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I'm looking for examples and case studies about how corporations (especially those that are in more industrial industries) have successfully built community investment campaigns (i.e., marketing/communications campaigns that highlight how they are giving back to the community.) I'm trying to build a case for an industrial client that gives back significantly to the community but does not actively communicate it, to carve out a portion of their marketing budget to support a mass media campaign.
Hello! Thanks for your request for examples of how corporations have successful built community investment campaigns. The sources we found most useful are Forbes and the New York Times. In short, Subaru, TOMS Shoes, Subway & Coca-Cola, and Pepsi are all companies that have successfully built community investment campaigns that highlight how they are giving back to the community. Additionally, Wal-mart, Kellogg's and KFC are examples of companies that who's cause marketing campaigns have failed. Below, you will find a deep dive of each of these campaigns and how they were implemented.
METHODOLOGY
In order to fulfill your request, we looked at corporate websites, industry reports, and trusted media sites. We first looked at pre-compiled lists of companies that have launched cause marketing campaigns. From these lists, we selected campaigns that were highly successful and made sure to include some examples of companies which are "industrial." To better help us define what is meant by an "industrial" company, we relied on the definition of "industrial" which relates to the production/manufacturing of goods. From there, we analyzed news articles/press releases which give further insight into how a specific campaign was being marketed. Per your request, we have also included a few of examples of campaigns that failed and why they failed.
SUBARU: SHARE WHAT YOU LOVE
Subaru launches their "Share the Love" campaign on an annual basis. They purchase "national television spots" which "highlight inspiring beneficiaries of the four national charities, who tell their stories and encourage viewers to put a little more love in their hearts this year. The song 'Put a Little Love in Your Heart' features prominently throughout the campaign, and is performed by each of these inspiring people as they tell their stories. The Share the Love version of the song [is] also available for streaming on Pandora and Spotify, and for download via iTunes and Google Play, providing an opportunity for all consumers to purchase and the profits from each download will be donated to these four Share the Love charities." Subaru uses the stories of the people who benefit from the charities it supports to spread the word about "Share the Love."
While these stories air on national television, they are also "available to view on Subaru of America's YouTube channel."
Additionally, Subaru promotes this campaign through mass media. They hosted "a nationwide sing-along of 'Put a Little Love in Your Heart' on Good Morning America and a partnership with iHeartRadio to take over an hour of programming in key markets, create awareness for the song and highlight Subaru's charity partners." Subaru also used Snapchat to promote this campaign, as they ran a national 'Sponsored Lens' for Share the Love that would "trigger the song to be played based on a Snapchatter's facial expressions and movements."
Recently, Subaru launched a re-modeled version of their annual Share the Love campaign. For the new campaign, Subaru got consumers involved by utilizing social media. "Subaru asked their fans and followers to post a picture to 'Share What You Love' and upload it to their Share What You Love micro-site using the #ShareTheLove hashtag. After uploading the image, participants were asked to choose from a selection of four charities, including ASPCA, Make-A-Wish, Meals on Wheels, and the National Park Foundation, for Subaru to donate $250 to on behalf of the participant. This campaign was successful because of the significant donation amount, and the freedom given to the participant regarding the image they shared, and the charity they chose."
TOMS SHOES
L.A. based shoe company, TOMS Shoes, has built its entire brand around its "One for One" message. "Children in Argentina needed shoes to go to school, so founder Blake Mycoskie decided in 2006 to start a company that would give a pair of shoes away for every pair it sold. This was the most powerful marketing tool he had when he persuaded the first buyer for a boutique to stock the product." According to Mycoskie, "She liked the shoe, but she loved the story. People weren't buying shoes: they were buying the one-for-one promise." The story was featured in the Los Angeles Times along with many other publications, including Vogue. As a result, TOMS sold "more than 10,000 pairs in the first summer, and millions more since... The model was so successful that TOMS extended it to a line of sunglasses, and is currently working on developing other products using the one-for-one model." Additionally, as a result of this model, "TOMS has never had to do traditional advertising."
