{"id":11402,"date":"2019-01-31T17:11:43","date_gmt":"2019-01-31T17:11:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/?p=5474"},"modified":"2021-10-12T16:23:57","modified_gmt":"2021-10-12T16:23:57","slug":"how-corporate-social-responsibility-is-changing-brand-communications","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/how-corporate-social-responsibility-is-changing-brand-communications","title":{"rendered":"How corporate social responsibility is changing brand communications"},"content":{"rendered":"
Corporate social responsibility can serve as a brilliant way to engage audiences and inspire people to act to benefit society, but brands must ensure have a genuine interest in the causes they promote and then deliver it with authenticity.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Corporate social responsibility (CSR) used to be an add-on for brands, a silo of the business that dealt with charity partnerships and sustainability think-tanks. Now, it\u2019s right at the heart of a brand\u2019s identity. It\u2019s even had a rebrand: purpose-led brands, and purpose-driven marketing. The challenge for brands is how to find the right purpose…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":11424,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","transcript_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[290,289],"tags":[],"series":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/rawpixel-973120-unsplash-nl-1.jpg","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/01\/Genuine-Humans.jpg","download_link":"","player_link":"","audio_player":false,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"amazon":{"key":"amazon","url":"https:\/\/music.amazon.com\/podcasts\/3abc34c3-ff60-4a78-b347-6119461b7ed1\/GENUINE-HUMANS","label":"Amazon","class":"amazon","icon":"amazon.png"},"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/gb\/podcast\/genuine-humans\/id1561811296","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.google.com\/feed\/aHR0cHM6Ly90aGVzb2NpYWxlbGVtZW50LmFnZW5jeS9mZWVkL3BvZGNhc3Q?sa=X&ved=0CAYQrrcFahcKEwiQz-mM7dzvAhUAAAAAHQAAAAAQAQ","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/7jkfw0qeUlwrauhfy2pCGU","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/thesocialelement.agency\/feed\/podcast","embedCode":"
\nCorporate social responsibility (CSR) used to be an add-on for brands, a silo of the business that dealt with charity partnerships and sustainability think-tanks. Now, it\u2019s right at the heart of a brand\u2019s identity. It\u2019s even had a rebrand: purpose-led brands, and purpose-driven marketing. <\/span>
\nThe challenge for brands is how to find the right purpose or cause, and how to advocate for it without alienating the customers they want to keep.<\/span>
\nWe\u2019re living much more polarised societies than we were, both in the <\/span>UK<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>US<\/span>. It\u2019s become harder for people to empathise with <\/span>opposing viewpoints<\/span><\/a>. <\/span>
\nAs we\u2019ve seen with brands like Nike and Gillette, taking a stance on values can alienate as much as it can inspire. With this in mind, should brands be acting and communicating on issues important to them? Should they have a wider purpose? How can they use this purpose to engage customers and non-customers alike? <\/span>
\nDo consumers care about corporate social responsibility?<\/b>
\nAccording to research conducted by <\/span>Clutch,<\/span><\/a> they do. The research firm surveyed 420 American consumers, asking them about what they wanted from the organisations they did business with.<\/span>
\nWhile 75% of respondents said they would be likely to start doing business with a brand that shared their stance on issues that they found important, 59% said that they would stop doing business with a brand that held an opposing view to their own (this was especially true of Gen X and Millennial respondents).<\/span>
\nHowever, 71% said that they placed a high value on brands having a purpose that they expressed through corporate social responsibility initiatives, and also admitted that it was important for businesses to have a view on social issues.<\/span>
\nPeople don\u2019t just care about CSR as consumers; they\u2019re also willing to adapt their careers to support issues that matter to them.<\/span>
\nCone Communications found that Millennials are more likely to be loyal to an employer that helps them feel like they\u2019re contributing to solving major social and environmental issues, and 75% would take a <\/span>lower pay package<\/span><\/a> for working for a company dedicated to a CSR programme. <\/span>
\nAnother study found that CSR campaigns can <\/span>increase sales<\/span><\/a> by as much as 20% and raise a company\u2019s share price by 6%.<\/span>
\nCorporate social responsibility programmes must be backed up with a genuine purpose <\/b>
\nDespite the business benefits of CSR, research has found that initiatives founded for profit, not purpose, are <\/span>likely to fail<\/span><\/a>. Employees want to know that the motivation behind the campaign is genuine, and not just a money-grab, or being done because it\u2019s something a modern brand has to do.<\/span>
\nIf employees don\u2019t believe that the CSR is genuine, neither will the public.<\/span>
\nThree ways brands can develop corporate social responsibility campaigns that engage audiences and inspire action<\/b><\/p>\n\n
How corporate social responsibility is changing brand communications<\/a><\/blockquote>