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ADVERTISING AND SOCIAL
GOOD
A perfect marriage or a recipe for
disaster?
Susan McPherson
CEO, McPherson Strategies, @susanmcp1

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1. How it used to be
2. CSR today
3. A perfect marriage
4. A recipe for disaster
5. The do’s and don’t’s

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How it used to be

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Big checks
For many companies,
corporate responsibility
was synonymous with
traditional philanthropy.
Write a big check to a
community organization,
and poof!, you’ve done
your due diligence.

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A PR response
Many companies saw
corporate responsibility as
something reactive.
Protesters gathering
outside your office? Time
to make a statement.

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An organizational silo
The CSR or social good
department (if there was
even a department)
operated on its own,
separate from the rest of
the company.

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An afterthought
CSR wasn’t something
on the agenda for the C-
suite, unless it had to be
for reputation reasons.

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2 CSR today

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Today, “social good” has gone from being an extracurricular activity to a core aspect of
business strategy. Increasingly, we’re seeing CSR baked within an organization and the
responsibility team integrated with all other departments, including marketing.
So, why did this happen?
My, how things have changed.

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Social media
With social media came
an increased demand
for transparency and
authenticity from
companies.

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Consumer demand
More than ever, customers
choose to buy from
companies with purpose.
The business case for
CSR is clear.
55percent of global online
consumers will pay more for products
from companies that are committed
to social and environmental impact
(Nielsen).

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Attracting talent
Millennials want jobs
with purpose. To attract
the best, companies
need to be serious
about their commitment
to social good. (insert
stat images)

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Cultural evolution
Between the local food
movement and exploding
support for the LGBTQ
community, our culture
has grown increasingly
conscious and
responsible.

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These factors
have transformed
the relationship
between
businesses and
social good.

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• CEOs speaking out proactively on human rights issues.
• Inbound content focused on the social issues that touch a company’s business.
• Customer and employee engagement campaigns around social issues and
volunteerism.
• Commercials focused on the company’s commitment to responsibility.
• Social media engagement around social advocacy.
• An increase in social good-focused storytelling for brands across industries.
Today, we’re seeing deep integration between
marketing and CSR.

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3 A perfect marriage

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Girl Rising

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We Can Be Heroes

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#Sportsmatter

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The Girl Effect

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4 A recipe for disaster

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Diageo’s water bottles

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Starbucks’ conversation
starter

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KFC Pink Bucket

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5 Do’s and Don’ts

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• Oversimplifying complex issues
• Skimping on research
• PR as primary goal
• Not vetting partners
• One-off thinking
• Staying silent
• Failing to measure
The don’ts

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• Authenticity
• Tell stories
• Understanding the why
• Supplement stories with data
• Engage employees and customers
• Thoughtful partnerships
• Connection to business
• Sharing success
The do’s

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