What have you done for me lately?

Who are we talking about? Dawn           

How are they giving back? Dawn Saves Wildlife

What’s it all about? The Dawn Saves Wildlife initiative has been part of the Dawn brand in one way or another for over thirty years. Dawn soap has been a part of rescuing and releasing more than 75,000 animals affected by oil pollution. They have donated thousands of bottles to wildlife rescue workers at The Marine Mammal Center and International Bird Rescue. In addition to bottles of their product, Dawn will be donating a million dollars to their supported wildlife rescue organizations through the Dawn Saves Wildlife program. They have marketed this campaign across social media, giving customers an opportunity to get involved by writing thank you notes to rescue workers, share pledges, and interact with branded media content. Dawn has also partnered with actor Rob Lowe to help support and promote their cause through a series of television spots. All the campaign asks of customers is to remain loyal and continue to purchase Dawn so they can continue to help save wildlife in need.

When did this happen? Dawn has been supporting wildlife organizations for over thirty years, but the Dawn Saves Wildlife program in its current form has been in place since 2009. The program will continue to grow and adjust to address changing needs moving forward.

Do we understand one another? Cause marketing usually entails a company selecting a nonprofit organization to partner with in order to bring mutual exposure and support; however, for Dawn, it was not the brand that chose the charity, but the cause that chose the brand. In 1978, the International Bird Rescue Research Center, which helps birds harmed in oil spills, received a grant from Chevron to test major dish soaps to determine which worked best for safely and effectively cleaning birds victimized in oil spills. Their research revealed that Dawn was the brand that was the cut oil faster than other brands and was still gentle on the animals’ skin. The research organization notified Dawn’s parent company, Procter & Gamble of their results and the company originally ignored requests for product donations. Ten years later, in 1988, P&G finally agreed to send bottles of soap to these rescue organizations. Jay Holcomb of Procter & Gamble, justified the ten year delay by saying, “In these early stages it was important for Dawn to solidify its fundamentals before pursuing opportunities the brand felt passionate about,” having only made their product debut in 1973. Dawn had been donating products to rescue organizations for a year before the Exxon Valdez spill in 1989, which portrayed the brand’s work prominently in the media. Dawn has maintained its support of animal rescue ever since. Dawn has donated as much as $100,000 as well as products annually for years. Dawn has now been supporting wildlife organizations for over thirty years. The Dawn Saves Wildlife program was launched in 2009, a year before the Deep Water Horizon oil spill that occurred in April 2010, assuring all the cynics that this campaign was not launched to capitalize off of a huge environmental disaster. Though cause based advertisements and promotion of the campaign were amped up after the spill, the program was already supported by the brand. There are three main motivations for corporate social responsibility efforts: profit motivations, purpose motivations, and product motivations. Of course, profit motivations are the most cynical, simply revolving around the brand seeking to improve their public image and increase their bottom line. Purpose motivations are when a brand’s social commitments naturally link with a larger social cause. And lastly, product motivations stems from a link between what an organization makes and what a particular social problem needs. In Dawn’s case their product was the most effective in aiding in animal assistance and clean up after oil spills and as a result the product became linked to the cause. I think this is where the Dawn Saves Wildlife initiative began and then later it evolved to encompass all three distinct motivators. In the spirit of everybody wins this campaign is doing some real good by helping us humans clean up some of the mess we have made of our environment—as long as we are all recycling our Dawn bottles after we finish them!