TOMS launches an annual campaign called "One Day Without Shoes," where the company "encourages people to go barefoot for all or part of one day in an effort to increase awareness about the need for shoes." In 2015, TOMS brought the campaign to social media as they encouraged users to post a photo of their bare feet to Instagram with the hashtag #withoutshoes. TOMS promised to donate a pair of shoes to someone in need for every photo posted. In this way, the campaign reached not only current customers, but to a new consumer base who could contribute to the campaign without even having to purchase the product first.
Additionally, TOMS encourages participants and customers to "download a marketing toolkit from the company's website. The toolkit includes instructions on how to engage others in the campaign, a pledge form for your office or group, t-shirt logos, and a variety of templates for signage."
SUBWAY AND COCA-COLA: FRESH WATER 4 ALL
Subway and Coca-Cola partnered on a "clean-water cause marketing campaign." "For every bottle of Coca-Cola's Dasani water sold in 2,200 U.S. participating Subways [for a limited time], Subway will donate 30 cents to World Vision. The donations will be used by World Vision...to work with partners in Kenya to construct a solar-powered water system providing clean water for 1,600-plus people. A 30-cent contribution is enough to supply clean drinking water for one person for one month, according to Subway."
"Digital advertising was employed, along with a social media campaign, to engage the target audience and drive them to the point of purchase. Once in-store, consumers were reminded of the campaign. Bottle labels also encouraged Subway visitors to take part. A responsive landing page helped provide more in-depth information and allowed [users] to track progress of the campaign with a real-time counter that showed the amount of money raised for the program." In alignment with this, Subway posted a video on YouTube showcasing the program, "in addition to social media postings about the effort." Additionally, a "Subway-branded website" was set up which not only "explains the program," but also allows for donations to be made while offering "a running tally of donations." Donors were further "encouraged to tweet their participation using #igavecleanwater."
PEPSI: PEPSI REFRESH PROJECT
While quite a bit older (this campaign launched in 2010), this campaign had great results at the time and stands a prominent example of how a company marketed it's charitable contributions. The Pepsi-Cola company dedicated $20 million to "local organizations and causes proposed by the public in realms like health, arts and culture, the environment and education." Ideas for Pepsi Refresh grants were submitted "each month to a Website where computer users [could] subsequently vote on the ideas suggested during the previous month." Celebrities such as Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon appeared on the Today Show on NBC to seek votes for the causes they supported. There were also "paid pitches for the project on [the] Today [Show] and its website as part of an agreement with a marketing unit of NBC Universal."
Other media partners for this project were "AOL, Facebook, Hulu, MTV Networks and Parade." In addition, ads were run on ABC, CBS and "on 30 cable channels, in 10 print publications, and on websites like Yahoo."
Lee Clow, chief creative officer and global director for media arts at the Pepsi-Cola agency said the goal is "to develop a mechanism for young people to create ideas to make things better," an idea that "will ultimately become part of the global behavior of the brand."
PHILANTHROPY FAILURES
An article from Forbes, which delves into the realm of philanthropy and marketing, cited three great examples of charitable marketing campaigns that ended in failure and why:
"A Walmart campaign in Ohio invited employees to contribute to a holiday food drive for some of its needier members. But the project backfired when a local newspaper caught wind of the effort, which seemed to magnify the company’s reputation for not only paying low wages, but also asking low-paid staff to contribute further to allow the least fortunate among them to enjoy a holiday meal. Likewise, Kelloggs’ U.K. division had good intentions when it offered to donate meals in exchange for Tweets, but their Tweet of “1RT=1 meal for a vulnerable child” seemed self-serving, as if the “caring” was mostly about meeting its social media goals. And the KFC’s Buckets for a Cure campaign, which promised $.50 contribution to the Susan G. Koman Foundation for each bucket of chicken purchased, became a negative for both groups when observers noted the project was raising money for medical research by promoting the sale of unhealthy food."
These examples serve to point out the importance of marketing a charitable campaign that is in alignment with a company's already established vibe/perspective/persona.
CONCLUSION
To wrap it up, Subaru, TOMS Shoes, Subway & Coca-Cola, and Pepsi are all companies that have successfully built community investment campaigns that highlight how they are giving back to the community. Thanks for using Wonder! Please let us know if we can help with anything else!