Supporting a cause that is important to your target customers and employees should be the foundation of your CSR strategy, says Tad Kittredge, brand manager at The Clorox Company, which engineered the Brita/Jack Johnson FilterForGood union. Here are three tips for effectively managing CSR partnerships:
• Find a higher cause that both partners can agree on. The more explicit you can be in finding that right connection, the more authentic the experience will ultimately be for the consumer, says Kittredge.
• Continue to do the right thing when no one is watching. “When we started a partnership with Lady Antebellum on their tour, we didn’t think we’d ever get a call from Jack Johnson, but he and his management were paying attention and they approached us after seeing we had done the right thing,” says Drew McGowan, senior group manager, PR and sponsorships at Clorox.
• Stay committed. CSR is a long-term commitment—you can’t suddenly change midstream. You gain credibility and authenticity over time, says Kittredge.