Corporateprograms

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Leading the wayConsumers and marketers pick the companies most committed to cause P17

Support from withinThe importance of getting employees involved P19

Causeroundtable

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Consumer views »

ConsumerengagementHow companiesfrom small to large can solicitsupport P22

CAUSESURVEY2007

PersonalbenefitsWhat is the ROI for consumers thatdonate time ormoney to a cause?P19

The right fitWhat makes a good cause program? P21

pr-15-SurveyCover-1022-OK 10/16/07 4:50 PM Page 1

KitchenAid, one of fivebrands that fall under theWhirlpool corporate um-

brella, has been raising funds forSusan G. Komen for the Curesince 2001 – $5 million in the USand $6 million globally. The “Cook for the Cure” pro-

gram has two primary features:KitchenAid sells pink gadgets –mixers, food processors, andblenders, for example – with a per-centage of the sale going to Komen.The company also partnered withGourmet for “Cook for the Cure”dinner party kits. Together, they’reencouraging consumers to hostdinner parties, and raise money forKomen for the Cure in the process.Because October is National

Breast Cancer Awareness month,programs that benefit that causeare seemingly everywhere. How-ever, just as the fight against thedisease continues long after themonth is up, so does the presenceof its symbol – the ubiquitous pinkribbon. It stands beside a slew ofother colors, logos, events, andcampaigns that are designed toraise awareness of different issues. This year’s PRWeek/Barkley Pub-

lic Relations Cause Survey wasconducted at a time when CSR,cause-related marketing, and justplain old good will have become asocietal standard and a corporatenecessity. Perhaps more than anyother time in recent memory, con-sumers are eager advocates forboth nonprofits and for-profitcompanies that support causesabout which they are passionate. The question now isn’t whether a

company should embark upon acause program, but how to incor-porate that program into its busi-ness strategy. Because in the end,not only will the cause benefit fromthat program, but the companyand brand will as well. “At the end of the day, there are

still public companies that are fac-ing quarterly stock pressures,” saysMike Swenson, Barkley PR presi-dent. “But as we continue as a soci-ety, we don’t look at everything inthe world of marketing and com-munications through the prism offinancial success.“Companies are beginning to

clearly understand that there is areturn on their reputational invest-ment,” he adds. “[And] cause isthe perfect storm to allow compa-nies to engage employees and cus-tomers in a more meaningful way.” The Cause Survey polled 225

consumers, evenly split between

male and female (112 and 113) and sliced about equally amongthree age groups (18-29, 30-41,and 42-60). Of those, 90.7%responded that it’s important for companies to support causesand charities. According to the survey, high per-

centages had given money to char-itable groups (59.6%), purchasedproducts that benefited a cause(45.8%), and volunteered theirtime (33.3%) over the past year.More than 72% of consumer re-spondents said they had bought acertain brand because it supporteda cause they believe in, a rise from64% in 2006. Brands that wereidentified as most committed tocharitable causes were Newman’sOwn, Microsoft, and Yoplait. Consumers who get involved

with programs such as these also see a personal reward. Nearly80% said that feeling good aboutthemselves for helping a cause isthe most important benefit ofdonating to a charity or partici-pating in such events. The survey also questioned 143

marketers, 52.4% of which re-ported that their companies en-gage in cause-branding programs.Those corporate respondents alsoplaced Newman’s Own on the topif the list of most committed com-panies, followed by Microsoft,Target, and Avon. These top companies, both in the

eyes of consumers and those ofcorporate peers, have certainlyseen a boost in their reputation as aresult of their charitable efforts. And corporate marketers are

sensing the benefits. Among thosewith cause programs, 65.3% saidthey see PR results (media hits andprogram prominence during grass-roots efforts) from their programs,56% pinpointed heightened staffmorale and retention, and 52%experience an enhanced relation-

The spirit of ge➤This year’s PRWeek/Barkley Public Relations Cause Survey reveals that more than ever consumers expect companies to give back. In turn, those companies are responding with cause-related programs that engage not only consumers, but their employees as well. By Tonya Garcia

16 CAUSE SURVEY

CONSUMER RESPONDENTS

AGE AND GENDERThe 225 respondents were split roughly 50/50 between male and female, and in a three-way split of age groups: 18-29; 30-41; and 42-60

