Archive for the ‘socially responsible’ Category

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The Pepsi vs. Coke social good smackdown

Thursday, March 4th, 2010

Coke vs. Pepsi

When Coke and Pepsi start being judged by their social responsibility as much as their taste (and their ads), you’ll know Responsible Marketing has arrived, right? Well, that time has come.

The Huffington Post recently ran an online poll pitting Pepsi’s Refresh Project Vs. Coke’s Live Positively campaigns.

The associated article does a great job laying out the differences between the campaigns, then left it up to readers to choose which campaign they preferred.

For marketers wanting to reach the younger generation, this makes sense:

This “conscious capitalism” has been a growing trend, and for good reason. A 2006 Millennial Cause Study by Cone Inc. and AMP Insights found that 69% of Millennials will consider a company’s social and environmental commitment when deciding where to shop, and a whopping 89% are likely to switch from one brand to another if the second brand is associated with a good cause. That’s powerful motivation for companies fighting for market share.


So, which campaign do you find most compelling?

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. . .

Image: Huffington Post

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Posted in branding, cause marketing, socially responsible | No Comments »

The 7 Keys to Responsible Marketing in 2 Minutes

Wednesday, October 21st, 2009

Want to know what Responsible Marketing is about but don’t have the time to read our white paper on the topic?

Well, here’s “The 7 Keys to Responsible Marketing in 2 Minutes,” featuring the characters you’ve grown to love (or hate) in our Responsible Marketing web shorts.


View on YouTube

There ya go—with a video that short, now everyone has time to learn about Responsible Marketing. Share away. :)

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Posted in casting responsible, environmentally responsible, execution responsible, fun, message responsible, movies, roi responsible, socially responsible, strategically responsible, videos | No Comments »

Climate hype? Where there’s hype, there’s $

Thursday, October 15th, 2009

For Blog Action Day, I started crafting a post regarding the UN Climate Summit in Copenhagen in December, but then I realized, hey, this blog is supposed to be about Responsible Marketing!

Here’s an interesting Google Earth tour on the topic. Right after I’ll get to my real post.

View on YouTube

Okay, so I’ve decided it’s time for me to get something off my chest.

You see, I’ve been called a tree-hugger. A green-weenie. And most recently, an “eco-lib.”

Whatever. Sticks and stones and all that.

I doubt I’ll convince anyone reading this blog that thinks climate change global warming is just a liberal hoax that they’re wrong on the topic.

So I won’t try to convince you otherwise.

I promise.

But I do have a few questions for you:

  1. Are you sick and tired of hearing about global warming, climate change and melting ice caps?
  2. Do all the magazine covers, television shows and news programs on the topic drive you nuts?
  3. Are you ready to unfriend everyone on Facebook that are constantly asking you to sign yet another petition or the world will end tomorrow?

If you aren’t buying the “eco-hype” I can see why you’d be fed up.

So don’t believe the hype.

But do you believe that wherever there’s hype, there’s a buck to be made on it? There’s a sucker born every minute, right?

Then invest in green technology.

Buy the products that save energy and money—there are plenty of them.

And since consumers overwhelmingly prefer buying from environmentally responsible companies, be an opportunist and take the steps to make yours one too.

If you aren’t going to do it for your mother, do it for yourself.

And make a buck while all the rest of us suckers worry about something that will never happen.

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Posted in environmentally responsible, socially responsible, videos | 1 Comment »

Is your “Green Czar” an angel or a devil?

Friday, October 2nd, 2009

In 2006, we decided we needed get serious about greening Outsource Marketing after years of agreement about having an environmentally responsible workplace but no real plan to make it happen.

Since then, we’ve been recognized for our efforts and have even won a few workplace recycling awards.

The two secrets to our success:

  1. Everyone at Outsource is required to sign our Green Pact. The Pact is our personal vow to abide by a list of rules we developed as a team regarding paper use, bottled water, use of cleaning supplies and such.
  2. While several people were passionate about the idea, one person, dubbed our “Green Czar,” was given the responsibility and authority to lead the charge.

Some team members were perfect for the role: They motivated us to do what was necessary and made us feel good about the work we were doing.

Others? Well, let’s just say some people can drive you to drink.

So, what are some of the best practices you’ve seen in workplace recycling programs?

Comment below to share.

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Posted in casting responsible, environmentally responsible, fun, movies, socially responsible, videos | No Comments »

Are we giving PSA’s a pass?

Monday, August 31st, 2009

By now, you’ve probably seen or heard about the following PSA warning of the dangers of texting while driving produced by the Gwent Police Department in the UK.


View video on YouTube

The nearly unbearable gritty realism of a head-on collision features heads snapping back and forth on impact, gushing blood, a child crying for its dead parents and a dead infant has created controversy, and as expected—conversation.

  • The argument against: It’s simply too explicit.
  • The argument for: Desensitized youth will actually pay attention.