Who are we talking about? Alex and Ani

How are they giving back? Charity by Design

What’s it all about? Founder and Creative Director of American made jewelry company Alex and Ani, Carolyn Rafaelian, has said their Charity by Design collection is the heart and soul of their company. Created in February 2011, Charity by Design is a collection of bangle style charm bracelets, the like of which has become the company’s claim to fame, that are each linked to a corresponding charitable cause. Twenty percent of the purchase price for each bangle belonging to this collection is donated to that bracelet’s respective charity. Alex and Ani currently has nearly forty partnerships with charitable organizations including the National Autism Society, the American Cancer Society, the Mayor’s Alliance for NYC’s Animals, the American Red Cross, and Living Water International to name a few. All of these causes are promoted year-round and are given extra attention and endorsements during awareness months and special events. These special events include, Charmed by Charity events, where The Charity by Design program allows organizations to set up within their stores and earn fifteen percent of the total sales for their organization. While explaining the Charity by Design collection, Carolyn said, “By allowing consumers to enter the charitable world through their purchases, we believe a new generation of philanthropists will emerge.” The Charity by Design program allows Alex and Ani to support a wide variety and quantity of charities through pretty charm bracelets.

When did this happen? Charity by Design was originally launched in February of 2011 and is a continually run program, all year, every year. This program has no end date and is structured to evolve and adapt with the company and developing charities and causes.

Do we understand one another? Alex and Ani was created with the idea of empowering the spirit of the consumer and promoting eco-friendly production methods here in the United States. They use recycled materials purchased from local mills to promote sustainable American businesses and production. Founder, Carolyn Rafaelian, established the company on the belief that every individual has a positive message to share with the world that they can incorporate with the powerful symbolism of their energy pieces. Carolyn believes it is her life’s work to, “support communities and organizations while inspiring her customers to relish what is unique and authentic about themselves, revealing the beauty that resides within.” Giving to charities seems like a natural extension for a business that promotes empowering and rousing individuals around what inspires them most. The Alex and Ani team believes that people everywhere are, “anxious to participate in creating change and empowering those who so clearly need assistance,” and the Charity by Design collection gives costumers a conduit through which they can get involved in making a difference.

Who are we talking about? Unilever

How are they giving back? Project Sunlight

What’s it all about? November 20th was Universal Children’s Day and to celebrate Unilever launched a new initiative called Project Sunlight. Project Sunlight was released in Brazil, Indonesia, the United Kingdom, and the United States and aims to motivate millions of people to adopt more sustainable lifestyles to improve and maintain the quality of life for future generations. Unilever hopes to unite people around their many product lines to help more than two million children around the world through its charitable partnerships that provide school meals through World Food Programme, clean drinking water through Save the Children, and improved hygiene through UNICEF. Project Sunlight launched with a four-minute short film titled Why Bring a Child into This World? Academy Award winning director, Errol Morris, directed the short film, aiming to help people see the future in a more optimistic and autonomous way. Unilever’s Chief Marketing and Communications Officer, Keith Weed, explained how the public can take part in the program by saying, ““In the first stage of Project Sunlight, we are inviting people to take three simple actions. We want to help people SEE a brighter future; in order to do this, we are inviting people to watch a film online which aims to inspire and motivate people. We want to encourage them to ACT by doing small things which, added together, contribute to a better society and environment. Ultimately, we want people to JOIN the movement and become part of a growing community of likeminded people and organizations who all want to play their part in building a brighter future.” Project Sunlight will feature many Unilever brands including Lifebuoy soap (which helps protect millions of children in Asia, Africa, and Latin America from pneumonia and diarrhoeal disease), Dove (which helps girls across the world improve their self-esteem), Omo, Persil, and Surf (whose detergents help families cut their utility bills and CO2 emissions), Comfort One Rinse (which helps families in water-scarce countries in Asia reduce their water use), and Lipton, Magnum, and Knorr (whose use of sustainably grown ingredients helps small farmers grow better crops and improve their livelihoods). This campaign seeks to encompass a broad audience, but concentrate a focus on expecting and new parents who are most receptive to change.

When did this happen? Project Sunlight was just launched on November 20, 2013 and is still in very early stages of execution. The program has no formal end date, but is instead seeking more formidable lifestyle changes that will knowingly only occur with slow and steady modifications that begin with the individual.