ETHNIC BACKGROUNDEighty percent were white/Cau-casian; 8% were black/AfricanAmerican; 6.7% Hispanic; 5.3%Asian; and 3.1% identified them-selves as “other” or declined tostate their race

EDUCATIONForty-two percent had a college degree or higher; 33.3%had completed “some college;”17.3% were high school graduates;4.4% graduated from a trade ortechnical school; and 2.2% hadnot completed high school

HOUSEHOLD INCOMEThe mean income was $63,000,with 9.8% above $100,000 and14.2% under $25,000. The largestpercentage (30.7%) was in the$25,000-$49,000 bracket. Themedian income was $52,500.

CONSUMER INVOLVEMENTWhich of the following have you per-sonally done in the past 12 months?

Given money to acharitable organization 59.6%

Bought a product that benefits a cause 45.8%

Volunteered my time for a charitable organization 33.3%

Participated in an event that benefits a cause 31.6%

Written a letter to the media or written a blog in support of a charitable organization 13.3%

None of these 26.7 %

Base: 225

INFORMATION SOURCESHow were you made aware of the cause that yousupported in the past 12 months?

■ Family/friends ■ Workplace ■ Media coverage ■ In-store promotion ■ Advertisement ■ Online/blog ■ Celebrity involvement ■ Other

0

10

20

30

40

50 46.1%

10.9% 8.5% 7.9% 8.5%

Base: 165

13.3%

3.6% 1.2%

CONSUMER SUPPORTHave you ever purchased a particular brand because you know that brand supports a cause you believe in?

Base: 225

27.6%

2007 2006 No

72.4%

36%

64%

No

Yes Yes

90.7%of consumerssay it’s importantfor companies tosupport causesand charities

PRWeek • October 22, 2007 • www.prweek.com

pr-16-19-causesurvey-1022-OK 10/15/07 8:02 PM Page 1

ship with target demographics.Those enhanced relationships

between companies and its audi-ences are due to a combination ofphilanthropic work and the solu-tions that these programs offer. The Clorox Company’s Hidden

Valley Ranch brand heard frommothers constantly about an age-old problem: getting their kids toeat vegetables. Through researchwith the University of California-Davis, the company discoveredkids who had Hidden ValleyRanch dressing on their plateswould eat 23% more vegetables.From these two facts, a cause-branding program was developed.In 2006, the Hidden Valley

Ranch brand introduced the“Love Your Veggies School LunchCampaign” as a pilot program insix schools. For 2007, the com-pany, along with its partners, theSchool Nutrition Association andits Produce for Better HealthFoundation, plans to award 50schools a $10,000 grant each to usetoward a fresh produce programof their choice. Hidden ValleyRanch has also partnered with achildren’s publishing company,Weekly Reader, to produce mate-rials that will reach an additional30,000 schools nationwide.“Not only are we doing some-

thing that’s necessary, it allows usto develop better relationshipswith key consumers and make a

strong connection, not just in theirheads, but in their hearts,” saysDrew McGowan, group managerof marketing communications forThe Clorox Company. “We wantto connect with consumers in themost authentic way possible, butwe also want to do what’s right forconsumers and for the communi-ties where we live, work, and play.”

IT MUST BE AUTHENTICAuthenticity is crucial when plan-ning a cause-marketing program.Of the consumers surveyed,21.8% assumed a corporation’sreason for having a cause-market-ing program is to demonstratewhat it cares about. However,24.4% said they believe compa-nies are motivated by a desire toget publicity.A key indicator of authenticity is

sustainability. Since 1999, Whirl-pool has given $34 million to

Habitat for Humanity along withrefrigerators, ranges, and otherhousehold items from its productline. It has also pledged to furnishappliances for every home builtuntil 2011. By the end of 2006,Whirlpool had donated 73,000appliances to 36,000 homes.“We believe in the cause and the

regional nature of it that lets us dowork across the country and letsour workforce become activelyengaged wherever they live,” saysJeff Davidoff, VP of marketingcommunications at Whirlpool.Looking to reach even more

