An act of Good Will, not Good Publicity: a new strategy in the selection of CSR involvement

Initiatives of Corporate Social Responsibility.  A tricky task. If done too aggressively it’s considered greenwashing, if the cause doesn’t have enough relevance to the corporate mission it is scrutinized as well. There is a difficult sweet spot PR professionals strive for when attempting to use CSR to improve the reputation of a company. Because of recent fails in CSR efforts, the field as a whole is beginning to be seen as a tainted industry with anterior motives of stardom rather than sainthood.

So, what are PR professionals to do?

An academic journal looks at the communication specialist in Slovenia, giving their perspective on CSR (Štumberger & Sriramesh, 2018). They exemplify efforts being less on strategy and more on survival. Their current economic status poses a whole different kind of CSR duty to help their community. As quoted by a communication professional and Slovenia native:

“due to a lack of social transfers provided by the state and its institutions, the pressure on companies is so much higher.” …[CSR] is seen as being more than just companies’ economic responsibility for profit-making ...rather, considered conditions that are specific to this cultural, sociocultural, and political environment”.

Source: https://www.balkaneu.com/poverty-social-rejection/

 While not all countries have economic devastation like that of Slovenia, this example puts a whole new perspective on how CSR should be done.

"A robust CSR program is an opportunity to demonstrate their good corporate citizenship … and protect the company from outsized risk by looking at the whole social and environmental sphere that surrounds the company."

This explanation of what CSR should be to society, combined with the outlook given in the case of Slovenia, a PR professional can be provided with a new perspective when deciding where to allocate their resources by asking the question- ‘Where am I needed?’

A first world example of this ideal, is the contributions provided for Hurricane Harvey when the US reached a state of crisis due to the devastation suffered over $125 Billion in damages.

  

Source: https://tide.com/en-us/about-tide/loads-of-hope

When government entities became overwhelmed, Corporate American stepped up, providing over $157 million in total and 69 companies donating $1 million or more in proceeds. Some organizations contributed resources more than just monetarily: CVS Health provided pharmacy trailers for those affected, Google created a time crisis map showing shelters and traffic alerts, and Tide’s ‘Loads for Hope’ campaign  provided clean clothes for over 5,000 victims    . 

Source: Youtube.com
Anheuser- Busch 2018 Super Bowl Commercial

Anheuser-Busch turned their selfless efforts into a tasteful, heart-warming public relations opportunity through a commercial aired at Super Bowl 2018. This American beer giant even took it a step further and donated a portion of proceeds from the commercial to the Red Cross. This example of CSR demonstrates nothing but genuine acts of social responsibility and helping your fellow man in his time of need. Not to mention creating an ideal situation from a PR perspective by generating interest in their behind-the-scenes CSR efforts and boosting company morale. PR professionals could take a lesson from this demonstration of pure and honest CSR.

Campaigns like that of Anheuser- Busch give hope to the good side of CSR by exemplifying a company showing up when they are needed, supporting their community, and depicting the contribution CSR can have on society in its truest form.

About the Author:

Madalyn Klika is in her final months of a Master's Degree in Communication Science at the University of Amsterdam. She is from Louisville, Kentucky in the United States and hopes to pursue a career in who really knows.