attend:
1) Cross-sector knowledge transfer and opportunities for collaboration
2) Inspiration from a broad range of speakers (celebrities included)
3) Opportunities to meet digital friends in real life – who knows what ideas will spark?
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