families, the company added its Building Blocks initiative in 2006,which sends volunteers, amongthem, many Whirlpool employ-ees, to a neighborhood for oneweek to build an entire block ofhomes. (In 2008, Building Blockswill go to Dallas.) “It was, from the outset, an act of

corporate philanthropy,” says Da-vidoff. “In 2004, it took on anotherrole as a brand message. We makevery large, heavy metal machines,often with big motors. This puts ahuman face on what could be avery cold metal category.”With its cause programs, Whirl-

pool found that it was tapping intoan emotional connection with itsconsumers, as well as engaging itsemployees. According to the sur-vey, of those corporations withcause-marketing programs, 45.3%identified consumer engagement

as the most important componentof a strong cause branding pro-gram and 28% identified staff en-gagement as most important.

TELLING YOUR CSR STORYWhile making others happy is certainly a motivator, companiescan also use their cause-market-ing programs to create a competi-tive advantage.“If an organization isn’t telling its

story, it’s missing an opportunity toensure that potential customershave the facts,” says Susan Puflea,EVP at GolinHarris and leader ofits Change practice. “If a companyisn’t telling its story, others aregoing to tell it for them, and it maynot be the story they want told.”While companies may have once

been wary about discussing theirphilanthropic efforts, Puflea notesthat they need not be nervousabout offending stakeholders bymixing business with charity.“More organizations are getting

more actively engaged in CSR ini-tiatives and talking about whatthey’re doing,” says Puflea. “Peo-ple are giving companies permis-sion to approach [this] as a bu-siness strategy.”Brian Maynard, brand marketing

director for KitchenAid and re-cently appointed global director ofCSR at Whirlpool, says companieswere once uncomfortable talkingabout their good works. How-ever, a cause-marketing program

CAUSE SURVEY 17

enerosity

Corporate %Newman’s Own 64.3Microsoft 35.0Target 31.5Avon 28.0Yoplait 25.2Dove 21.7Gap 20.3GE 13.3Apple 13.3MAC 12.6Wal-Mart 11.9Macy’s 9.8Revlon 7.7Lee Jeans 6.3Whirlpool 4.9L’Oreal 4.2Build-a-Bear Workshop 2.8Kmart 0.7Select Comfort 0.7Pantene 0.0

Base: 143

Consumers %Newman’s Own 23.1Microsoft 21.3Yoplait 20.9Target 18.2Wal-Mart 13.8Dove 11.6Build-a-Bear Workshop 11.1Avon 11.1GE 9.3Apple 9.3Kmart 8.0Revlon 8.0Gap 6.7Macy’s 6.2Whirlpool 6.2Pantene 4.9MAC 4.9L’Oreal 4.4Select Comfort 4.0Lee Jeans 3.6

Base: 225

CORPORATE STANDOUTSWhich of the following companies would you consider most committed to charitable causes?

www.prweek.com • October 22, 2007 • PRWeek

56%of corporate marketers withcause programsnoted heightened employee moraleand retention as a key benefit ofthose efforts

pr-16-19-causesurvey-1022-OK 10/15/07 8:02 PM Page 2

backed by communications is nec-essary to raise public awareness. Of those marketers with cause

marketing programs, 33.3% iden-tified marketing support of anissue or cause as “most important”to a strong program. To that end,65.3% said they actively promotetheir cause efforts, with press re-leases and internal communica-tions being the most popular ways.“There’s a fine line between being

boastful and being philanthropic,”Maynard says. “You have everyright and reason to inform con-sumers of philanthropic activities.It’s becoming increasingly impor-tant to consumers, employees, andpotential future employees.”Indeed, the survey showed that

14.7% of those marketers withprograms “strongly agreed” thatcompanies that have cause pro-grams have an easier time findingtop-notch recruits.Maynard says anecdotally that he

hears regularly from retail storesthat people are buying a Kitchen-Aid product because of its Komenfor the Cure affiliation. It’s helpedwith recruitment, too, he adds.“On campuses, a number of

