From the streets of small town America to the furthest corners of the globe, the concept of corporate social responsibility has taken root and blossomed in extraordinary ways.
Indeed, the scope of CSR is matched by the depth of its endeavors: This can involve such wide-ranging activities as advocating the cause of basic civil liberties in distant
nations, celebrating the diversity of cultures at home, empowering people to ask tough questions and demanding higher standards of their communities and themselves, volunteering
time and enthusiasm to help those in need of assistance, or opening new channels of vibrant communications from within the workforce.
The most inventive, enthusiastic and intriguing examples of CSR were celebrated in the 2006 PR News CSR Awards, honoring the corporations and their partners that have
implemented and executed highly successful CSR campaigns in the past 12 months.
The winning campaigns serve as the best practices in CSR - and this is no easy feat. In a time when the spotlight is on corporate accountability, an effective CSR program can
make a long-lasting impression on the fabric of a company's reputation among its various constituencies.
PR News' CSR Awards are sponsored by the cause-branding agency leader Cone Inc., along with industry partner CSRwire and Flag. The winners, who
will be honored in a June 20 awards breakfast at the National Press Club in Washington, DC, are as follows:
As Ye Sew...
Annual CSR Report: "2004 Social Responsibility Report: Facing Challenges Finding Opportunities," Gap Inc.
Gap Inc. owns the major retail apparel chains The Gap, Banana Republic and Old Navy. Much of its clothing is manufactured at facilities outside of the United
States. Unfortunately, occupational safety standards and wage levels at these facilities (and similar facilities for other apparel lines) have been documented as being far below
the U.S. standards.
Gap Inc., realizing that its corporate reputation is tied to any improprieties at its overseas manufacturing centers, has taken an aggressively proactive approach to address
issues of workers' safety, salary considerations, employee discrimination and full compliance with local labor codes.
The company's "2004 Social Responsibility Report: Facing Challenges Finding Opportunities" (its second annual publication of that nature) highlighted how Gap Inc.'s agents
literally traveled the world to determine all was well.
Unfortunately, all was not well - but the company took decisive action to address these matters. According to the "2004 Social Responsibility Report: Facing Challenges Finding
Opportunities," the company revoked approval for 70 factories in violation of Gap Inc.'s code of vendor contact. It was a significant decrease from the 2003 statistic of 136
cases, but nonetheless the number was troubling.
The retailer inspected 99.9% of its contract factories and rejected 15% of the new factories that applied for vendor contracts; this was the same percentage of its earlier
year.
Of particular concern were Chinese factories, where several instances of child labor law violations were documented. The company ordered the total cut off of manufacturing
orders from those facilities. Persian Gulf factories were another problem area, where more than half of the 29 contracted factories illegally imposed schedules that exceeded the
60 hours per week regulation. The report was prepared with input from the Public Reporting Working Group, an outside circle of advisors within the socially responsible
investment industry. Gap Inc. also asked Social Acountability International and Verite to provide their independent assessment of the monitoring program.
Honorable Mention:
- "Continuity and Commitment - Global Citizenship Report," Intel.
- "Sustainability Report," Ford Motor Company.
- "Stora Enso North America Operations Sustainability Report 2004 / Pathways to Our Future," Stora Enso.
- "2004/05 Corporate Responsibility Report: Finding the Balance," General Motors.
L'Chayim!
Business Ethics Communications: "Distilled Spirits Council Code Review Report," Distilled Spirits Council.
In the last few years, advertising and marketing for many products has come under increasing scrutiny from public officials, regulators and third party advocacy groups. As a
result, a number of industries recently developed advertising guidelines that became the standard of operations from within their respective sectors.
For more than 70 years, the distilled spirits industry has adhered to the Distilled Spirits Council's (DISCUS) Code of Responsible Practices for Beverage Alcohol Advertising
and Marketing. This is the industry trade association's voluntary set of guidelines for the responsible content and placement of spirits advertising and marketing.
Unique to this industry, however, is the fact the Code (as the guidelines are informally known) provides for a Code Review Board consisting of senior member company
representatives charged with reviewing complaints about advertising and marketing materials out in the marketplace.
The Code Review Board's decisions were never made public in the past - which was something of a PR mistake, since the rigor of the Board's review process and the industry's
adherence to the Board's decisions were not widely known to the outside world.