Do we understand one another? This one is a tough one and I’ll tell you why, the Unilever Corporation hasn’t always had an honors student’s social or environmental report card. In fact, in 2007, Greenpeace targeted Unilever for the severe deforestation of Indonesian rainforests to source the company’s products that were made with palm oil and then later in 2011, Unilever partnered with Proctor and Gamble in a rather unethical price-fixing scheme. At the end of 2011, there wasn’t really anything good to say about Unilever and their CSR efforts read like a what-not-to-do guidebook. In the past two years, however, Unilever has been doing a lot to attempt to change the public’s perception of their brand. In 2012, they announced a sustainable palm oil initiative that they were happy was maturing ahead of schedule. Even this new step or two in the right direction caused the company to take one backwards because the program was overshadowed by a report that found the company had human rights violations occurring in these “sustainable” plantations. Uh oh, Unilever! And only one week after that ironic and unfortunate report by the International Labor Rights Forum comes the launch of Project Sunlight. Hmmm…

Who are we talking about? The Quaker Oats Company

How are they giving back? Larry Takes Part in the Movember Movement

What’s it all about? Movember is a global charity that strives to have a lasting impact on men’s health education and awareness. The Movember team has created a branded campaign that takes place every November that has become known in pop culture and on urban dictionary as no shave November. Every November, Movember is responsible for the appearances of millions of mustaches grown to raise funds and bring awareness to combat prostate and testicular cancer, as well as mental health challenges faced by men. The program works by encouraging men to grow mustaches for the thirty days of the month, register on the Movember website, and get their friends and family to donate to support their efforts. Most men start the month clean-shaven and the growth of a new companion for their upper lips starts many conversations that will allow the participant to bring awareness to the cause. Since its inception, the Movember challenge has created more than three million Mo Bros across 21 countries. In the United States, the bros have raised over $21 million. This year, The Quaker Oats Company, has decided to get their brand mascot, Larry, involved in the mustache growing festivities. Larry’s progress will be documented across their social media platforms and on the Movember website. To support the Movember campaign and Larry’s participation, The Quaker Oats Company has pledged $25,000 to the cause. Outside supporters can donate additional funds to the cause on Larry’s Movember page where they can also vote on the style of mustache they would like to see Larry rock for the month.

When did this happen? Movember takes place every year during the month of November, though this is Larry’s first year growing out a ‘stache for the cause. If you have some talent in the facial hair department, you are still free to get involved and try and compete with Larry’s impressive showing and help bring awareness to men’s health this month.

Do we understand one another? The Quaker Oats Company is a subsidiary of PepsiCo, a company that has received a lot of negative attention and publicity for their contribution to the global health epidemic of obesity. This negative connotation connected to PepsiCo products makes Larry’s participation in a health campaign seem a tad ironic to a skeptic; however, PepsiCo has been committed to a promise to provide a wider range of healthy products for their customers to help undo some of the damage their sugary items have caused to the world’s health condition. The Quaker line has always found itself among the brand’s already nutritious offerings. Having Larry publically grow a mustache for the cause is another step PepsiCo is taking to have their brand image and reputation become synonymous with healthy living and freedom of choice. You’ve got to start somewhere, right?

Who are we talking about? Bank of America

How are they giving back? Express Your Thanks Campaign

What’s it all about? Bank of America launched this campaign for the first time last year and its success and public support have recreated it for another year with an even bigger goal. The Express Your Thanks campaign allows customers, bank employees, and the public to make simple online expressions of their gratitude to the country’s service men and women by posting a photo, story, or kind word on the Bank of America’s Troop Thanks webpage. For each post, Bank of America will donate $1 to support the missions of the Welcome Back Veterans organization and Wounded Warrior Project. Participants can also share their thanks on Twitter and tag it with #troopthanks to enact a donation as well. Posting on the website as well as on Twitter will generate double the donations. Bank of America hopes to reach $1 million in donations by the program’s end date, set for Veteran’s Day, this coming Monday. The campaign was launched on Memorial Day of this year with a partnership with Charlotte Motor Speedway and Major League Baseball to allow fans to express their thanks in their teams’ stadiums until June 9th. Later in the year, the Express Your Thanks campaign was activated in other key sporting events and markets such as the MLB All-Star Game and with National Football League teams like the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots. Select messages from the Troop Thanks page have been highlighted in Times Square throughout the campaign.