[candidates] will ask specificallywhat CSR activities [we have],” hesays, “and tell us that they’re bas-ing some of their decision on whatkinds of programs we have.”Brooks Brothers, the high-end

clothing company, also sees ben-efits with existing employees. Thecompany has done philanthropicwork with the Make-A-WishFoundation, St. Jude Children’sResearch Hospital, and othercharities, prompting them tostreamline their efforts and createthe Golden Fleece Foundation.“We look to align ourselves with

programs our associates believein,” says Emilie Antonetti, MD ofthe Brooks Brothers foundation. Because so many of their charita-

ble events take place in-store – thecompany conducts about 100 peryear nationwide – associate en-gagement is a key component.“The associates are the key essen-

tial to the success of a cause-relatedprogram,” says Antonetti. “Wecan count on them to engage in theprograms. And our associates feelgood. Anybody would feel good.”Engagement is one result that

corporations seek, but hard andfast numbers that measure impactare also highly sought. Some ele-ments of a program are easy to cal-

culate: Whirlpool can count howmany houses it helps build; Hid-den Valley knows that 50 grantswill be donated for food programs. However, finds the survey, seeing

(or not seeing) the business resultsof these programs is a deterrent tostarting one. Of the marketerswithout cause programs, nearly52% said it was because the CEO/senior executives don’t believe itwill impact business goals and40.7% said they it’s because CEO/senior executives don’t believe theprograms support business goals.

REPUTATION BENEFITSBut corporate respondents to theCause Survey recognize the bene-fits to reputation that the overallprogram can offer. Of those withcause programs, 17.3% “strongly

agreed” that a poor corporate rep-utation can be aided by causebranding programs.Honeywell Hometown Solu-

tions, the philanthropic arm of theengineering and manufacturingcompany, works in a wide variety ofareas, supporting programs to ben-efit science and math education. Mindful of the shortage of people

entering the science and engineer-ing fields, it partnered with NASAin 2004 for FMA Live!, a travelingscience concert that teaches mid-dle school students about New-ton’s three laws of motion, thebasics for an engineer. It has alsoused scholarships to target middleschool students and the children ofHoneywell employees. “If more students get excited and

interested by science in middleschool, more will pursue careers inscience 10 years down the road,”says Tom Buckmaster, VP, commu-nications and president of Honey-well Hometown Solutions.The company uses a Six Sigma

approach when tackling its cause-marketing programs, but Buck-master says the quality of hispartners also gives him faith.“They bring an expertise, under-

standing, and credibility in a spe-cific area that complements ourhistory and experience in the mar-ketplace,” he says. Across the board, companies

tout the relationships they havewith nonprofits, not only for theinstant trust that these groupsinstill in consumers, but also forthe knowledge of the cause land-scape that they lend.For a brand taking its first dip in

the cause-marketing pool, thatexpertise can be even more vital.Lay’s, the snack food brand from

Pepsi Co, wanted to provide anoutlet to consumers who werelooking for a chance to give back.Lay’s target audience – mostlywomen, 25-54, primarily moms –would have a natural attachmentto any program that helped kids.Enter the Make-A-Wish Foun-

dation, which has been grantingwishes to children with life-threat-ening diseases for more than 25years. Lay’s has tremendous brandpenetration, but still says Make-A-Wish was instrumental in fashion-ing a successful campaign. “We looked at what the Lay’s

brand stood for,” says Ram Krish-nan, brand manager at Lay’s. “Theessence of it is simple joy. These are

two powerful brands that stoodfor the same thing.”“Destination Joy presented by

Lay’s” launched in June with anappearance by Tim McGraw onGood Morning America. A 10-daymedia blitz followed with eventsheld in six cities, including NewYork, Los Angeles, and Chicago.Wal-Mart, Lay’s’ biggest custo-

mer, got involved by placing Lay’sproducts, bundled McGraw’sCDs, in its stores.Due to its far-reaching network

of chapters, Make-A-Wish wasalso able to give the program alocal presence.“They could give us local rele-

vance very fast,” says Krishnan. Uncle Ben’s also took a local

approach when it began its recentKids Café initiative (with Amer-ica’s Second Harvest), opening itsfirst café location in its backyard –Greenville, MS.“Mars [the Uncle Ben’s parent

company] is committed to givingback to the communities in whichwe do business,” says Tami Cole,communications manager forMars Food US. “Beyond just theKatrina disaster, with our plantlocated in the Delta region, a lot ofemployees were affected.”Local, national, and global altru-

ism is indeed the crux of causemarketing. And when it comesdown to it, getting consumers,employees, and even corporateexecutives involved is logical.“We’re a small world that needs

each other to make things better,”says Barkley’s Swenson. “If youhave a society of people that wantto make the world better, it makessense for companies to create pro-grams that will engage this set ofconsumers in giving back and, atthe same time, [allow them to]engage that company in new anddifferent ways.” ■