To make the review process more transparent to the public, and to show the industry was more than capable of regulating its own companies, a 2003 decision by the member
companies of DISCUS agreed to publish semi-annual public reports detailing the complaints and actions taken by the Board. The first report was posted on the DISCUS Web site and
sent with a press packet to editorial boards and advertising reporters across the country.
Furthermore, more than 700 copies were sent to state and federal regulators and Attorney Generals, college administrators, members of Congress, industry members and advocacy
groups. These outreach efforts included personal visits and presentations to various groups including the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators and the
National Alcohol Beverage Control Association.
Helping The Sisters
Community Affairs: "Women Like You! - The Power of Partnership," Pfizer Inc. and Prochillo Health, Inc.
Within the general population living with HIV and AIDS, there is a dramatic and tragic skewering in the statistics: As of 2003, African-American women accounted for 67% of
estimated new AIDS diagnoses among women. That year, the AIDS case rate for African-American women was 50.2/100,000 or 25 times the rate of white women (2.0/100,000). African-
American women account for only 13% of the total population.
Pfizer, a manufacturer of several medications to treat HIV and its related conditions, was shaken by these statistics and vowed to work towards a solution. The company
partnered with the NAACP and the National Institutes of Health-funded HIV Prevention Trials Unit to launch the "Women Like You!" HIV/AIDS education and
awareness campaign.
The centerpiece of the initiative was the "Women Like You!" video, a 20-minute documentary developed by the HPTN to address the need for prevention tools to target African-
Americans. The documentary featured researchers, public health officials and doctors talking about HIV and AIDS, plus African-American men and women who tested HIV+. Unlike many
so-called serious documentaries, this video uses music, vibrant humor and frank language to engage its viewers on the subject.
The video is part of a multi-component campaign that includes the development of a facilitator guide to accompany the documentary, a partnership with the NAACP to maximize the
reach of the campaign, and a training component targeting HIV educators in community-based organizations around the country.
Focus groups were also conducted in several cities to further spread the word. One of the most prominent African-American women in today's medical field was recruited to
assist this program: Dr. Michelle Clark, associate clinical professor at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine (Department of Psychiatry), served
as medical consultant to inform content development and act as a focus group co-facilitator.
In 2004, "Women Like You!" reached more than 30,000 people. It was the first (and, to date, the only) pharmaceutical-sponsored program to participate in the HIV Prevention
Leadership Summit sponsored by the Centers for Disease Control. And its value was reflected across racial lines - a similar program aimed at Latinas with HIV and AIDS is
being developed.
Honorable Mention:
- "Ramadan Charity Campaign," The Coca-Cola Company.
- "Educating the Public on the Importance of Play," Home Depot and Manning Salvage & Lee/Atlanta.
- "Pushing the Envelope to Support Literacy," Pitney Bowes and Alan Taylor Communications.
Unity in Differences
Diversity Communications: (Tie) "Mondialogo - Intercultural Dialogue and Exchange," DaimlerChrysler AG; "Sprint's Commitment to Inclusion and Diversity,"
Sprint.
DaimlerChrysler is no stranger to the world: Its global operations consist of approximately 385,000 employees in more than 200 countries. Needless to say, having everyone
working together in global harmony is part of its business modus operandi.
In 2003, a concept for a long-term initiative was created, with the goal of providing information on the importance of cultural diversity and generating enthusiasm for the
necessity and benefits of intercultural exchanges. The initiative was dubbed "Mondialogo."
To solidify Mondialogo as a viable program, DaimlerChrysler partnered with United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Together, the new
partners created a strategy consisting of three simultaneous endeavors. The first effort was a global Mondialogo School Contest for students between 14 and 18 years of age. In
this contest, student teams were matched across continents to think up and develop a mutual project along the topic of "Intercultural Dialogue" - with the goal of having the teams
learn more about the others' cultural and social circumstances.
Another scholastic contest resulted in the Mondialogo Engineering Award, where engineering students from both industrial and developing countries teamed up to propose
engineering-driven ideas for sustainable solutions in the developing country. Both contests culminated in a five-day symposium including workshops and an award ceremony - and it
also offered the far-flung teams a chance to finally meet in person.
The third pillar was an Internet portal at http://www.mondialogo.org to complement and support the two educational competitions. This portal provides content in five languages,
online forums and the Net-exclusive Mondialogo Magazine.
In the first year of Mondialogo, more than 25,000 students from 126 countries participated in the school contest, 1,700 engineering students from 79 countries participated in
the engineering contest, and the Internet portal registered 11,100 users from 161 countries.
