Tag Archives: social cause

Blue Is the New Green for Brands

Once considered the ecological movement in the 1960s and 70s, the concept of consumer environmentalism evolved into the green movement in the 2000s. The impact of the green movement had a profound effect on consumerism, with organic, eco-friendly, locally sourced, permeating the consumer lexicon. Now, is the time for the next evolution of the green movement: blue. Continue reading →

Posted in Branding by Ethan Lyon | Tuesday, March 15th, 2011 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Free Eco-Friendly Buying Guides

According to the 2009 GMA / Deloitte Green Shopper Study, 95 percent of consumers would purchase more sustainable products and 54 percent consider sustainability to be one of their decision making factors.

As the demand and number of green products on the market grows, there is an increased need to sort through products and services to determine the greatest value. Here are five free resources that can help you incorporate more green in your life: Continue reading →

Posted in Strategy & Trends by Ethan Lyon | Thursday, March 10th, 2011 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Crowdsourcing Corporate Responsibility Efforts

We have explored how Target is using Facebook to push its corporate social responsibility (CSR) mission forward and how Pepsi is supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. PR agency Weber Shandwick and KRC Research has released a report that examines the effectiveness of how crowdsourcing has played a role in CSR initiatives in Fortune 200 companies. According to the study, CSR crowdsourcing is an effective way to offer a different perspective and build relationships with community members. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing, Strategy & Trends by Ethan Lyon | Monday, March 7th, 2011 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Charitable Giving Stats (2008 – 2011)

In 2009, we saw charitable donations fall by 6 percent from the year before to $228.5 billion. Analysts attribute this fall to the recession, but as we continue to emerge from it, experts agree charitable donations will rebound in 2010 by up to 4.5 percent. Continue reading →

Posted in Strategy & Trends by Ethan Lyon | Friday, March 4th, 2011 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

SEO for a Social Cause

As digital marketers, we think of a conversion as a 2 dimensional action, such as purchasing an item, signing up for a newsletter, etc. Nonprofits face a different challenge when it comes to a typical conversion: changing attitudes towards a particular issue. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, March 2nd, 2011 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

How Charities Can Use Mobile for Fundraising

The American Red Cross received over $22 million in Haiti relief from mobile donations — far surpassing the $400,000 record for other disasters. In fact, donations via mobile devices comprised one fifth of the American Red Cross’s total donations for Haiti relief. Mobile proved to be a dominant player in Haiti relief and set a precedent for how charities receive donations in the future. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing by Ethan Lyon | Monday, February 28th, 2011 | Tagged | Leave a comment

Top 5 Mobile Innovations for Social Cause

There are over 3 billion cell phone subscribers in the world, the last billion having been added in just the past two years — largely due to explosive growth in India, Africa, Latin America, and Asia, reports Boston.com. Many new phone subscribers exist in impoverished areas and many entrepreneurs are using mobile technology to help them grow their communities economically. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing, Strategy & Trends by Ethan Lyon | Friday, February 25th, 2011 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Eco Index: A Sustainability Management Tool

If you could reduce your product packaging costs by 38% while offering a more sustainable solution to your customers, would you think twice? Many companies are taking bold steps to incorporate sustainability into their core business strategy, reaping not only brand and customer benefits, but bottom line benefits as well. Continue reading →

Posted in Strategy & Trends by David Capece | Monday, February 7th, 2011 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Social Media Strategies: How to Engage the New Consumer

Now more than ever consumers are purchasing with a purpose. In the fourth annual Edelman goodpurpose® Study, experts indicate that what consumers want goes beyond just form and function to include a positive community impact.

As a business leader, are you doing the best job possible to develop sales if you focus on innovation, design, and brand loyalty? Not really. According to the study, nearly half (47%) of respondents said that social purpose ranks higher than brand loyalty and design and innovation as a purchase motivator. In addition, another recent PRWeek/Barkley Cause Survey suggests that a full 88 percent of American men say it’s crucial for a brand to support a social cause. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing, Strategy & Trends by Guest Author | Monday, December 20th, 2010 | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Growth in Social Cause Marketing

onsumers Are Searching For a Green Thumb — Consumers’ expectations are changing and holding brands to a higher, more eco-conscious standard. Sixty six percent of consumers think it’s important or very important for companies to offer green products. Just because you cannot offer a bio-degradable bag, you could reduce the size of your packaging — making it not only eco-friendly, but cost effective — or make your distribution routes more efficient.