The PRWeek/Barkley PR CauseSurvey was conducted by PRWeekand Millward Brown. E-mail notifi-cation was sent to approximately8,222 consumers and marketingpros and a total of 368 people (225consumers and 143 marketing pros)completed the survey online be-tween August 27 and September17, 2007. Results aren’t weighted. This report provides selected high-

lights. Full results – offering addi-tional data – are available in PDFformat for $150. Please contactirene.chang@prweek.com.

CAUSE SURVEY 19

CONSUMER PERCEPTIONWhen a company gives to a charity,what do you assume is its primarymotivation for doing so?

2007 2006To help the charity 18.2 14.7

To demonstrate what it cares about 21.8 12.0

To sell more of its products 9.8 9.8

To get publicity 24.4 23.1

To get a tax write-off 17.8 32.0

Other 2.2 3.6

Don’t know 5.8 4.9

Base: 225

CONSUMER ROI What is the most important benefit to you for giving to a charity or participating in a cause-related event?

■ Feeling good about myself for helping a worthy cause ■ Meeting new people and networking ■ Having friends/family see me in a more positive light ■ Getting a tax write-off

0

20

40

60

80 79.6%

12.9%

4% 3.6%

Base: 225

SOURCE OF SUPPORT From which area of business are your company’s cause branding programs primarily funded?

Base: 75

16%

34.7%

14.7%

Foundation

Other

Don’t know

Marketing

Community relations HR

PR/communications

6.7%

12% 4%

12%

MEASURING SUPPORTHow would you describe your company’s level of commitment to charitable causes?

My company supports a variety of causes throughout the year 58.7%

My company supports the same organization year after year 29.3%

My company donates money/products in times of crisis 5.3%

My company does not support cause marketing 2.7%

My company supports a new cause each year 2.7%

Don’t know 1.3%

Base: 143

CORPORATE REWARDSWhat benefits have you seen from yourcompany’s cause marketing efforts?

Public relations results (i.e.editorial articles,broadcasts,and grassroots efforts where our company’s involvement is featured prominently) 65.3%

An increase in donations/membership to the non-profit organization 37.3%

An increase in sales/retail traffic to the business 26.7%

Enhanced relationship with target demographics 52.0%

Improvement in employee morale and retention 56.0%

Other 6.7%

Base: 75

CORPORATE RESPONDENTSJob titleCMO 6.3%

EVPof marketing 2.1%

EVPof PR/communications 2.8%

SVPof marketing 0.7%

SVPof PR/communications 2.8%

VPof marketing 7.0%

VPof PR/communications 14.7%

Director of marketing 14.7%

Director of PR/communications 22.4%

Marketing manager 4.9%

PR/communications manager 21.0%

Brand manager 0.7%

Annual revenue

$25,000 - $1 million 5.6%

$1 million - $10 million 7.0%

$10 million - $50 million 11.2%

$50 million - $100 million 6.3%

$100 million - $500 million 11.9%

$500 million - $1 billion 12.6%

$1 billion or more 36.4%

Don’t know 9.1%

Base: 143

45.3%said consumerengagement isthe most crucialpart of a strongcause brandingprogram

Since 1999,Whirlpool has donated$34 million to Habitat for Humanity

www.prweek.com • October 22, 2007 • PRWeek

pr-16-19-causesurvey-1022-OK 10/15/07 8:02 PM Page 3

Erica Iacono (PRWeek): Whatmakes a good cause marketing program?

Mike Swenson (Barkley PR): Thekey is longevity. Are you commit-ted? On the cause event side, youcan do that every year, but that’s aone-time event. What kind ofcommitment do you have in doingsomething to give back?

Kathy Rogers (American HeartAssociation): The way nonprofitslook at it now is more integratedinto the entire marketing platform,not just the one-time promotion.

