Marketers just don’t promote products. Some time they promote places like tourist destination or people like celebrities. More often times, Marketers also promote Concept, Philosophy or Belief.
The 3 different types of marketing efforts that are used to promote concept, philosophy and belief are namely Social Marketing, Green Marketing and Cause Marketing.
1)Social Marketing promotes products or behaviors that benefits individual and communities for greater social good. The primary motto is to satisfy consumer needs while also benefiting society.
Example – Got Milk? , Famous American Advertising Campaign encouraging consumption of Cow’s Milk
2)Green Marketing promotes products or concepts that are safe for the environment. The primary motto is to promote environmental friendly products or features or benefits.
Example – Toyota Prius “Harmony”, Green Marketing Campaign showed how the Prius, the first mass market hybrid vehicle delivers extra power, space, safety, advanced technology and superior gas mileage
3)Cause Marketing promotes co-operative efforts of commercial enterprise and social enterprise for a good cause. The primary motto is tying corporate identity to a good cause
Example – American Heart Association’s Heart Check Icon on Breakfast Cereals Cheerios
There are many examples of successful marriage of Social Marketing and Green Marketing.
Say even the example of Toyota Prius “Harmony” is a melange of both. The marketing of product Toyota Prius is a example of Green Marketing While the campaign “Harmony” promotes a behavior change to embrace hybrid vehicles which will ultimately benefit individual and communities with a greater social good of pollution free environment.
Closer to home, Conserve India is another example that embraces both Social Marketing & Green Marketing. For Social Marketing domain, we promote “Betterment or equality of rag-pickers” by providing them with employment in the factory settings for the production of high end bags While on Green Marketing domain we promote environmental friendly recycled goods.
Is there a space for “Cause Marketing” in the happy marriage of “Social & Green Marketing”?
The hard and bitter reality is “No, there is no space at least not without disappointments or broken promises”
You may argue and show the successful example of Cause Marketing – “Toyota Meals Per Hour”. A Cause Marketing that tied the corporate identity of Toyota to a good cause – Food Bank of New York. An applaudable program in which Toyota teamed up with the Food Bank of New York to deliver hundreds and thousands of meals to hungry people affected by the hurricane Sandy. Basically, one for each YouTube view of the video “1 View = 1 Meal” to the Food Bank of New York.
Let’s face it! Food Bank of New York is enormous, so is Toyota.
Will it be same in case of Non-Profit or Social Enterprise of small/ medium stature or an agreement of these folks with small/medium stature corporate?
Unfortunately, No, it will end up only with disappointments or broken promises.
Well, this is not intended to generalize. But, just to show, pie is largest this side.
On a closing note, Let me assure you – Our doors are open to corporate collaboration for Cause Marketing, so are our arms to embrace them. Pinky Swear!
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