Corporate Social Responsibility

ost consumers get a little boost when they learn the brands they support practice an element of social good. Corporate Social Responsibility, affectionately referred to in the communications world as CSR, provides an organization with the opportunity to give back and make a difference. As the entry deadline for the 2020 PRNEWS Nonprofit/CSR Awards looms, we take a look at several past winners who really leaned into the mission of creating change.

It’s been an tumultuous week in Menlo Park, California. Facebook once again dominated the news cycle with a widely-maligned public speech from Mark Zuckerberg. Next was a series of new policies intended to curb hostile foreign governments from once again weaponizing the social network to influence our 2020 elections. For communicators, this saga has proved to be many things—a lens into the distrust that engulfs marketing communications, a lesson on the power of self-regulation, and a reminder of what transparency does (and doesn’t) look like in action.

Controversies around GMO labeling and discrimination scandals have prompted a general need to know what happens behind the curtain of every process, from production to consumption. The overwhelming bridge between this booming demand for social responsibility and the PR pros who called to build it can only be connected by transparency and campaigns that truly stand out. 

Corporate social responsibility is a win-win program for your brand. Not only will your company be improving your stakeholders’ community, but your CSR programs can also enhance team-building efforts.

Today’s Global Climate Strike includes the involvement of more than 7,000 brands, finding a kindred social responsibility with the upcoming generation. The event reveals a possible escalation within corporations to become more involved in promoting social good, and that’s getting noticed. We look at how brands are participating in the Global Climate Strike.

The PRSA chair argues that the Business Roundtable’s new definition of a corporation is well suited to what communicators already do each day. They build and protect the brand, forging alliances with stakeholders. For this effort to work, though, CEOs must have full confidence in communicators and in the importance of communication.

Two more brands stepped into the gun control debate. Walmart, which sells arms, said it would halt sales of handguns, though it will continue offering hunting rifles and ammunition. Grocery chain Kroger, which, as far as we know, doesn’t sell guns, joined Walmart in asking customers not to carry arms in its stores. Did these brands make the right call?

PR pros can learn much from the messaging of businesses, organizations and government agencies during hurricane season, from communicating in a calm, measured tone to what language should be avoided. While some may lose reception in the thick of a storm, a sound social strategy during prep and recovery can help many withstand, and, if necessary, rebuild.

It can be difficult for brands, large and small, to ensure their CSR efforts truly make a difference. For brands on a budget, it’s even more difficult to gain a foothold in philanthropy. FleishmanHillard’s Judith Rowland proposes several ways brands with modest CSR funds can make an impact. For example, she urges them to look to fill unmet needs. And there are plenty of them, she argues.

Every day, it seems that someone is reiterating the same point: the world is more divided than ever before. This constant talk of division also brings up the idea that there is a need to take sides, and many brands are doing just that. Taking a firm stance on one side of a political issue and disavowing the other has become a popular marketing tool recently, but is it the right move for your brand?