Stacie Bright (Unilever):A lot of itis about longevity, the authenticity,and the relevance that you canbring to whatever the audience isto get them excited, dedicated,and [ready to] make a stand forsomething that is larger than thescope of the work by itself.

Carol Cone (Cone):We’re also see-ing consumers saying they want tosee an alignment moving towardsthe [corporate reputation] side.How does it align with the busi-ness? It can be one objective, it canbe multiple objectives. What wecalled in ’99 “cause branding,”we’re now calling “socially alignedbusiness initiatives.”The programs today need to be

more sophisticated, authentic,[and] sustainable. We’re seeingfive- to 10-year commitments now,$50 million cash, products andservices, $100 million commit-

ment. It brings the company’s val-ues to life, it shows [its] humanity.And it becomes a deep part of thebrand, as well.

Eva Blum (PNC Bank): When wedecided to focus our philanthropy– we’re in our third year now– weannounced it as a 10-year, $100million program. (PNC Bank’s“Grow Up Great” program pre-pares children from birth to agefive for school.) We wanted tosend a signal to our communityand employees that we were in itfor the long haul. We thought itwas very important that it wouldn’tbe viewed as the flavor of the year.

Wendy Naugle (Glamour): I thinkit has to be core to the brand. You

have to relate to the consumer inan emotional way and in a waythat’s a touchstone. What makes a program effective

is when it makes sense and it addsto that authenticity. [It’s] what Icall the “of course moment.” Youcan see that in a lot of the bestcause marketing programs. Thosecompanies have taken the time tolook at their own brand, who theyare, what kind of heart they have,and then that authenticity is there,even if there’s a limited budget.

Bright (Unilever): For 50 years,Dove has always been about realwomen, so at its core this is whatthe brand is about. [Dove’s “Cam-paign for Real Beauty”] was basedon three pillars: Listening to wom-en, which is why we did all theseglobal studies; then engaging in adialogue to widen that narrow ste-reotypical [view of] beauty; thenmost important, Dove set up theSelf-Esteem Fund, which is 100%funded by Dove, providing work-shops and programming aroundthe world. At its core, it remainstrue to the message about realwomen building their self-esteem.

Blum (PNC Bank):Sometimes that“of course” moment is tougher.When we were looking for theright place, as a bank, we wantedto focus the power of our companyin one area. We asked our em-ployees, “If we did something likethis, where would you want us tobe?” They said unequivocally,“Children and education.”

Iacono (PRWeek): How importantis employee engagement to causemarketing efforts?

Rogers (AHA):It’s almost the num-ber-one thing that we’re beingasked when companies come tothe table – How are we going tofirst focus on our employees? [In] our relationship with Macy’s

and [the] Go Red for Women pro-gram, their “A-ha!” moment camebecause 80% of their workforce iswomen. How can they not take themost heightened issue and drivethat across their employee base?

Jennifer Maher (Make-A-WishFoundation): Employee engage-ment is on the rise. It’s the epitomeof people starting to realize thatthese companies have to walk thewalk. It’s not just about the pro-motions and the retail campaign,but it’s how you integrate.

Cone (Cone):We’ve created a newtitle: CIO, chief integration officer.We have [such a person] here, it’sEva [Blum]. If you get a call fromsomeone in the middle of theorganization, they [may] have thepassion to make it happen, butthey may not have the political willand gravitas to really embed it. The CIO is absolutely critical.

[That person is] someone who’smoving in and out of the C-suite –they’ve been there for a long timeand they’re senior.

Blum (PNC Bank): I don’t think aprogram like we have happensunless the CEO is really behind it.

Bright (Unilever):I think the CEOpasses it, but ideas can start any-where in the company. We had a brilliant woman who helpedchampion self-esteem and the“Campaign for Real Beauty” andhelped us bring it to our leader-ship board in a really creative andunique way to get their attention.You can make your executive rec-ognize the importance of a cause.

Iacono (PRWeek): What causes are resonating with consumers?

Greg Zimprich (General Mills):I think a lot of what people havealready been talking about: theauthenticity piece, it’s got to becore to the brand. And I thinkmore and more, listening to thisdiscussion, it’s really about thedepth of the commitment, activa-tion, and alignment with thatbrand. If consumers don’t see that connection and that depth,they’re going to question it or not support it.