There’s merit to both points, but seeing this video made me wonder, “If this wasn’t a PSA—if this was an ad for child seats, OnStar or another product—what would the conversation look like?”


Are we more accepting of questionable content in PSA’s because it’s for the common good and not for profit?

Should we be?

What do you think?

Comment below to weigh in.

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. . .

Thanks to Deston Nokes and Martin Pierce for sharing this video with me last week.

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Posted in message responsible, socially responsible, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth | 5 Comments »

Call us small minded

Monday, August 31st, 2009

2009 Best Workplaces for Recycling - Outsource Marketing

We believe small things can have a big difference. That’s why printing on used paper and offering our guests a ‘glass’ of water, not a bottle, are all part of Outsource Marketing’s Green Pact.

This year Outsource Marketing is pleased to once again receive the award for Best Workplaces for Recycling and Waste Reduction 2009 from the King County. This is our third consecutive year receiving the award since the program’s inception in 2007.

This small award is already making a big difference in workplace recycling programs. In 2009 the number of award recipients increased 30% with 65 businesses receiving the honor. Rather than be one of the select few, we hope to be one of the select many.

Visit KCSWD to find out how your workplace can get involved in its own commercial recycling program.

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. . .

Thanks to Steven Goodell for his assistance in drafting this post.

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Posted in announcement, corporate responsibility, environmentally responsible, socially responsible | No Comments »

Is responsibility the Holy Grail of marketing?

Friday, April 3rd, 2009

holy-grail-responsible-marketing

Gennefer Snowfield at the Triple Pundit interviewed me earlier this week and asked me a host of questions regarding Responsible Marketing, including—

  • Where the Responsible Marketing concept came from;
  • The impetus for this blog;
  • How I define Responsible Marketing;
  • Where Responsible Marketing fits with cause marketing;
  • Which brands are leading in Responsible Marketing;
  • My predictions for the future. . . and more.

Read The Holy Grail of Successful Marketing: Responsibility then weigh in, either here or there.

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. . .

Image: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

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Posted in cause marketing, interview, socially responsible | 4 Comments »

Shut off your lights at the office this weekend.

Friday, March 27th, 2009

In support of Earth Hour, all our lights will be shut off at Outsource Marketing this entire weekend. Mostly because I don’t want someone to have to come in and shut them off at 8:30 on a Saturday night.

Here’s what it all about:

On Saturday, March 28th at 8:30pm millions of people around the world will turn off their lights for one hour, Earth Hour to join the largest call to action on climate change in history. Through every flick of the light switch you are voting for our elected officials to take immediate and lasting action on the climate crisis.

We all have a stake. We all have a voice. We all have a vote.

Turn Out for Earth Hour. Vote Earth

So, send out an email now to everyone in your office right now.

Don’t leave it up to the cleaning crew to shut off all the lights. Do it before you leave the office today.

It’s easy, and I guarantee everyone in your company will be happy to participate.

And of course, you can shut your lights off at home tomorrow night, too.

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Posted in environmentally responsible, socially responsible | 8 Comments »

A Lost Generation of creatives? I think not.

Thursday, March 26th, 2009

My colleague Martin always says, “when you have a great concept, the design doesn’t have to work so hard.”

Keep that in mind when you view The Lost Generation, a video that has now been viewed nearly 5 million times on YouTube.

The design is minimal—the concept and clever copy carry the day.

The first time I viewed this, I kept thinking “No way! There’s no way they’ll be able to pull this off in reverse!” Which, of course, they did.

It’s ironic that some might use the phrase The Lost Generation when comparing ad creatives from the past with today’s talent.

That’s not a fair comparison. It’s a different time and a different place. The media has changed as have our sensibilities as a society.

I’d argue that creatives of the past weren’t better or worse. They just faced different challenges.

The fact is, great concepts are timeless, and I’d argue that the video above would hold up in any era.

Do you agree or disagree?

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. . .

Inspiration for this post came from Tim Berry’s Planning Startup Stories Blog.

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Posted in creativity, simplicity, socially responsible, videos, viral marketing, word of mouth | 2 Comments »

How tolerant is your marketing?

Wednesday, March 18th, 2009

Do you respect all your audiences?

Really? Are you sure?

Watch the following ad, then answer the question again:


Watch this video on YouTube

So, now do you believe you respecting all of your audiences?

This spot from Banco Provincia of Argentina was a real eye-opener for me.

Respectful ads targeted to the gay and lesbian market are rare enough. But a company—a bank, nonetheless—treating a transgendered person in such a thoughtful, dignified way? Incredible.

Check out the comments on YouTube: They’re overwhelmingly positive.

When Lissa Boles shared this with me, she asked if this was “the epitome of Responsible Marketing?”

I say it is.

What say you?

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Posted in advertising, message responsible, socially responsible, videos | 5 Comments »

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