CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) has been a contentious topic for years now, as some people view it as another failed marketing exercise. After all, how can an oil company destroy the environment drilling for oil and claim to be responsible at the same time? How can a large grocery chain champion local produce while squeezing farmers’ profits to push down the price of that same produce?
After reading an article by Pete Davis titled Is brand marketing damaging our society, I started thinking about Pete’s comment on “ALL successful brands that profit from consumers should be giving something back”. I believe that CSR isn’t just another buzzword poorly executed, it is integral to brand marketing, and more brands should be highlighting the ways they give back. It definitely influences brand perception, both internally (stakeholders and investors) and externally. BUT, it has to be done right, it has to fit with the brand and it has to be sincere and believable, or it may do more harm than good. (more…)