Read more about social marketing stats. Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing, Strategy & Trends by Ethan Lyon | Monday, December 6th, 2010 | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Connecting a Company Mission to Social Cause

In 1983, American Express helped restore a deteriorating Ellis Island with $1.7 million by offering $0.01 for each card transaction and $1 for each new card issued. Lee National Denim helped organize workplace drives in which employees contributed $5 for the right to wear jeans to work on the first Friday in October, totaling $75 million for breast cancer research and advocacy over 13 years. Integrating a social cause into the broader company mission can elevate the brand image by engendering good will in the community while creating an opportunity to connect with new customers and rallying your team behind a uniting cause. Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Strategy & Trends by Ethan Lyon | Friday, December 3rd, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Social Community for Change Agents

Ever heard of the Green Guerillas Youth Media Tech Collective? The green youth media group proclaims their collective to be sustainable storytellers who challenge the status quo. “We are young media makers who define sustainability in terms that make sense to us. In April 2009, we embarked on a new project with our veggie diesel bus to create our fourth feature film—Green Guerrillas Blockumentary v.3 HD—which will showcase stories of sustainability from under-represented communities in the current environmental movement.” These and hundreds of other change agents are sharing their stories on Changents, a startup social community that serves as a catalyst for social entrepreneurs and great causes. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact, Startups & Innovation by David Capece | Wednesday, August 4th, 2010 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Innovation in Social Cause Business Models

NBA legend Magic Johnson recently spoke at Wharton’s first Social Impact Forum saying, “Legacies are not built on how much money is made, because after all there are a plethora of millionaires in the world. Instead, they are built on how many people can be touched with the amount of money made. Individuals are able to set themselves apart by helping communities get on their feet.” Today, it has become fashionable to do good and many entrepreneurs are building businesses with generosity at their core focusing on urban renewal, children’s initiatives, and even the basics such as food and water. Continue reading →

Posted in Market Trends, Social Impact by David Capece | Tuesday, August 3rd, 2010 | Tagged , | 1 Comment

BP Oil Spill: Profits Over Planet

While BP’s spill cleanup costs have eclipsed $1 billion and could eventually cost over $10 billion, can you really put a price on the damage to the environment? If it is true that BP cut corners and that they put on a fraudulent show for the President Obama’s Gulf visit (as reported by CNN’s Anderson Cooper), does BP really deserve to still be worth $130 billion? Consumers … this is your opportunity to vote with your wallet. Many of you are angered and would love to change BP’s slogan of Beyond Petroleum to Bankruptcy Protection. The backlash has spread to Facebook with over 200,000 fans of Boycott BP. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by David Capece | Monday, May 31st, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

How Livestong Engages its Online Health Community

Most of us came to know of Livestrong through the yellow bracelets worn on 70 million wrists to raise awareness for and fund cancer research and education. What started as a yellow bracelet dreamed up by Nike and their ad agency, Wieden & Kennedy… Continue reading →

Posted in Digital Marketing by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, April 28th, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Digital Earth Day: Leveraging the Web for Sustainability

Earth Day 2010 marks the 40th anniversary of this worldwide celebration. Founded by peace activist John McConnell in 1970, Earth Day is a day dedicated to raising awareness and appreciation for the earth and our environment. Statistics show that Earth… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Tara Lane | Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Top 5 Earth Day Must Read Articles

Earth Day 2010 celebrates its 40th birthday today. It’s a time to promote the sustainability of our land, water and air through individual efforts that ladder-up to collective, widespread impact. Companies and consumers alike are finding distinct ways to… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Thursday, April 22nd, 2010 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

Avatar Breaks $2 Billion

It’s official — Avatar has become the highest grossing movie of all time. Earlier this week it was announced that the blockbuster film has brought in more than $2 billion worldwide. With multiple Golden Globe wins and numerous other awards, Avatar has… Continue reading →

Posted in Market Trends by Tara Lane | Monday, February 1st, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Kleiner Perkins & Green Packaging Inc. Leading GreenStream

While there were flickers of the green movement in the 1960s only recently have we seen an explosion in the green sector. Much like plastics in the early 1970s, starry-eyed investors are lining up at the door to invest in sustainable technology because it is not… Continue reading →

Posted in Market Trends by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, January 27th, 2010 | Tagged , , | 2 Comments

Rise in Volunteerism Signals Giving In, Greedy Out

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country.” J.F. Kennedy spoke these words in 1961 and their meaning has not faded since. At the time JFK gave this famous address, there was racial strife, inequality and our soldiers… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Monday, January 25th, 2010 | Tagged , | Leave a comment