There's no denying that corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become a buzz phrase in the PR industry of late. But behind the buzz are solid, dependable corporate tactics
that any practitioner worth her weight will tell you have always been the foundation of strong corporate governance and communications. And with new corporate scandals cropping up
by the day, these time-tested strategies could be the saving grace for companies looking to avoid the media feeding frenzy surrounding the Enrons and Arthur Andersens of the
world.
But many communications execs have shied away from touting their CSR efforts recently, either to avoid attracting unwanted scrutiny by the press, or for fear of the backlash
corporations like Nike have recently witnessed.
The sporting goods and apparel giant suffered a much-publicized blow when it was accused of labor abuses in overseas factories. "We've been the target of a very well-organized,
highly-publicized anti-globalization campaign," Kirk Stewart, VP of corporate communications, told attendees at the Arthur Page Seminar in April. But the company has since
implemented sweeping reforms, and now boasts one of the most powerful and comprehensive CSR programs in corporate America. One of the critical lessons the company took out of the
labor practices scandal was to "communicate a full CSR agenda," Stewart said. But the recent ruling against the company by the California Supreme Court, which makes statements
made in PR efforts, including press releases, subject to the same state laws as statements made in advertising, has Nike and other companies reevaluating how promoting corporate
citizenship initiatives could impact overall corporate reputation.
"It's really dicey," says John Radewagen, VP of corporate communications for The Hoffman Agency. "It's a hard time, and people are afraid to say anything right now." But, he
says, "you can't hide under your desk, and honesty and sincerity are always the right thing to do."
In fact, say some of our experts, if you do anything at all, communicate about your social responsibility - as long as you have been socially responsible, of course. "Ethical
and social responsibility, due to the current circumstances, are more important now than ever," says Judi Mackey, chair of Burson-Marsteller's corporate and financial practice in
the United States. B-M just launched a new practice devoted to such communications (see This Just In). "It's an area companies should really be focusing on. It's not something
that's nice to do, it's something you must do."
Peeling the Onion
Lawrence Moore, executive director of PR for Riester~Robb in Phoenix, agrees that your CSR efforts "should be a point of pride, a part of your overall brand promise," but
advises that in order to establish long-term credibility with media and other stakeholders, transparency is key, meaning you allow the public to see the areas in which you've
fallen short of your goals as well as the areas in which you've excelled. "It's a matter of transparency: the good, the bad and the ugly."
Conoco Corp., an energy company in Houston, for example, publishes an annual Sustainable Growth Report. This annual CSR report "peels the onion" according to one trade
journalist who covered the release of the first report in 2001. "It peels back all the layers of the company," explains Sondra Fowler, manager of corporate public affairs."
Fowler's report has made waves not only in the energy business, but nationally, receiving coverage from business reporters at outlets like CNN. The key, she says, is that the
report is not a promotional piece. "We can't make this into a marketing conversation. It has to have our worst points as well as our good points. If you're honest and transparent
about the good and the bad, hopefully it's seen as valid."
The Sustainable Growth Report, issued each year with the corporation's annual report, dissects the company and offers information on economic growth, environmental protection
and social progress. While it isn't meant to be a marketing piece, "there's really no way we don't use it, from recruiting to new business," says Fowler. "It even helped us with
one of the largest acquisitions we made in Conoco's history. We bought the former Gulf Canada, and the Canadian government had to sign off on the acquisition. They said one of the
reasons they did so so rapidly was the report." Now that's validation.
Isn't It Ironic?
CSR more often than not falls under the communications department's jurisdiction (though departments throughout the company, from accounting to human resources play a role) and
communicating social responsibility can prove to be a saving grace in the atmosphere of wary skepticism that surrounds corporate America these days. But Fowler's advice sums up
the number one rule for CSR: Don't make it a promotional piece.
Gratuitous self-promotion may be a taboo, but there are appropriate ways to draw attention to a job well-done. While Fowler doesn't develop her Sustainable Growth Report with
the media or new recruits in mind, she doesn't hesitate to whip it out when she's meeting with a reporter to offer a fact, a statistic or a graphical point of interest. More often
than not, when a reporter sees the report, it becomes the focus of an interview.
Likewise, when Jessica Weeks, PR coordinator for Cerner Corp., a healthcare information and technology company in Kansas City, Mo., was attempting to grow the First Hand
Foundation, a foundation that helps families of sick children to cover the costs of medical devices and unconventional procedures, she didn't so much pitch it to the media as she
roped them into it. When employees launched a golf tournament to benefit the foundation, she invited local celebrity anchors to play in the tournament. Needless to say, the First
Hand Foundation landed on local media's radar screen.
And involving employees deeply in your mission creates powerful ambassadors to the public. "It's your approach to doing business. It can be as simple as having employees know
what kind of fertilizer is used on the lawns around your manufacturing facilities, or having more employees have access to the books. If you tout commitment to diversity in your
corporation, do your human resources processes back that up? Would your employees say so?" says Moore. "Corporate citizenship is not just doing good in the community."