- A recent study conducted by Fleishman-Hillard and the National Consumers League provides a surprising perspective on corporate social responsibility (CSR). The study,
comprised of a quantitative telephone survey with 800 U.S. adults, offers new insight into consumer attitudes towards CSR, as well as the role media and technology play in
communicating companies' CSR initiatives.
The results contained many themes consistent with past CSR studies - corporate America as a whole does not have a high success rate with CSR, and companies that are socially
responsibility experience more consumer loyalty than those that aren't - but one in particular stood out as unique: When asked to define what CSR means to them, 27 percent of
respondents defined it as "commitment to employees," while only 12 percent cited "responsibility to the environment." (See chart) This suggests that, as consumers set high
standards for CSR, they are most sensitive to issues that impact them directly.
In terms of gathering CSR information, consumers' search methods reflect the changing technology landscape. Fifty-eight percent of respondents acknowledged that they are "more
informed" about whether companies are socially responsible because of the Internet, with search engines being the most prevalent source for information.
- Corporate blog owners spoke out in a survey released last month, reporting a combination of success and challenges in navigating the blogosphere. The study, conducted by
Porter Novelli and market influence analytics company Cymfony in conjunction with Russell Research, found that while 76 percent of respondents reported an increase in Web traffic
or media attention as a result of the medium, 71 percent are still not pleased with the level of interaction on their blogs.
Perhaps this statistic is not surprising considering the fact that 63 percent of respondents (all of whom are responsible for maintaining or monitoring blogs within their
company) claimed to start their blog not to satisfy a specific need, but because they felt compelled to participate in the medium. However, 42 percent of those polled reported
that at least one specific post has affected the company's brand, and in the majority of these cases, the impact was positive - a nod to the ever-growing importance of blogs as a
tool for controlling messaging, brand and reputation.
In a press release, Barry Reicherter, director of persuasive technology at Porter Novelli, said: "It is clear that companies recognize that there is opportunity in the
blogosphere and are seeing benefits from their efforts. However, the reported differences in resources, approach and strategy demonstrate that it is still an uncertain
environment and there is no 'one size fits all' blog solution. Rather, companies need to ensure blog efforts are aligned with established business objectives and practices."