Misusing CSR

CSR as we know it and CSR of the future

 

The concept of CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) is not new. Some link its birth to the middle of the 20^th century and the attempt of tobacco corporations to remedy their public images and to shift the focus of attention from the harm they cause to the good they claim they do. However, the concept has been developing all through the past years and has come to mean incorporating philanthropy and responsibility towards stakeholders and community at large. A definition of it could sound as “doing business by doing more good and trying to avoid harm”.

The way CSR is been practiced also differs greatly from country to country (explicit and directly marketed in many countries and implicit and promoted by earning recognition of third parties in other countries). For this reason any generalization about the concept cannot be feasible.

However, it cannot be denied that many companies use the CSR flag as a marketing tool. Dorfman, Cheyne, Friedman, Wadud and Gottlieb give a great example of that in their article “Soda and Tobacco Industry Corporate Social Responsibility Campaigns: How Do They Compare?” (www.plosmedicine.org). They be a few CSR campaigns run by soda corporations. Pepsi’s RefreshProject turns out to be the perfect example of misusing CSR.

The problem about doing that is not only ethical. What happens is that corporations use the consumers’ desire to do business with responsible companies to turn them into loyal users of their products. The biggest question here is about the consequences of such an act when we talk about companies which produce health endangering products as sweets, fast food, soda, alcohol, tobacco and medicines.

This issue is highlighted further by the ever greater use of social media in consumer relationship building. Using social media allows for constructing consumer realities and boosting consumer brand involvement by participation in causes, games, initiatives. When CSR activities as a part of marketing become viral through social networks the motive behind, thus the real goal of the campaign gets blurred into the mass excitement. In campaigns as the Pepsi Refresh Project results are expected to be more sells and not so much philanthropic projects, confirmed by a Pepsi official, cited by the authors.

Even though business of business is business and this will never change, with the appearance of greater tools for managing (not to say manipulating) consumer behavior it is necessary that companies take the responsibility accompanying such great power.

Many researchers argue that regulation agencies are too slow in following progress in technology. Thus the consumer is left at the mercy of companies employing ingenious marketing campaigns designed to shape behavior. Therefore something more is necessary. That could be the next CSR direction which would allow companies to master responsibility in close consumer contact.

That could be done for example by engaging in social marketing and reshaping businesses to reflect the needs of society. That is of course idealistic, the realistic approach would be to either focus marketing efforts on adults only, to increase the amount of health information freely available to users or to avoid creating unhealthy habits by using social media involvement of consumers.

Even though there is no active reaction by the public concerning social media and CSR efforts of companies at the moment it is certain that with mounting research on the topic public awareness will soon be raised and the issue will be faced. That is why it is a good investment to rethink your CSR strategies and social media appearance so that they reflect the values your company stays for. This is the surest way to avoid a crisis and go ahead of competition when many are going to face the anger of the public.

 

DIDI

Social and fast - no other way to do business

Social Media Marketing and Trends

Doing some research on use of Social media as a communication tool I stumbled upon an article from 2008. The article was called Enhancing Promotional Strategies Within Social Marketing Programs: Use of Web 2.0 Social Media, written by Rosemary Thackeray, Brad L. Neiger, Carl L. Hanson and James F. McKenzie. I have to admit that I was more than surprised. At first I thought that the authors somehow had misused the term social media. Or misunderstood its uses and importance. Then I realized that the key to that mystery had all the time been right next to the title: year of publication 2008.

I was reading with amazement because I realized how much and how fast our world had changed. Back in 2008 only a small percentage of all internet users were users of some kind of social media, predominated by teenagers and young adults (up to 24 year olds). Today social media is not any more a media in the classic sense of the word. It is a part of our lives; it is a part of who we are and how we communicate.

After reading a lot of literature I still think that research is having troubles catching up with the social media reality. Because it has changed our world in a way so that everything happens ever faster and with ever more consumer involvement. And let’s face it – only the time needed to write and publish an article – around 2-3 years for academic articles - will be enough to make it obsolete.

Companies on the other hand cannot allow themselves the luxury of falling behind. That is why advice as  this the authors of the mentioned article give – be cautious and research the possibilities of incorporation of new media channels in the communication strategy – is not one to be followed. As Kotler points out in his Marketing bible, it is not any more a world where the strongest survives, it is a world where the fastest survives.