When did this happen? The campaign began its second year on Memorial Day 2013 and is still in effect. This year’s run will come to a close on Veteran’s Day, which is this Monday, November 11th.

Do we understand one another? According to the Bank of America website, the company has been supporting active military members and their families for more than 90 years by routinely hiring service men and women. Today, Bank of America has more than 6,000 military service members and veterans working for the company. They have found themselves on G.I. Jobs magazine’s list of military-friendly employers and received awards from the Department of Defense and Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve for their unique treatment of and respect for those who serve our country. Additionally, Bank of America has donated more than $9 million towards nonprofits that serve the military since 2009 and has built countless homes for military families in need. Giving back to our service members is a part of Bank of America’s corporate genetic code. Within their branches, Bank of America offers specialized mortgage support and programs for military customers and their families that strive to make returning to their lives a little easier. Bank of America’s Senior Military Affairs Executive, Jeff Cathey said, “With more than 250,000 service men and women leaving active duty this year alone, raising awareness of the unique challenges they face as they integrate back into the workforce is more important than ever. Through our Express Your Thanks campaign, we’re helping foster a real connection between the public and our military in a meaningful and easy way while supporting programs like Wounded Warrior Project and Welcome Back Veterans, which help these heroes make their transition back to civilian life.” The sheer fact that Bank of America has an active and funded Military Affairs department proves the company is committed to helping our service members and is genuinely and intimately tied to campaigns like Express Your Thanks.

Who are we talking about? Amazon

How are they giving back? AmazonSmile

What’s it all about? This campaign from Amazon is a brand spanking new way the company has decided to give back. AmazonSmile is a program built into the original Amazon site we are all familiar with, that makes it easy for customers to support their favorite charity every time they shop, at no additional cost to them. Customers who visit the AmazonSmile platform will find the exact same Amazon store, products, login and profile information, prices, etc. that they have gotten used to seeing when visiting. The only difference is, you can get a bargain for yourself and help a deserving charity at the same time. If you log in to your account through the AmazonSmile page, you will be prompted to select a charity from their featured charity list, or you can search for any of the over one million eligible organizations supported by the site. Once you have selected your charity, AmazonSmile will donate 0.5% of the purchase price from every and any eligible purchase you make through their marketplace from that point forward. Customers are free to change their charitable organization at any time and there is no cap put on the amount of money that Amazon will give in your name. Your time and monetary commitment stays consistent with you logging in to get a deal on a pair of headphones and Amazon responds to your loyalty by donating more to your charity the more you shop with them. AmazonSmile’s General Manager, Ian McAllister said, “We’re offering customers a way to support charitable organizations around the country that’s simple and automatic. We think customers will love the opportunity to support their favorite organizations without changing how they shop, and there’s no cap on how much Amazon will donate.” The site just launched on October 30th, 2013 so the world will wait and see the potential windfall of donations that can result from AmazonSmile.

When did this happen? AmazonSmile will be operating everyday for registered customers moving forward and hopefully remain a permanent fixture of the online marketplace. AmazonSmile, launched just three days ago, remains in its infancy, but has great potential to become a celebrated fixture of Amazon’s larger identity.

Do we understand one another? Amazon is a publically traded Fortune 500 company founded in 1994. They are an international online marketplace that closed out the 2012 fiscal year with a total equity of 8.19 billion dollars. Whenever Amazon is criticized about the extent of its charitable giving, the company has responded by saying their focus is to make the biggest impact on the world through its business activities, such as lowering prices, innovating the online sphere, and getting people to read more books. AmazonSmile is a new effort by Amazon to more directly shape the world through donations as opposed to relying on their mastery of free market competition. It’s also interesting to note that just this February, according to the latest Harris Interactive survey of corporate reputations, Amazon came out in the number one spot—beating the likes of Apple, Google, Walt Disney, and Johnson & Johnson. People appreciate their work, trust them with their personal information, and most employees report their experiences as positive. The stars seem to have aligned for Amazon to create AmazonSmile at this time. It seems only natural that a leading online retailer will pioneer an online platform for mobile giving.