While DaimlerChrysler took its diversity communications to the world, Sprint took its efforts in-house.
Led by chairman and CEO Gary Forsee, Sprint operates under a mandate to make inclusion an ingrained part of the company's culture. During 2005, this initiative was reinforced
when Sprint merged with Nextel, creating a larger company with a wider workforce.
Sprint's Inclusion, Diversity and Communications teams kept the merger challenges in mind in reviewing their internal state of affairs. They found three key issues that posed
potential obstacles: (1) barriers to inclusion were found in downsizing/restructuring and basic company morale issues; (2) maintaining executive focus on this matter would be
difficult due to the attention required elsewhere in the merger environment; and (3) diversity and inclusion needed to be promoted internally as a lubricant for change and not as
a separate and wholly autonomous concern.
To communicate the importance of diversity and inclusiveness in the workplace, internal strategies were put in force to heighten awareness across the 80,000-member workforce.
The C-suite was updated on ways they could support the company's diversity and inclusion goals while engaging them as a driving positive change. The Office of Diversity was
encouraged to increase Employee Resource Group membership and to support chapters and membership across the company. Furthermore, the addition of diversity and inclusion messages
were placed in a variety of internal communications vehicles and key members of the employee population were recruited to help spread the word further.
For those who needed extra help in comprehending the message, inclusion training sessions were conducted. An annual letter and annual report on the subject was created for all
employees. Awards relating to recognition in the areas of diversity and inclusion were also begun.
Honorable Mention:
- "Delivering Diversity: The UPS Community Internship Program," UPS.
- "EIS Diversity Communications," Lockheed Martin.
- "Sodexho's Diversity and Inclusion Annual Report," Sodexho Inc.
C'mon, Baby, Light My Fire
Employee Relations: "The Bucket Brigade," Fireman's Fund Insurance Company and Ketchum West.
In 2004, Fireman's Fund Insurance Company, a national property and casualty company, launched a multi-million-dollar corporate philanthropy program. Dubbed the "Fireman's Fund
Heritage," its goal was to provide grants in order to help fund equipment, firefighter training and fire safety initiatives for fire departments in communities where the company's
employees, agents and policyholders live and work.
To facilitate this program, the company's internal communications team and Ketchum West joined forces to create the Bucket Brigade, an internal communications component
designed to create employee enthusiasm for Fireman's Fund Heritage and to encourage participation in its mission.
The strategy for the Bucket Brigade involved several points of contact. Posters and promotional product handouts made it part of the physical environment within the company,
while the Fireman's Fund intranet was used to launch a grant nomination program and list volunteer opportunities within local fire departments that relied solely on voluntary
participation. Employee stories for those involved in fire fighting were prominently featured in corporate publications and the intranet. Interoffice volunteers (dubbed Bucket
Brigade Captains) were recruited to ensure the message was being received.
The company also partnered with the Fire Corps, a Citizen Corps organization, to develop a database of ongoing volunteer activities.
The resulting effort spread (pardon the pun) like wildfire. Within a year of its December 2004 launch, 96% of the company's field offices had employees submit grant
nominations to aid local fire departments. Forty-seven grants of a sum value of $900,000 have been awarded based on these nominations.
Honorable Mention:
- "Communicating Disaster Relief to Employees," Nortel Employee Communications.
- "Rose & Womble CARES: Taking Action in Our Community," Rose & Womble Realty Co.
- "Verizon Excellence Awards," Verizon Communications.
Polishing Up That Big Blue Marble
Environmental Communications: "Drive Clean to Drive Change Initiative," Hyperion Solutions.
In an effort to help clean the air and improve the environment by helping its employees to adopt more fuel-efficient cars, the members of Hyperion's workforce were challenged
to help become part of the solution via the "Drive Clean to Drive Change" program. The core of this program was fairly simple: Hyperion would provide its employees a $5,000
incentive to acquire automobiles that met both a 45 mpg or greater standard and the California low emissions requirements.
Hyperion's corporate communications and finance departments conducted research to determine if any businesses already came up with that idea (none had), then it needed to
consider how the program would be documented and administered, then it needed to identify the automobiles that would meet program requirements worldwide (Hyperion has a global
workforce and all employees in all locations were eligible), and then it needed to set acceptable program parameters from the standpoints of employee eligibility, documentation
requirements, limits and liability.
With those considerations addressed, the internal communications messaging began with "teaser" announcements made prior to a November 29, 2004 global broadcast meeting to the
Hyperion workforce.
