Archive for the ‘socially responsible’ Category

Outsource Marketing receives recycling award for fourth consecutive year

Thursday, June 24th, 2010

Each year, King County recognizes organizations that have made recycling and waste reduction a priority, so we’re honored to make the “Best Workplace for Recycling and Waste Reduction” list once again this year.

Instead of us telling you how, here’s an excerpt from the webpage listing this year’s recipients:

Outsource Marketing is a fourth-year Best Workplace that is building on past recycling and waste reduction efforts. In 2009, Outsource Marketing rebranded their business to better reflect its responsible approach to business and marketing. Most messaging is done electronically at Outsource. Instead of printing letterhead, notecards and envelopes that might go to waste, the new brand made it possible for it to print small, customized quantities in-house as needed. Old letterhead stationery was turned into notepads. A series of videos were also created to focus on recycling in the workplace.

Outsource Marketing’s printed collateral system consisting of a folder, mini-brochure and multiple insert sheets and cards was replaced by a customizable brochure that is printed and bound in-house using plain string. It has also been formatted so it looks great when delivered digitally. Outsource Marketing has increased its use of collaborative online tools, video conferencing, instant messaging and other technologies to increase waste-free communications. Each staff member has signed a “green pact,” promising to reduce, reuse and recycle where possible. In addition, Outsource Marketing continues to implement responsible, green marketing efforts for its clients.

Advice to others: “A project without a leader won’t get done. Appoint a ’green czar’ to lead initiatives and provide support to develop an empowered group. Take a look at marketing materials with an eye toward waste reduction. “

Would you like your organization to be a bit greener? Contact us and we’ll be happy to share a few tips with you.

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Can Responsible Marketing help fix BP?

Friday, June 18th, 2010

The live streaming video of the oil spill turns my stomach, so I’ve been struggling with this question for weeks: “Can Responsible Marketing help restore BP?”

My gut says “never!” but my brain says “maybe.”

The fact is, trust requires both competence and character—two things BP lacks.

I know it’s early to ask, but if BP did the following things:

  1. Successfully stopped the oil spill
  2. Adequately cleaned up their mess
  3. Proved they made their other rigs safe; and
  4. Reinvested a large percentage of their profits into other renewable energy options

…would you be willing to give them a second chance?

I boycotted Exxon after the Valdez spill, so I’m on the fence on this one, folks. I’d have to see something pretty special from BP to get me to reconsider them.

How about you?

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Can Responsible Marketing help fight childhood obesity?

Wednesday, May 19th, 2010

Solving the Problem of Childhood Obesity Within a Generation - White House

From the The Wall Street Journal:

The White House is calling on food makers to curb marketing of unhealthy foods to children, part of a broad assault against childhood obesity.

The recommendation is part of a 120-page report released Tuesday that outlines steps to fight the national epidemic. One in every three children ages 2-19 is overweight or obese, the report says. First Lady Michelle Obama has taken up childhood obesity as her signature cause.

The recommendations are for the food and beverage industry, media and entertainment companies and food retailers. Recommendations from the report urge these parties to:

  • Extend their self-regulatory program to cover all forms of marketing to children
  • Avoid in-store marketing that promotes unhealthy products to children
  • Limit the licensing of popular characters to food and beverage products that are healthy and consistent with science-based nutrition standards
  • Adopt meaningful, uniform nutrition standards for marketing food and beverages to children
  • Develop a uniform standard for what constitutes marketing to children
  • Set uniform guidelines to ensure that a higher proportion of advertisements shown on their networks and platforms are for healthy foods and beverages
  • Introduce an on-air labeling system that helps consumers easily distinguish between advertising for healthy and unhealthy foods
  • Develop and deploy technology to block unhealthy food and beverage advertising

And if the above doesn’t work, the FCC will be called in to revisit and modernize children’s programming rules.

Click here to download the 120-page report[3.3 MB].

This is a step in the right direction, but is it enough? Self-regulation hasn’t worked well on Wall Street. Will this be enough to rein-in Madison Avenue?

I doubt it, but what do you think?

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. . .

Inspired by this tweet by Hank Wasiak.

Motivation? Try purpose instead of money

Monday, May 17th, 2010

The carrot or the stick? Neither.

Research has shown that for knowledge workers, using money as an incentive actually hurts performance. You read that right. If you want your team to really shine, give them a purpose:


View on YouTube

We’ve been talking about the marketing benefits of adding purpose to an organization since the beginning here. The research findings illustrated in Daniel Pink’s new book, Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us add another dimension to the argument:

If you want to fire up your employees, give them some personal freedom–and give them a purpose.

Know a company that’s managing and/or marketing with meaning? Share it here.

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Apple puts social responsibility up front

Wednesday, March 17th, 2010

Anyone interested in the Apple iPad has no doubt been to the Apple homepage lately and discovered this nice surprise bottom-center:

That’s right. At a time when Apple could be cross-selling any number of their new offerings, they are using one of the four sandboxes on their homepage to share their supplier responsibility practices. You know, the info that’s typically buried in the “about us” section of a company website—if it exists at all.

Strategic posturing? Maybe.

But consider the timing: Apple is on the cusp of their biggest product launch since the iPhone.

And consider the real estate: Whatever the company puts on their homepage sells.

Apple realizes at a time when their fortunes are good and the stock price is up, maybe putting social responsibility up front just might the most responsible thing they can do.

That’s my take. What’s yours?

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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

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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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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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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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.