Author: Drew Neisser

A-Rod is fast becoming Mr. April, hitting 6 homers in 7 games, the most powerful start of any Yankee in pin-stripe history. Those of us who suffered through the last few seasons in which A-Rod set the low mark for hitting in late innings with runners in scoring position with two out, can’t help but wonder if Mr. April will show up this October. If he doesn’t, I can guarantee you Yankee fans will boo him just like they did last year. Unfortunately for the A-Rod brand, he simply doesn’t have enough Good Will in the bank to earn our forgiveness…yet. Maybe this season will be different.

Don Imus was recently suspended from his morning talk show for making blatantly racist and sexist remarks about the Rutger’s women’s basketball team. Al Sharpton and Reverend Jesse Jackson among many others have called for his dismissal. Imus has a huge following, perhaps the largest in the country since Howard Stern jumped to satellite radio. He has also done a lot of charitable activities over the years including his ranch for sick children (which has also come under scrutiny in the last couple of years.) Imus, the brand, is in deep trouble. His survival will depend on two factors, the amount of Good Will he has with his audience and the degree of contrition he is able to project in the next few weeks.

Jet Blue was publicly scratched from Business Week’s list of beloved companies after it bungled several days worth of weather delays this winter. Jay Leno has made the airline the butt of many jokes:

The big story, Iranian President Mahmoud … has released those 15 British captive soldiers. He released them after they were held hostage for 13 days. Or, as we call that in this country: JetBlue.

David Neeleman, the CEO of Jet Blue, responded to this crises with honesty, contrition and a product-enhancing action plan. He admitted that the airline had really screwed up. He apologize profusely. He then offered passengers an industry-first bill-of-rights. Jet Blue, the brand, suffered a lot during the last three months but I have little doubt they will recover. Jet Blue has earned enormous Good Will with its customers over the years. Their online reservation system is the easiest in the industry. Their planes are the most comfortable especially now that all have at least 33″ of leg room. They are still the only airline that has Direct TV monitors for every seat. And in my experience, they are the best at getting you where you want to go on schedule with your luggage.

Good Will is essential to the success of all brands from athletes to shock jocks to airlines. It needs to be earned day in and day out by delivering on promises in April and exceeding customer expectations in October. Good Will is not something you can take for granted or hope to gain by the occasional charitable activity. So, A-Rod keep it going and all is forgiven. Imus, you’ve dug a big hole for yourself, only total contrition will save you now. And Jet Blue, keep up the good work, the sky is the limit.

Last night, I had the good fortune of seeing the tribute to Diane Keaton by the Lincoln Center Film Society. As a film buff, I’ve been going to the annual tributes for the past twenty years and relishing each for different reasons. Much to my surprise, I think last night’s may have been the best one–it was certainly the funniest with side-splitting tributes provided by Woody Allen, Steve Martin, Martin Short, Sarah Jessica Parker, Candice Bergen and Lisa Kudrow. Most of the speeches were more roast than toast, with each taking a crack at “Lady La-de-dah” and her “yeah well I don’t know” patter of non-words. Steve Martin, who played opposite Diane in the Father of the Bride series, concluded his toast with a sweet instrumental on his banjo, a quid pro quo for when Diane sung at a tribute for Martin.

In between the toasts, we were treated to clips from over 20 of Ms. Keaton’s movies. What’s striking about this filmography is that Diane, the person, shines through every role much the way Bette Davis and Katherine Hepburn did before her. But unlike these two movie queens, Diane’s persona is more human, more fallible, more a work in progress. As Richard Corliss put it “she was putting these vulnerabilities on display, to be inspected and understood by the movie audience.”

So, you might ask if any of this has anything to do with Marketing for Good. And the truth is that this was primarily a fun indulgent evening that I felt like sharing. That said, let me offer a few, however tenuous, links to MFG:

• Diane never settles. She constantly challenges herself to try new roles both off and on the screen. Brands must never settle. They must enhance their offering at every turn.
• Diane appreciates a good laugh. Last night, one of the loudest laughs to be heard was Diane’s. She chose her toasters carefully, purposely selecting funny over reverent. While it is clear she takes her craft seriously it is also clear she doesn’t take her self seriously. Marketing for Good is big fan of laughter, appreciating its power to engage and entertain and ultimately sell.
• Diane inspires by her deeds not her words. On screen, Diane dared to be herself “with a style so innovative that it took film fans a while to get used to it” as noted by Richard Corliss. Off screen, Diane campaigned for the preservation of historic buildings saving several from destruction with ever-so-pleasant fortitude. She wields her star-power with understatement and grace, more velvet glove than clenched fist. Brands could learn a lot from Diane.

Who would have thought a few well placed La-De-Dah’s could be so powerful?

A fellow Renegade sent me a very interesting manifesto on rethinking Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) programs by Christine Arena. According to the notes at the end of the document which you can download here:

Christine is the award-winning author of two books, Cause for Success: 10 Companies that Put Profits Second and Came in First (new World library, november 2004), and The High-Purpose Company: The Truly Responsible (and Highly Profitable) Firms that are Changing Business Now (Collins, January 2007), from which this manifesto is adopted.

The manifesto is approximately 13 pages and offers some important insights into why “doing good” is simply not enough when it comes to CSR programs:

Goodness is the Problem: the widely held notion that corporate responsibility is about “doing good” effectively marginalizes CSR, keeping it on the sidelines of many corporate agendas. that’s because the practical execution of doing good often translates into philanthropy rather than business strategy. Thus, the concept of business goodness not only hinders companies from making a real difference, it also inhibits the CSR movement from taking root in powerful economic sectors. For the most part, goodness is the reason why we still cannot agree on an accurate and cohesive definition for CSR, and why we also disagree about which companies pass muster. Goodness is also the ammunition that CSR critics—who assert that a company’s sole responsibility is to generate shareholder wealth rather than give back to society—use in their arguments against the practice. And since goodness (or the perception of goodness) is the end goal that so many companies strive for in their “corporate responsibility” community outreach programs or multi-million dollar marketing bonanzas, goodness potentially diminishes the impact that companies ultimately have on shareholders, society and the planet. therefore, goodness affects us all.