Following trends seems to be a relatively good strategy, however you position yourself willingly as number 2 or number 1000. Instead you need to create your communicative environment. It is already established that corporate communications, marketing and any business activity will be done in close cooperation with consumers – or the company will not exist for long. In practice this means that you need to stop following trends only because the others are doing it. Instead, focus on your consumers, on any other stakeholders you deem important. Research THEM, cooperate with them and facilitate communication channels approved by them. That will be your guarantee for success. On top of the fact that you will establish communication that is maximally beneficial for both sides, you will gain the appreciation of your stakeholders.

An example about why you do not need to worry about upcoming digital miracles or trends is a simple request as the one a Danish fitness chain received on their Facebook page – consumers were asking whether an iPhone app was being planned.

As long as you offer a good product and good service and you manage to engage your consumers they will always turn to you to solve whatever matter there is – from a communication issue to product specifications. Is it really necessary to explain why this is very important?

That is why you need to learn the rules of the game – be perceptive and reactive. Be proactive and helpful. Engage and be engaged. And maybe the most important of rules: whatever you do, do it fast. We are not any more living in times where waiting 4 to 6 weeks for TV shop delivery is OK, is the norm. Waiting is not acceptable. And here come tools as social media giving us the new timeframe for successful communication: now, that minute. Forgetting that risks us our costumers forgetting about us.

We don’t know what will come in the future. And that is okay. The future will most certainly not come without us. Keeping up with today’s pace is all we really can do. It is only a few who are brave enough to dare the future. Some succeed big, most fail. It is up to you which path you choose but being fast is still the rule.

 

DIDI

Motivating or demotivating employees

Internal Communication and HR: Employee Motivation

Many companies nowadays focus on innovation or customer contact or competitors and often forget to take care of their most valuable asset: their employees. It is not a secret that without employees no company could ever exist. Yet we have to keep in mind that an employee present does not equal employee contributing.

In order to research what would drive employees to contribute maximally in the work process several scientific fields have been developed, some of them adopted by HR-specialists, some of them – by marketing and communication professionals. One of the most salient fields is concerned with motivation and in this case – employee motivation in particular.

Employee motivation is very important because it not only helps enhance performance; it also contributes to image management, prevention of and reaction to a crisis. Employees are essential when it comes to productivity and innovation. But employees can just the same popularize your company as a company with a great working environment and standards, etc. The stand of employees is also critical when it comes to overcoming a crisis. Keep in mind that the media will be more than happy to find that one unsatisfied employee ready to trash you and be sure they will find them.

Those reasons seem more than enough to stress the importance of keeping employees happy. Whereas there is a whole field researching different employee satisfaction factors, motivation is that factor which more or less encompasses every perception connected to work and translates it into readiness to work harder tomorrow than today.

Given the number of studies and the importance of the issue recognized by scholars it is difficult to understand how come so many companies overlook this crucial element of success. Sometimes mistakes in that area could be so big and with such visible results and still nothing happens.

In my experience, most often and biggest mistakes management can make are excluding employees of decision making, not recognizing and rewarding efforts and results, allowing disagreement in goal setting (the set goals are not supported by employees), being dishonest or trying to play employees when it comes to salary or benefits, and creating a stressful environment where the stakes are too high and the efforts are not enough or not channeled correctly.
 

The results here can vary from zero motivation to conscious sabotage of the company. Management should not make the mistake of underestimating the seriousness of the issue. Therefore it is crucial to monitor employee motivation and to work proactively for its enhancement.

Monitoring employee motivation is usually responsibility of HR as they have a whole toolset for that starting with surveys and personal dialogues and including monitoring results, number of days off work, sickness, taking initiative or part in discussions, etc. HR has also the ability to create a diverse and complex motivation program fitting the need of most employees.

However, there is still that element dependent on management: management should allow for inclusion of employees in decision making and should ensure fair employee management before starting to think about HR.

Communication professionals in most of the cases are educated in management and HR. Their role is to be connecting link between departments, between employees and management, between the organization and the outside world. They will be the first to notice problems in the organization and that is why you should take their warnings into consideration and act accordingly and timely.

DIDI