I could not agree more strongly with the ideas Louie had in his blog post titled Capitalizing on Disaster.

In the post, Louie writes about the marketing that was involved with Hurricane Sandy and debates whether it is ethical to use such an event in one’s marketing campaign. To further support his idea’s on the issue, while exploiting a tragic event is an immoral marketing strategy, I don’t perceive it as relatively clever one either. While some companies may be able to pump out a little bit of extra revenue by marketing their products in relation to Hurricane Sandy, that is merely a short term stint. After the hype has passed, consumers are only left with thoughts of a company that abused a horrific situation for their own gain.

Louie then writes about Duracell, a company that was offering free power and batteries to citizens affected by the hurricane. This move made by Duracell, although seeming to be a strictly charitable act, does wonders for the image of their company. Duracell was able to use this event to both help affected citizens in need and bring a positive, philanthropic vibe to their brand. In my opinion Duracell will receive much greater benefits for their actions than a company that manipulated citizens for a short term gain.

http://www.pollackblog.com/?p=1394

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