In good company
Does a brand’s social responsibility – or lack thereof – influence your buying habits? A company called Good that works with organizations to promote their cause marketing is banking on it.
A recent New York Times article reports that Good has created its own agency, Good/Corps, to help brands with the challenge of redefining themselves in a culture that more and more values corporate responsibility. Good started out 5 years ago in Los Angeles with website and magazine that targeted “people who want to live well and do good.” Their most well-known work to date is with the Pepsi Refresh Project, which awarded more than $20 million to about 1,000 projects in 2010.
Good/Corps seems to be on the right track. According to a study done by the public relations firm Edelman, “87 percent of Americans believe that companies should be at least as concerned with social interests as with business interests.” And another study, Cone’s Cause Evolution Study, found that “80 percent of Americans were likely to switch to brands that supported a good cause, with an even greater portion of mothers (93 percent) and 18 to 24-year-olds (85 percent) likely to do so.”
That’s a whole lotta do-gooders with money in their pockets.
As an ad agency, we’re always happy when our clients are public-spirited. But there’s a delicate balance to maintain when promoting a company’s philanthropy. We need to highlight the good that’s being done – not have altruism just be a gimmick to sell more products.
That said, I’d like to plug some of the good causes that Crowley Webb is proud to support including work for Project Flight, Friends of Night People, Family Justice Center, and Buffalo Prep.
Ahhhh. Now that felt good.
Tagged with Good, Good/Corps, social responsibility