In today’s world, corporate social responsibility (CSR) and the ethics associated with it are a huge deciding factor in a company’s support from increasingly concerned global citizens. Since sustainable living and philanthropist views are becoming increasingly popular within the everyday lives of consumers, many businesses are working to market themselves as possessing these qualities. But how many of these socially responsible seeming acts are just purely marketing stunts?
As described in the Guardian article by Amy Westervelt found here, CSR based marketing stunts are becoming increasingly popular among growing businesses, mainly because the company is able to come off to the public as caring about something other than pure profit, without having to actually put any serious effort into improving the way the company interacts with the surrounding people or environment. And though this strategy may seem like a foolproof plan in the short run, the transparency in a company’s dedication to their cause of choice is becoming increasingly evident. Does selling bottles of Pantene shampoo in pink ribbon bearing packaging, and encouraging women to donate hair for wigs during Breast Cancer Awareness Month really show any commitment to finding a cure when the shampoo itself contains carcinogens?
Though donating, whether it be a portion of profit or just the voice and image of the brand, is a thoughtful idea in theory, it is not beneficial to the company if what they are donating to has nothing to do with the core values of said company. This is because people are beginning to be able to see through these marketing stunts, and are far more willing to put their money into companies that have CSR engrained into their business model, rather than simply displayed through marketing when in need of a publicity boost.
Pantene references found here and here