The company's intranet was set up to provide all pertinent information on eligibility requirements, tax benefits, and applicable auto dealerships. Hyperion put up banners and
posters on their office walls, and t-shirts were also distributed.
The outside world was also brought into the campaign, with an initial story pitch and ongoing coverage of various "firsts" in this program (the first employee participant, the
first 25 hybrid cars to arrive in the corporate parking lot, etc.).
Hyperion also launched "Companies for Clean Air Consortium" to help other corporations create an identical program.
The program was a high-speed success. Hyperion determined it would set aside $1 million a year for the program, accommodating 50 people per quarter. Within the first month,
nearly 100% of the allotted slots were filled and requests still pour in.
Honorable Mention:
- "Beyond Compliance Campaign," LANXESS Corp.
- "Recognizing the Need for Land Conservation: The Centex Homes Land Legacy Fund," Centex Homes.
Basic Dignity 101
Human Rights Communications: "Reebok Human Rights Award Media Program," Reebok and Hill & Knowlton.
To show its support for the brave individuals who stood up to expose international human rights violations, Reebok International has created the prestigious Reebok Human Rights
Award. The 2005 award ceremony was the 18th edition of this event and the company was particularly keen to call attention to its winners - a quartet of activists consisting of
Zarma Mukusheva from Chechnya, Carlos Rojas from Mexico, Charm Tong from Myanmar and Aloysisus Toe from Liberia.
Reebok, working with Hill & Knowlton, had four key goals for its award program: To tell the personal stories of the four award winners throughout the U.S. and global media,
to secure coverage in the Los Angeles Times (the newspaper never covered the event, which is held locally), to secure an interview on the Fox News Channel and to
highlight the program in the Wall Street Journal.
Hill & Knowlton identified reporters who cover human rights issues and sought to leverage the award winners' U.S. visits to create a new level of interest in their
respective stories. Multilingual press materials were created to facilitate a wider degree of coverage.
To further raise attention, the award ceremony called on the star power of actors Cameron Diaz, Lucy Liu, Don Cheadle and Bradley Whitford to present each recipient with their
award.
The resulting coverage achieved dedicated stories in national, international and foreign-language publications as well as broadcast outlets. As for the previously mentioned
media outlets, the Los Angeles Times (after six weeks of pursuit) came through with a half-page article on page two of its California section and Fox News Channel featured
Reebok's CEO Paul Fireman in a live four-minute interview on "Your World with Neil Cavuto." The Wall Street Journal was also conquered via an op-ed column.
Honorable Mention:
- "War Child's album Help: A Day in the Life" Weber Shandwick UK.
People Power
Philanthropy Communications: "Deloitte IMPACT DAY 2005," Deloitte & Touche USA LLP.
Workplace volunteering is a centerpiece of Deloitte's CSR strategy. Every year, Deloitte sets aside a national day of volunteer service and encourages all 30,000 employees to
get out of the office and lend a hand in the greater world.
For 2005, June 3 was set aside as IMPACT Day. Prior to this date, Deloitte commissioned Opinion Research Company to conduct a survey examining the relationship between
volunteering and professional success. A link was found: 86% of those polled said volunteering can have a positive impact on their careers while 78% said volunteering was a great
opportunity to develop business skills including decision-making, problem-solving and negotiating.
Taking these considerations to the next level, Deloitte devised a two-part strategy to reach national and local media. On the national front, the survey would be aggressively
promoted to show credence for the volunteer philosophy. On the local level, media-friendly events were identified to show Deloitte's staff making a difference in their
communities.
A third party was recruited to endorse this strategy: Robert K. Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation, agreed to be quoted in a press release and
matte news release while appearing in a video news release. He also co-authored an op-ed piece with James H. Quigley, Deloitte's CEO.
IMPACT Day and its accompanying survey made quite an impact: A feature on the "CBS Early Show" and TV news coverage in more than 30 local markets. More than 20 daily
newspapers and 14 trade publications also paid attention.
Honorable Mention:
- "The FootPRINT Fund for Nonprofit Friends," Allegra Network LLC.
- "Dine for America," Hill & Knowlton.
- "GIPAP: A Pharmaceutical Company Shows Its Heart," Novartis Oncology and Ruder Finn.
- "Sun Microsystems Foundation," Sun Microsystems.
(The full list of winners and honorable mentions can be found at http://www.prnewsonline.com.)