Positive thinking➤For its first-ever Cause Roundtable, PRWeekassembled a group of agency, corporate, media,and nonprofit pros to discuss the current stateof cause marketing and its future

“Good is thenew black.Like black,it’s nevergoing to goout of style” – Carol Conechairman and founderCone

CAUSE SURVEY 21

www.prweek.com • October 22, 2007 • PRWeek

Eva BlumSVP and director of communityaffairs, PNC Bank

Stacie BrightSenior communications marketing manager, Unilever

Carol ConeChairman and founder,Cone

Stuart ElliottAdvertising columnist,The New York Times

Jennifer MaherVP, mktg. and corporate alliances,Make-A-Wish Found. of America

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by

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pr-21-22-causesurvey-1022-OK 10/15/07 8:04 PM Page 1

Iacono (PRWeek): What are thereasons that companies are gettinginvolved with causes? And how do you communicate the reasonseffectively to consumers?

Cone (Cone): I heard an interest-ing statistic: By 2008, there will be 1 billion camera phones world-wide. One in six people will havethe opportunity to be a photo-journalist. Anything that a company does is

instantly on the Web. If you don’thave the authenticity and reputa-tion and trust – and you shouldstart with employees – you’ll have a breakdown of human capital,which will become bigger and bigger in terms of all the relation-ships that an employee has.

Rogers (AHA): It’s interesting lis-tening to that employee and con-sumer discussion and separatingthe two because you really can’tseparate them. The employees arethe consumers. As more and moreemployees are seeing what theircompanies are doing, they’reexpecting it from the companiesthat they’re buying from, too.

Maher (Make-A-Wish): And ifyou’re just logo-slapping, they’llsee that.

Swenson (Barkley): People areadvertising their cause, so it’s get-ting a lot of attention. I think oneof the biggest benefits for causemarketing was when Ad Agedissed (Product) RED. It goteverybody talking, whether youliked it or didn’t like it. For a long time, companies were

afraid to tell people they weredoing good. They thought theywere going to be criticized. Whenyou have great products, you goout and talk about them. Whenyou make great hires, you go out and talk about them. Whyshouldn’t you talk [in an] authen-tic, meaningful way that [you are] doing good?

Doug Staples (March of Dimes):We’re making this sound like it’svery logical and sophisticated. Tome, it’s a lot about emotion andbrands wanting to put somethingemotional on the table as some-thing they can differentiate with,not just benefits or features. I wonder if that isn’t about the riseof women as consumers. Wouldcause marketing work if it was all men in society today?

Maher (Make-A-Wish): I thinkcause marketing is really an ex-tension of passion marketing. So perhaps it would work even[with] men.

Cone (Cone): Consumers just callit goodness. And we believe thatgood is the new black. Like black,it’s in your wardrobe and it’s nevergoing to go out of style.

Iacono (PRWeek): What’s the bestway to get consumers involved?

Billion-dollar companies have the resources, but what aboutsmaller companies?

Staples (March of Dimes):Giving[consumers] simple ways to getinvolved is what they really want.Click here and pass along this mes-sage... I don’t think they cravedeep involvement.

Cone (Cone): We talk about aspectrum of engagement. It’s like a bell curve. In the middle, most ofthem just want to hear about it,maybe they want to buy the prod-uct, maybe they’ll pass it along,which is why the Web is so im-portant. Then you’ve got that 5% to 10% [who are] active andreally want something on an on-going basis.

Maher (Make-A-Wish): Havingthat simple act means reachingmore people. You can reach abroader base to grow from andhave a lot of little ambassadors.

Zimprich (General Mills): If youlook at one of our programs, Box Tops for Education, that’swhy I think that’s so perfect. Thebrands have something like 98%penetration and all you have to do is cut the little thing out andbring it to school, ten cents goes to your school. We have 62,000 schools partici-

pate [and have raised] $200 mil-lion since 1996. Their corepromise is – “easy, everyday waysto earn cash for your schools.”That’s as simple as you can get.

Bright (Unilever): Many people at this table have used the word“ambassador.” How you dissemi-nate your message and the peoplethat you use to help champion that message, whether it’s the consumer or end user or influ-encer [has changed]... Things arespreading more rapidly throughgrassroots initiatives today thanever before.

