It's been said until PR practitioners are blue in the face: Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has graduated from a "nice-to-do" addendum to the portfolio to an integral
"must-do" part of every PR department, from behemoth corporate operations to three-man shows. But like psychologist Abraham Maslow's steps to self-actualization, incorporating CSR
into the overall business strategy must be done in stages to be effective and fully integrated. The first stage is admitting your PR department has a problem - that is, the lack
of a CSR plan. The second - which was addressed in PR News' November 16 "ROI on CSR" webinar with Peggy Connolly (communications director for the Center for Corporate
Citizenship at Boston College), Guy Smith (EVP of Diageo) and Mary Wong (director of community relations, Office Depot) - is beginning to develop an
effective program from the ground up.
"Embed CSR messaging into all brands," Smith advises. "And match CSR activities to corporate values."
In the case of Diageo, a premium alcoholic beverage distributor, CSR must permeate all messaging because alcohol is such a controversial substance. As Smith points out, it's
the only entity with two amendments to its name; even religion and free speech can't compete with that. To contend with alcohol's inherent connection to underage drinking and
drunk driving, Smith ensures that at least 20% of all public messages - from print ads to television commercials to speaking engagements - focus entirely on social responsibility.
It's the best way to placate enemies (and in Diageo's case, there are many) and, Smith says, to convey the company's commitment to a completely integrated CSR strategy.
Beyond connecting CSR to the business plan, Wong emphasizes the importance of partnerships with nonprofits at the community level. After forging a partnership, make sure the
nonprofit is involved in conveying the message. For a big corporation like Office Depot, it's tempting to take over a campaign; rather, let the nonprofit take the reins, even if
it means letting their PR team write the press release. This also ensures that your commitment to CSR is sincere, not self-serving.
"It's important to be thoughtful and strategic in how your company carries out its philanthropic message," Wong says. "It all comes down to integration and alignment
throughout that business structure."
Connolly offers examples of those who've successfully integrated and aligned CSR with their business and communications plans: Green Mountain Coffee Roasters with its
fair trade coffee soon to be sold at McDonald's throughout the Northeast; General Electric with its Ecomagination program; and BP, which has changed its brand
from British Petroleum to Beyond Petroleum.
"When you don't have integration and alignment," she says, "you are running a shell game." Case in point: Enron highlighted its social responsibility endeavors to the
public while its core silently rotted away (that is, until it not-so-silently erupted into a monumental crisis). Thus, it's essential to make sure the outer appearance and the
internal application of CSR match up. An aggressively transparent operation would have prevented Enron's fame from turning to infamy - and a PR nightmare - almost over night.
"The key threat right now is being AWOL on CSR," Connolly says. "Visibility makes you vulnerable. The remedy is to be more proactive."
But being proactive also comes with a caveat. It does not translate into what Smith calls chest-beating. Don't publicize a CSR effort to pat yourself, your client or your CEO
on the back, because the consumer can tell what's genuine from what's not. And a genuine social responsibility program always goes further than the alternative.
"[PR executives] get more credit with reflective sunshine than by going out and beating their chests," Smith says.
Contacts: Peggy Connolly, 617.552.0722, [email protected]; Guy Smith, [email protected]; Mary Wong, 561.438.7626, [email protected]