The thinking in this document is smart and not inconsistent with the tenets of Marketing for Good. In a nut shell, Arena is saying CSR programs must grow the business or no one inside or outside the company will taking them seriously. Marketing for Good starts with the notion that the marketing activity must be good for the brand first AND then be good for the world we share. Here’s how Arena sums things up:

The first step toward making inroads in this space is to re-think the very definition of the practice itself. True and effective CSR isn’t as much about being “responsible” as it is about being responsive. Answering to changing human needs, to shifts in the economy, society and the environment, and to emerging market trends is the business of High-Purpose Companies. Such firms prepare themselves for inevitable turns and are the first to market with progressive solutions that are vital and necessary, not frivolous or easily replicated. the more ingeniously they meet society’s needs, the more returns they produce for shareholders—and the more we can all benefit.

Amen.

One other note I found of interest. This document was coordinated by an organization called Change This:

Change This is a vehicle, not a publisher. We make it easy for big ideas to spread. While the authors we work with are responsible for their own work, they don’t necessarily agree with everything available in Changethis format.
Change This is supported by the love and tender care of 800-Ceo-Read. Visit us at our main site www.800ceoread.com or at our daily blog.

Yesterday I received an email from a friend regarding Design Can Change, an organization set up to inspire designers to use design to affect change. The Design Can Change website provides a quick overview of the challenges created by climate change and the opportunities for designers to make a difference. The site even suggests that  designers commit to making “sustainability” part of their everyday consciousness:

The pledge is intended to be workable–something you can actually do today. It isn’t intended to be restrictive or overly dogmatic; instead, it is a s set of commitments that you can easy adapt to your daily practice.

In my professional practice, I will endeavor to:

• Learn: Engage in the topic and seek to understand the issue
• Think: Make a sustainable mindset second nature
• Act: Put my knowledge to use in my daily work
• Inform: Share information and build awareness for sustainability
• Unite: Spark change through collective strength

What’s exciting to me on this Good Friday is that our industry is waking up to the notion of applying our trade to do some good every day. And why not?  While we need to help our clients sell more of their products and services there is no reason we can’t do good for those brands AND the world we share. Marketing for Good wholeheartedly embraces Design for Change.

Let’s face it, if you don’t have a MySpace page you simply aren’t a legitimate fictitious spokes-character. Uncle Ben doesn’t have one but the Geico Caveman does. Mrs. Buttersworth doesn’t but the Pillsbury Doughboy does. Not to be left out, America’s favorite statuette has posted up and is open for visitors according to MediaPost:

He’s got a hard body, he’s rock-steady and now he has a MySpace page. Travelocity’s Roaming Gnome is “still that shy chap from the garden,” according to his MySpace page, where he’s already accumulated more than 5,000 friends. No shock here, but add the gnome as your friend and you’ll receive travel deals from Travelocity. Also included on the site are downloadable icons and profile skins, videos, ringtones, games and a link to the Gnome store. Roaming Gnome will also blog on a regular basis. He recently revealed that he sports a tattoo on an undisclosed area.

To call this Marketing for Good is problematic but let’s try. A MySpace page offers interested consumers a chance to engage with a particular brand of interest. In the case of the Gnome, one would expect this world traveler to be interesting, informative and entertaining. If that proves to be the case, then kudos to Travelocity. If not, nothing ventured, nothing gained. Regardless, expect to see many more of these attempts by spokes-characters to social network. You will know when this approach is played out when the Staples Easy Button has its own page. Can’t wait!

Sometimes I feel like a cheerleader for silent movies. Not matter what I say about the glories of newspapers that medium like silent movies before it is going to have to evolve or die. The Washington Post is feeling the pain of declining offline readership and has decided to focus on its current readers and reward their loyalty with a points program called cleverly PostPoints. Here are a few of the highlights from a MediaPost post today.
Readers register at WashingtonPost.com, then earn points for reading the paper, interacting on its Web site (posting a review, for example), volunteering with a designated non-profit or shopping at partner retailers including CVS/pharmacy, Giant Foods, Lord & Taylor, and Papa John’s Pizza.

The program launches with 60 businesses as partners, with a total of 1,000-plus stores in the DC area. Readers get 1,000 points when they register. They also get invitations to special events such as movie screenings and meet-and-greets with Post writers, and discounts and giveaways from newspaper advertisers.

Points are accrued and tracked online; readers can access their account to check and redeem points. Rewards are mailed to members’ homes. Post subscribers get additional benefits, including fashion events, a sneak peek at columnists’ upcoming work and special access to the newspaper’s archives.

Perhaps the most interesting part of this announcement is the Post’s statement about its role in the DC area:

“The Post has long been the primary connecting force for the Washington region, and PostPoints is an innovative way to increase the power of this connection. We’re very excited about the potential of this program to enhance our longstanding role as the primary marketplace for Washington area businesses, consumers and community,” said Steve Hills, The Post’s president and general manager.

While hardly an original idea, the PostPoints program does qualify as Marketing for Good. It is an attempt to turn marketing into a service, a service that enchances the value of reading the Post and advertising in it. The program also has a modest good will component by which readers can earn PostPoints if they volunteer with “designated non-profits”. It also helps encourage the migration of offline readers into online ones by requiring them to go to the website to register. I hope it works and that I can write another post next year about the Posts renewed success.