INBOUND15

ADVERTISING AND SOCIAL GOOD

A perfect marriage or a recipe for disaster?

Susan McPherson

CEO, McPherson Strategies, @susanmcp1

1. How it used to be

2. CSR today

3. A perfect marriage

4. A recipe for disaster

5. The do’s and don’t’s

INBOUND15

How it used to be

INBOUND15

Big checksFor many companies, corporate responsibility was synonymous with traditional philanthropy. Write a big check to a community organization, and poof!, you’ve done your due diligence.

INBOUND15

A PR response Many companies saw corporate responsibility as something reactive. Protesters gathering outside your office? Time to make a statement.

INBOUND15

An organizational silo

The CSR or social good department (if there was even a department) operated on its own, separate from the rest of the company.

INBOUND15

An afterthought

CSR wasn’t something on the agenda for the C-suite, unless it had to be for reputation reasons.

INBOUND15

2 CSR today

INBOUND15

Today, “social good” has gone from being an extracurricular activity to a core aspect of

business strategy. Increasingly, we’re seeing CSR baked within an organization and the

responsibility team integrated with all other departments, including marketing.

So, why did this happen?

My, how things have changed.

INBOUND15

Social media

With social media came an increased demand for transparency and authenticity from companies.

INBOUND15

Consumer demandMore than ever, customers choose to buy from companies with purpose. The business case for CSR is clear.

55 percent of global online consumers will pay more for products from companies that are committed to social and environmental impact (Nielsen).

INBOUND15

Attracting talent

Millennials want jobs with purpose. To attract the best, companies need to be serious about their commitment to social good. (insert stat images)

INBOUND15

Cultural evolution

Between the local food movement and exploding support for the LGBTQ community, our culture has grown increasingly conscious and responsible.

INBOUND15

These factors have transformed the relationship between businesses and social good.

INBOUND15

• CEOs speaking out proactively on human rights issues.

• Inbound content focused on the social issues that touch a company’s business.

• Customer and employee engagement campaigns around social issues and volunteerism.

• Commercials focused on the company’s commitment to responsibility.

• Social media engagement around social advocacy.

• An increase in social good-focused storytelling for brands across industries.

Today, we’re seeing deep integration between marketing and CSR.

INBOUND15

3 A perfect marriage

INBOUND15

Girl Rising

INBOUND15

We Can Be Heroes

INBOUND15

#Sportsmatter

INBOUND15

The Girl Effect

INBOUND15

4 A recipe for disaster

INBOUND15

Diageo’s water bottles

INBOUND15

Starbucks’ conversation starter

INBOUND15

KFC Pink Bucket

INBOUND15

5 Do’s and Don’ts

INBOUND15

• Oversimplifying complex issues

• Skimping on research

• PR as primary goal

• Not vetting partners

• One-off thinking

• Staying silent

• Failing to measure

The don’ts

INBOUND15

• Authenticity

• Tell stories

• Understanding the why

• Supplement stories with data

• Engage employees and customers

• Thoughtful partnerships

• Connection to business

• Sharing success

The do’s

INBOUND15