When it comes to CSR, listen to someone who cares

Coca-Cola Manual distribution/Flickr

In highly competitive, increasingly commoditised markets, in which consumers have become more sceptical, powerful - and caring - one of the new battlegrounds is CSR, or corporate social responsibility. CSR has become common practice by multinationals, so, for initiatives to stand out as something more than corporate flagwaving, they need some heart.

Some companies are developing a more convincing social conscience through listening to people who really care. By keeping an ear to social networks, brands can harness the passion and ideas of people outside the usual corporate box. They can access innovative, fresh thinking and help consumers rally behind a genuine cause.

When blogger Simon Berry pursued his ingenious idea of leveraging Coca-Cola's huge global distribution network to improve healthcare in developing countries, the company took note. Berry was struck by the preposterousness of the fact that people without access to basic medicine could easily get hold of a can of Coke. For many years, he lacked the tools to realise his vision for a new medical distribution model, then he spotted the potential to organise support through social networks. He created a Facebook group, which grew organically and currently has 4,473 members and counting.

As the ColaLife campaign gained traction, garnering the support of the BBC, Coca-Cola's Global Director of Stakeholder Relations, Salvatore Gabola, invited Berry to their European headquarters to discuss his idea (see Simon's blog or WorldChanging).

On 6 May, a Business Call to Action event, supported by the British government and the UN, highlighted inspirational development initiatives by big companies, including Coca-Cola, Citi Group, Diageo, Microsoft, Reuters, Simitomo and Vodafone. A major UN meeting, scheduled for 25 September, will encourage further commitment from governments, businesses and the private sector to reducing poverty in developing countries.

To support the ColaLife initiative, which would distribute rehydration salts to poor people via Coca-Cola's network, refer to the the ColaLife blog, sign up to the Facebook or Google Group, follow the action on Delicious or Twitter, or post relevant images to the flickr group.

Tight pants and Priming

Screenshot of George Costanza, Seinfeld Episode 522/Wikipedia

Every now and then TV1's repository of television show trivia yields a little gem. Fans of the comedy Seinfeld will be all too familiar with the character George Costanza - his neuroses, pettiness and insecurities. But it's not just deft scriptwriting and the skill of actor Jason Alexander that make this character larger than life. According to TV1, the costume department always dressed Jason in clothes that were just a size too small, which instantly had comedic effect, although most viewers probably weren't aware of why.

I think this is a great example of priming, that is, eliciting certain thoughts, in this case, the expectation that George is a loser. Visual or verbal cues that provoke certain implicit thoughts can likewise be used in advertising. They can help add a layer of subtlety, which a lot of ads lack, partly due to time constraints and the need to convey a particular explicit message about the brand.