Stuart Elliott (The New YorkTimes): It’s a world where a guy

sitting in his basement shoots avideo and it goes on YouTube and more people see that than amiddling cable TV program. Thatpower is so decentralized and sobottom-up instead of top-down. When people pitch these stories,

they say, “We want you to do anexclusive on a $250 million adver-tising campaign.” I ask what it’scomposed of, and they say, “Tele-vision and print.” I say, “And…”They say, “Television and print.”And I say, “Goodbye.” Somebody else will come and say

they’re doing a $43 campaign withYouTube, MySpace, and Face-book, and viral. If it’s a giant mar-keter that hasn’t done it before orspeaks to some new ways to reachconsumers or reflect how consu-mers want to be talked to now,that’s newsworthy.

Iacono (PRWeek): For marketing,advertising, and PR, measurementand ROI is a huge concern. How areyou measuring the success of your

cause programs? Is it consideredsuccessful because it impacts repu-tation or purchasing decisions?

Zimprich (General Mills): It’s all of those things, but it also has tobuild brand equity and brand loy-alty. If we’re just going to talkabout the business impact, we’rein it for the wrong reason andshouldn’t be doing it.

Cone (Cone): I think it goes backto the question of where it is com-ing from in the organization. Wehave seen more programs diewhen they come from the middleof the organization because youdon’t have the institutional will. It has to come from the CEO who

says, “We have to be a good corpo-rate citizen.” There are two thingsyou research – the social impactand the business impact.

Blum (PNC Bank): Measurementhas been the most difficult part.We ask each of the grantees to have a measurement componentin their program. We fund demon-

stration projects, attempts to put through innovative curricu-lum, and we ask them to measurethe impact on the children. We also look at the impact onemployees [through] a survey we do every year. And we collectanecdotal evidence. It’s the intangible things as we

move into these new communitiesto be able to relate to communi-ties because we can talk aboutwhat we stand for, which is not aseasy to do when you’re doing lotsof little things philanthropically.

Bright (Unilever): It’s always diffi-cult to measure, but there have to be new benchmarks. Some maybe anecdotal. There are a lot of different ways to look at it.

Rogers (AHA):The reality is some-times you go into these partner-ships and they don’t know whattheir goals and objectives are. We have to train our staff to go in and say, “What are your goalsand objectives?” And be honest with the non-

profit. We want to know what youare measuring against because itwill have an impact on how wework with you.

Maher (Make-A-Wish): You’retalking about peeling back theonion: Tell us so we can be a good partner. I almost wonder ifit’s not a fear that it’s supposed tobe all about philanthropy. That’s a misunderstanding.

Rogers (AHA): What we do isevery partner develops a sharedagenda. There are times when it doesn’t work out because it’s not a good fit.

Iacono (PRWeek): Where do yousee cause marketing in 10 years?

Swenson (Barkley):It’s becomingthe norm. Ten years from now, easily, that could be the case. Andfor those companies who havealready been involved for 25 years,they may be on to something wecan’t predict here.

Cone (Cone): Business schoolsnow have curriculum for corpo-rate responsibility. “Go Red” is [acase study] at Harvard BusinessSchool. We asked the question ofthe group [and] 98% of [them]said they want to work for a com-pany that’s going to provide pur-poseful work. They’re so smartthat they’re going to impact theirorganizations and push upwardsto the C-suite.

Blum (PNC Bank): Once you doone of these [cause programs] andit’s successful and it permeates thecompany and the communities,there’s no going back. I cannotimagine [a day when] our philan-thropy will be done the way weused to do it. ■

For an extended version of thisroundtable, visit PRWeek.com.

“We want to know what youare measuring against... It willimpact [our] work with you”– Kathy Rogers, VP, cause initiatives and integratedmarketing, American Heart Association

22 CAUSE SURVEY

PRWeek • October 22, 2007 • www.prweek.com

Wendy NaugleDeputy health editor, Glamour

Kathy RogersVP, cause initiatives and integrat-ed mktg., American Heart Assoc.

Doug StaplesSVP, strategic marketing andcommunications, March of Dimes

Mike SwensonPresident, Barkley PR

Greg ZimprichDirector of brand PR,General Mills

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