CSR in 2018 (and on). From C-Suite to Digital Storytelling

When it comes to CSR, many think it is a long-standing practice which no longer differentiates one brand from another. Consumers even tend to take CSR for granted, in that not only companies, but also celebrities are involved in philanthropic, environmental, and societal causes (like this article shows). Next to this, greenwashing has made its contribution in increasing consumers’ skepticism towards companies that claim to serve good causes (when in reality they do not, like them).

Source: oneplanet-sustainability.org

One question is therefore inevitable:

In such a controversial and outdated scenario, is “traditional” CSR still effective, or is it time for companies to find alternative solutions?

In order to answer this question, let us consider the current situation of CSR.

More money, more problems. Or not?

In an inspiring article on Forbes, which indicates some of the most interesting CSR trends to notice in 2018,  founder and CEO of McPherson Strategies Susan McPherson writes:

“More companies are bringing CSR into the C-Suite”.

In other words, a growing number of CSR professionals are being included in the top senior executive boards. In addition to this, then-principal and CMO of Mission Measurement Perry Yeatman underlined in the article she wrote:

“Companies are spending close to $2 billion on cause marketing and another $14 billion in corporate philanthropy (IEG, Giving USA)”.

New scenario, new opportunities

I believe the two points made by McPherson (2018) and Yeatman (2014) carry major implications.

    Firstly, CSR will receive greater attention, in that it will represent one of the top departments included in the executive board (together with Finance, IT, and Marketing).

    Secondly and consequently, given the amount of financial resources allocated to CSR on the one hand,  and the importance of CSR within companies, it is likely that even a more generous budget will be set for CSR practices. This will support the development of new and more complex initiatives.

Source: musicthinktank.com

But how will such initiatives cut through the noise? Any ideas before you keep on reading this post?

When Marketing meets Corporate Communication

The study conducted by Brubaker and Wilson (2018) investigates which strategies are more  effective and durable to increase consumers’ engagement and build long-lasting brand-consumer relationships. They found video content to generate more engagement than text or images, and predict that:

“video will drive 82% of consumer traffic on the Internet by 2021 (Cisco, 2017)”. [...] Brands now must think and act more like publishers and storytellers and less like traditional marketers.”

Creating engaging video content via digital storytelling is therefore the key to successful campaigns.

Source: youtube.com

This is true not only for marketing activities, but also for PR practices. In this respect, CMO at Prowly.com Edyta Kowal underlines on her blog post that:

“PR giants such as Edelman and Publicis are transforming towards becoming content authors.”

I feel excited about the latest developments, and honestly believe that content marketing and digital storytelling do work in creating engagement, because they trigger people’s emotions. I would love to see whether CSR campaigns can employ digital storytelling to engage with stakeholders, and whether the same results can be found for the public as a whole, rather than for consumers only.

How about you?

Source: gwinnettpl.org

About Angela Bonanno | LinkedIn - Facebook

Passionate about art, sport, and music.

She would have loved to study Interior Design or Photography, but she ended up being a MSc student in Persuasive Communication at Universiteit van Amsterdam.

In the end, they are all types of communication, aren’t they?