[Editor's Note: Megan Strand, owner of InCouraged Communications, is a project manager, creative marketer and proponent of authentic communication… passionate about spotlighting, connecting and supporting businesses that are doing well by doing good. We're very pleased to have her as a guest contributor today. Keep up with all her latest insights by following her on Twitter - @meganstrand!]
From a corporate perspective, cause marketing done well can open doors to initiatives in the broader area of corporate social responsibility (CSR). While there is certainly no standard template for tackling the CSR beast, it is conceivable that a little cause marketing *magic* may be a darned good place to start.
HALO-award winner, Macy’s, has set the bar in the cause marketing world, donating over $36 million to worthy causes in 2009 alone. While their results are impressive, the true *magic* behind Macy’s success has more to do with their approach than the outcomes. This *magic* formula has the potential to ensure the long-term viability of their brand. The question is whether Macy’s can apply this formula to other pieces of the CSR puzzle, specifically the issues surrounding environmental sustainability.
Macy’s cause marketing formula includes 3 key elements: transparency, research and employee mobilization.
Connecting the Dots Between Cause Marketing and Sustainability
From a sustainability perspective, community involvement and employee engagement are important, but not exclusive, components in a complex equation. How can Macy’s translate their winning cause marketing formula into the broader question of sustainability? And why should they even try?
Why Sustainability Should Matter to Macy’s
A recent article from MIT/Sloan paints a vivid picture of why this might matter to a giant retailer like Macy’s:
Three teen-aged girls are at a shopping mall looking for sunscreen…it has to be an all-natural choice. On the way to the register one of the girls takes out her phone and swipes it by the barcode of the product they’ve selected. Moments later…her iPhone announces…a short message informing her that the item she is about to purchase contains compounds that are linked to the decimation of coral reefs. Moreover, the plastic container is difficult to recycle. Because her phone has pinpointed her location via GPS, she also learns that another store in the mall carries a “greener” sunscreen…The girls leave the register and make a beeline for the other store.
According to the article, the tools in the above scenario not only exist but are making significant inroads into the marketplace currently. Addressing the sustainability question is no longer a “nice to do”; it’s now a “must do” for corporations.
How To Eat An Environmental Elephant – Transparently
While they may own the cause marketing crown, even Macy’s is quick to admit they have significant work to do in the sustainability realm.
While we are a 151-year old company, we know we have more to learn and more to do in reducing our overall impact on the environment.
Macy’s would be wise to take the transparency ingredient in their *magic* formula and address the environmental elephant in the room head-on: their product supply chain. While this elephant is alluded to as part of the 5-Point Action Plan, it lacks specificity, a key component of transparency. And let’s face it; using recycled paper is a nice start but merely the tip of the environmental iceberg.
Modeling Industry Best Practices: Research
Going back to the “research” ingredient of the Macy’s formula makes sense for sustainability as well. Why not take a lesson from Levi’s and spend the effort to conduct a thorough supply chain analysis on their largest private brands and/or require their suppliers to follow suit (pun intended) and meet minimum standards? Time to admit what you don’t know and take an objective look at the situation at hand.
The Employee Mobilization Factor
Macy’s would be wise to once again consider their employees as partners in addressing sustainability issues and involve employees in the entire process, research to rollout. Activating this amazing employee network around sustainability issues would ensure even greater transparency and eliminate the possibility of experiencing a sustainability silo effect.
Looking Inward to Move Forward
Macy’s nailed the creation of “meaningful ways to connect with customers” through their award-winning cause marketing campaigns. Brand equity and trust is high. If Macy’s is able to see the wisdom of their own internal efforts, they will successfully leverage their proven *magic* formula to move their organization one step further along the sustainability continuum, ensure their own legacy and very likely serve as a much-needed industry template.
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Tags: cause marketing, CSR, Halo Award, Macy's, sustainability
[...] Megan Strand, owner of InCouraged Communications, is a guest contributor who recently wrote about Macy's and their cause marketing strategy with regard to sustainability. Today we're cross posting her [...]