Who are we talking about? 20th Century Fox/Columbia Records

How are they giving back? Remembering Cory

What’s it all about? Glee is one of Fox’s most watched and beloved series. When one of the show’s leading men, actor Cory Monteith, passed away tragically as a result of drug addiction, fans across the country were distraught. The network and Glee’s creators decided to film a tribute episode to honor both character and actor’s individual legacies while also bringing attention to the issue of addiction. The episode titled The Quarterback aired Thursday, October 10th and had over 7.39 million viewers in the United States alone. All proceeds from downloads of the episode itself, as well as music and any featured content from The Quarterback went to Project Limelight, a charity vigorously supported by Cory Monteith during his final years. Project Limelight is a charity that provides free meals and performing arts programs to children living on Vancouver’s Eastside to foster personal development and the power to dream. Also, during the episode’s time slot, public service announcements for drug addiction featuring Kevin McHale, Matthew Morrison, and Jane Lynch were aired during commercial breaks.

When did this happen? Donations began on the night the episode aired in primetime and continue through the present and future with any downloads made linked to content from the tribute.

Do we understand one another? Cory Monteith was actively involved in a number of charities in his lifetime and Project Limelight was his favorite of the bunch. 20th Century Fox and Columbia Records are choosing to honor his memory and bring much needed attention to addiction by donating to a charity that Cory has said will help children find themselves through the arts, the same way he sought to find himself through his life. The cause is personal and honors Monteith’s legacy in a way that he may even have chosen for himself, had he the opportunity. The Fox website includes a page that details Cory’s commitment to philanthropy and contains links to three causes with which Cory was actively involved: Project Limelight, Virgin Unite, and Chrysalis. Fox’s site also features an entire section dedicated to Cory’s life that brings attention and offers modes of assistance to those suffering from addiction. This section of the website also promotes a social media movement with the hashtag #RememberingCory that encourages people to light a candle in Cory’s honor that appears via Vine video on Twitter. Fox as a network has been largely praised for allowing their television series to explore new and even controversial territories with their plots and characters, and through their candid discussion of Cory and the personal battles he fought, Fox continues to honor this heritage. Glee tackled the issue of addiction and the immense grief that comes with the loss of a loved one by such tragic means bravely and stood behind the show. They took a step further by donating all proceeds of the episode to a worthy cause and promoting public service announcements and educating visitors to their website on addiction.

Who are we talking about? Lancôme

How are they giving back? Génifique Day

What’s it all about? Génifique Day is Lancôme’s campaign to give back to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. For every bottle of Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate sold on October 25th, Lancôme will donate seven dollars to St. Jude’s. But the program doesn’t end there; Lancôme is activating its social media following through a program extension. Every day leading up to the event in stores, Lancôme will donate a dollar to St. Jude’s for every Instagramed photo of a person making a heart with their hands accompanied with the hashtag #LancomeGivesBack. They also have a link embedded into their webpage for the public to donate directly to St. Jude’s while browsing the brand’s beauty products.

When did this happen? Lancôme’s Génifique Day will take place one week from today on Friday, October 25th, 2013. Their Instagram component is currently running and will continue for another week. They currently have over 300 photo submissions.

Do we understand one another? In 2010 Lancôme visited St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital for the first time and was inspired by what the organization accomplishes for children and families all over the country. The company wanted to design a program to help St. Jude’s pay their bills so they can continue to make sure their patients’ families don’t have to. Their first Génifique Day raised $150,000 and they plan to more raise more at this year’s event. I am still looking to find a connection between a luxury anti-aging product and a children’s cancer research hospital… no luck so far. The product being promoted for the campaign starts at $82 for a one-ounce unit and goes up to two and half ounces for a definitely luxurious $132 plus tax. It seems we do not quite understand each other after all.