Focusing on Purpose: 10 Brightest CSR Initiatives 2019

In recent years, corporate engagement in social issues has been actively prioritized by marketing teams all around the world. What once was a rarity in a highly commercialized environment has now become an integral part of how businesses present themselves. Every once in a while, some brave social campaign appears, sometimes completely dissonant with the usual tone of the brand responsible for it. What exactly motivates businesses in their rush to exceed public expectations and turn to the “bright side”?

First and foremost, the world is striding toward more responsible consumption with the environmental awareness expanding day by day. This leaves businesses no other choice but to accept the change in global public opinion and to overhaul their once strictly commercial market rules.

Secondly, social projects championed by businesses are highly celebrated in the digital world. With news outlets reporting disturbing events round the clock, it helps to have something uplifting to balance things and retrieve a little hope for the good in the world. And when household brands are involved, the success of the coverage is even greater.

After all, CSR is a marketing product, though a much newer one, compared to conventional advertising. Its substantial idea potential suggests that the trend is here to stay for some time. Every year, CSR shows more creativity and competitiveness, and sets new standards for market players. Timing becomes crucial, of course, and for a company to be first to raise its voice on a specific topic can be a major win, whether that issue is an environmental disaster or social inequality.

Here are the 10 most memorable CSR campaigns that defined the trend in 2019:

1. Sometimes less is more. Guinness’s responsible drinking campaign

Guinness launched a campaign against alcohol abuse suggesting tap water as an alternative ahead of the Six Nations Rugby Championship. 

In an attempt to unveil its new Guinness Clear, the famed brewery ran a commercial featuring advertising clichés normally used to promote a product of this kind. The ad featured a barman pouring the drink into a glass in slow motion, and several men enjoying their drink over a chat. Only one detail was altered to make the ad serve its social purpose: the beer was replaced with tap water.

2. Cadbury drops all words on packaging to draw attention to growing loneliness among seniors in Great Britain

Experts say that the UK is home to 1.4 million seniors struggling with loneliness. 225,000 go for days without any live conversation at all.

To raise awareness of this, Cadbury, a British chocolate maker, eliminated all words from the wrapping of its limited collection Dairy Milk bar and donating part of the proceeds to Age UK, a foundation dealing with the issues faced by seniors.

3. 1+1’s #ForgetAboutAge campaign, Ukraine 

This Ukrainian media company initiated an anti-ageism project to help more seniors find jobs.

According to 1+1, the idea behind the project was to break stereotypes discriminating against seniors when it comes to learning new professional skills, generating ideas and starting up a business.

In its effort to fight stereotypical attitudes, 1+1 conducted a survey on ageism and announced an internship program to recruit seniors.

The company motivated others to join by featuring uplifting stories and photos in its social media and promoting the achievements of participants in an exhibition last September.

4. IKEA’s best-selling bath toys deployed to clean the river Thames, Great Britain

Last year, IKEA Greenwich unveiled unique remote-controlled ships collecting rubbish from waterways. The Good Ship IKEA comes in the design of SMÅKRYP, the company’s most beloved bath toy.

Two ships have been deployed so far, to Deptford Creek, southeast of London. The devices are equipped with Chinese technology that allows each ship to collect up to 20 kilos of rubbish per sailing.

5. Renault’s CO2 sensitive billboard, Romania

In 2019, Renault championed a CSR campaign in Bucharest by installing a billboard sensitive to air pollution. The air in Bucharest has been recognized as the most polluted in Europe, causing many health problems among ordinary Romanians.

When the level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere rises, the prices on Renault’s new electric car, the ZOE, react by dropping instantaneously. As it happens, passers-by can follow the dynamics displayed in real time on the so-called DisCO2unt billboard.

With many Romanians viewing electric cars as too expensive, the campaign hopes to change public attitudes by showing that eco-friendly cars get more affordable when the city needs it most.

6. Mattel’s Astronaut Barbie

Mattel has collaborated with the European Space agency’s only active female astronaut, Samantha Cristoforetti, to create Barbie the astronaut.

The campaign was launched ahead of the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission. The idea was to encourage girls to pursue their desired career no matter what, regardless of gender stereotypes. The design of the doll was modeled on Cristoforetti herself, whom Mattel chose to become a role model for young girls.

Interviewed by Sky News, Cristoforetti said she hoped the collaboration “will help young girls and boys to imagine their future without being constrained by artificial limits.”

7. PornHub’s Dirtiest Porn Ever

In a bid to draw attention to the mushrooming volumes of plastic dumped into the world’s oceans, PornHub unveiled its metaphorically named Dirtiest Porn Ever. The video features a couple having sex on the world’s most polluted beach, while people wearing CPC are cleaning up piles of rubbish around them.

For each view, the company sends a donation to Ocean Polymers, an environmental non-profit that focuses on plastic waste in the oceans.

“We’re dirty here at Pornhub, but that doesn’t mean our beaches need to be. Ocean pollution has grown to become one of the most significant global issues of our lifetime, and it’s only getting worse,” Pornhub Veep Corey Price says.

8. McDonald's billboards double as Bee Hotels, Sweden

The fast food chain has been installing Bee Hotels on the backside of its advertising billboards in order to draw attention to the declining population of wild honey bees in Sweden. According to the Chalmers Institute of Technology, Sweden is home to 274 species of bees, but the number has been declining, with at least 30% of the total bee population at risk today.

McDonald’s has installed six large wooden bee hotels behind its advertising signs in the Stockholm area.

“Without pollination from bees, 1/3 of the food we eat will be threatened,” states a report by McDonald's. “The problem is that in many areas, bees have no place to live.”

The company has also published a YouTube video documenting the making of bee shelters. All McDonald’s franchises can now order and install their customized Bee Hotel billboards.

9. Nike introduces plus-size mannequins, Great Britain

To promote diversity and inclusivity in sports, Nike has installed “real size” mannequins at the heart of its flagship store in London, offering sportswear in a full range of sizes. The store also offers services to personalize sports clothing based on a person’s lifestyle.

“To celebrate the diversity and inclusivity in sports, this space will not just celebrate local elite and grassroots athletes through visual content, but also show Nike plus sizes and para-sport mannequins for the first time in a retail space,” reads the press release from Nike.

10. Coca-Cola and Diesel present their recycled apparel collection

The (Re)Collection, a collaboration between Coca-Cola and Diesel, features items made of partly recycled materials, such as plastic bottles and recycled cotton, all branded with the Coca Cola logo.

The 12-piece collection by the two companies means to raise awareness about the potential of recycling and reusing PET fibers.

The limited collection was first made available secretly on Diesel.com, where customers could be redirected by scanning any recycling logo, regardless of their physical location. After Paris Fashion Week, the collection was made available at several Diesel stores.

“Not only does The (Re)Collection generate awareness of the importance of recycling in a very approachable way by showcasing beautiful fashions created from recycled materials, it’s also a collection that celebrates individuality,” says Michelle Moorehead, VP for Global Licensing and Retail at The Coca-Cola Company.

The collaboration between Coca Cola and Diesel is, in fact, one of many similar projects supporting the concept of recycled clothing. An earlier example was Adidas, which has collaborated with Parley for the Oceans, an environmental organization, since 2015. In an attempt to put the world on notice about ocean pollution, the two made sneakers made of recycled plastic waste.

Authors: Katia Leliukh, Liza Shcherbakova