It deserves no less thought than the decisions you make regarding environmental issues, human rights, community impacts, workplace dignity, etc. The Continuum of Advertising There are five different dimensions of social consciousness on which a common good enterprise might operate its advertising program.
While these dimensions are not necessarily sequential, nor mutually exclusive, its a fair bet that this model captures most of the ways in which a common good enterprise might think about its advertising. This is the most basic level of responsibility, the level of fundamental business ethics. One would hope this would go without saying for any organization, socially conscious or otherwise. But it is surprising how often it is neither said nor done, even by the best-intentioned advertisers. The subtle power of words and pictures is staggering.
The difference between putting your product in the best possible light and putting it in a different light altogether is very slight, yet very important. Was it an advertising man who coined the phrase truth is a relative thing? In fact, Telling The Truth is quite possibly the hardest thing to do in advertising.
It goes against the very essence of what some believe is advertisings main function: turning whole lies into half-truths. Subtly shading what is real and true about your product is the most tempting apple the serpents of advertising can offer. online free credit reports There are many sad examples of marketers who have sincerely employed some of the other socially conscious advertising principles, while failing to accept the responsibility and possible limitations of Telling The Truth. Theres only one way to make sure youre operating at this level: be a highly attuned person of integrity. And bring your integrity to every word and picture, via your nose. If it isnt right, then free credit online report Omaha send your advertising people back to the drawing board. In one of the most free credit online report Omaha effective ads in the entire history of advertising, Volkswagen called its own car ugly. This interpretation of what it means to be a socially conscious advertiser has been in vogue for several years now. Cause marketing is the practice of publicly aligning free credit online report Omaha a company with a high profile cause or a non-profit organization with whom the public sympathizes. credit report with score Generally, the alignment is created through the donation of promotional dollars, tied to consumer purchase of the product, to the partner organization. For example: With each purchase of a widget between now and free credit online report Omaha Christmas, well make a contribution to Children free credit online report Omaha Without Widgets Worldwide. There is widely cited research which concludes, according to the practitioners, that consumers want Cause Marketing. In fact, free credit online report Omaha what the research says is that consumers want cause, period. Being aligned with a cause was a point of differentiation when the first cause marketers attempted it. Today, it is so widespread that its differentiating power is vastly diminished, and there are distinct signs that the consumer is becoming more suspect of the sincerity and motivation of the marketer. Even many recipients of cause marketers largesse will attest that there are many pitfalls to it. Often, the recipient organization becomes captive to, and dependent free credit online report Omaha on, the sponsoring marketer. Frequently, the core social message is co-opted by the marketer and loses its essence. The best advice regarding Cause Marketing is to tread cautiously free credit online report Omaha and consciously. But think twice before promoting yourself through the cause. If you choose to cause market, make sure the interests of the sponsee are fully represented at the table, not held hostage to your own agenda. report the credit And make a large and sincere enough commitment to really make a demonstrable impact on behalf of the cause.
Let the news of your participation in a cause be pleasant surprise to your customers. Dont trumpet it so loudly as to give them more cause for skepticism. The message here is quite simple: We free credit online report Omaha are an enterprise that conducts itself with a certain set of values. If your values are similar, we should get together.
This is probably the most universal dimension in the advertising programs of common good enterprises today. And with good reason: assuming comparable functionality and value of products and services, consumers will naturally choose affinity with kindred spirits. In fact, every advertiser shares its values at one level or another.
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