Tag Archives: social mission

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

2011 Market Trends: Green in Motion

Walking, the first mode of transport, is the most sustainable way to get around, obviously we can’t always walk from point A to point B. Sustainable mobility or transport is evolving quickly as consumers are increasingly demanding modes of transport should be faster, more innovative and green as well. Mobility with low impact on the environment is changing from consumer to business and even government. Continue reading →

Posted in Strategy & Trends by Matthew van Rooyen | Saturday, January 8th, 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

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

10 Benefits of a Social Mission

Build Trust and Respect as an Ethical Company
Walk into an Elevation Burger and you’ll notice it isn’t your typical burger joint. Posters line the walls touting its mission to locally sourced ingredients as much as possible. Their social mission makes Elevation Burger more than just a burger place, it is a place to support environmental sustainability. Therein, lies a relationship and trust.

Read more benefits of a social mission. Continue reading →

Posted in Branding, Strategy & Trends by David Capece | Monday, November 22nd, 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

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

Interview with Social Entrepreneur, Ben Lyon

We spoke with Ben Lyon, the founder of FrontlineSMS:Credit*, a non-profit focused on micro-financing. After his experience in the East Timor hotel, his passion, drive and motivation to help those in need brought him back to Africa, only this time, with a… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

$10 Billion Donation: Touch Down for Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation

If you had a $3 million marketing budget, where would you spend it? You could take out one Superbowl ad for a big 30-second hurrah or you could spend one tenth of the marketing budget (or $300,000) for an “incredibly extensive six-month marketing… Continue reading →

Posted in Market Trends by Ethan Lyon | Friday, February 5th, 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

Google, iTunes Pitch in Haiti Relief

It has only been a week since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, and the response for aid has been nothing less than astonishing. Within days, the Red Cross received more than $3 million in donations through its text messaging service; that amount has since… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Tara Lane | Wednesday, January 20th, 2010 | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

Guide to Social Entrepreneurship

“Most people are interested in working for and buying from companies that they judge are a good company,” Kate Tierney, the national director of sales at Alter Eco, told MarketWatch. If you’re an entrepreneur, it’s time to look beyond profits and think about how you can create sustainable impact. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Thursday, January 7th, 2010 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Sustainable Luxury: New Opportunities for Growth

Since September 2008, many devoted luxury shoppers have been hiding their shopping bags. Customers feel conflicted about what they really “need” in this new economic landscape, discouraging purchases that previously wouldn’t have garnered a second thought. In addition, customers increasingly seek to align their purchases with their social values and sustainable lifestyle.

This new consumer mindset poses an interesting challenge to luxury brands. While on the one hand, global luxury sales have rebounded nicely with estimated growth of 10% in 2010, on the other, this uptick does not necessarily translate into profitability over the long term. Continue reading →

Posted in Featured by David Capece | Thursday, January 7th, 2010 | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Brand Advertising Review: TOMS Shoes

As an early leader in the social entrepreneur wave, TOMS Shoes has inspired many to do better and make a real impact on the lives of thousands of people worldwide. TOMS has a simple one-for-one mission: when you buy a pair of TOMS Shoes, a pair is donated to a… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Friday, December 11th, 2009 | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Examining the Digital Influence in Social Cause Report

As the audience and user-base of social media networks continues to expand in both number and age, industry sectors that previously had no presence online and now learning how to leverage these tools to extend their impact.

In particular, the non-profit sector is one of these sectors to watch. It seems as if social media was made for it. Established… Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Tara Lane | Monday, November 9th, 2009 | Tagged | 1 Comment

In the News: Brand Marketers Embrace Social Media

If you perform a Google search on any big company’s name with the word Facebook at the end, chances are the top result will be the company’s own official Facebook page. The same goes for Twitter and YouTube. CocaCola and Pepsi, Apple and Microsoft, Target and Walmart—they all have a presence on some social media platform. The Internet was buzzing about the future of social media, media marketing, and how businesses can use social media to their advantage. Within the next year, an astonishing 82 percent of brand marketers will be using social media to promote their brand… Continue reading →

Posted in Market Trends by Ethan Lyon | Friday, August 28th, 2009 | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Tales from a Social Entrepreneur: Jared Koch from Clean Plates

Sparxoo had a chance to speak with Jared Koch, the founder of Clean Plates—a healthy, sustainability focused NYC restaurant and education guide. Jared Koch, a nutrition and wellness coach, was inspired by his clients’ love for his restaurant referrals. Jared wanted to pair his passion for nutrition and talents in business to form a company that would inspire cultural change. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Wednesday, August 26th, 2009 | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

How to Incorporate a Social Mission into your Business

How committed is your company to your social efforts? Is your social initiative a small side project or the essence of what your company stands for? Incorporating a social mission is about creating a harmony between your company philosophy and passion for social change. There is a spectrum of commitment–some entrepreneurs combine their social and company mission, while others use their company philosophy to define their social mission. Continue reading →

Posted in Social Impact by Ethan Lyon | Tuesday, July 28th, 2009 | Tagged | 4 Comments