Companies Are The Perfect Narcissists
August 17, 2007
Today, the WSJ reported that Ethos, a shop-within-a-shop at JWT, is reporting first-half revenue up about 40% from a year earlier. Ethos, which opened four years ago assists companies in the development of social-responsibility campaigns. If your agency doesn’t have some group assigned to this kind of creative development, you better get one. We’re entering the age of “good marketing” and we’re already firmly ensconced in a world where consumers are no longer blind sheep, but prowling wolves.
“Our clients want to raise their social profile, but they want to do it in a better way,” says Ethos Vice President Pamela Divinsky, who notes that social responsibility is a way for a company to differentiate itself from its competition. “Ultimately, they do business with us because they believe it will affect their bottom line.”
Yeah… and you thought these companies were doing good works just to do it? Maybe some are, but most – no way? Companies are the perfect narcissists. Never forget that.
One of Ethos’ clients is coffee house Tim Horton’s who has been regularly donating proceeds from one day of coffee sales for poor local children’s summer-camp trips long before dealing with the company. The initiative “operates at the retail level, it feels authentic and it feels local,” Ms. Divinsky says. It feels authentic? Okay, so here’s a company that is actually donating proceeds without the love of PR goading them on. Don’t say it feels authentic. It is. Agencies have a knack for boiling “good” things into “ad speak” and ruining the positive effects of social responsibility campaigns. Give your clients good options and then, on the record (be it in a business journal or Elle magazine), be smart – don’t negate the programs with analytic or advertising jargon. No consumer wants to hear that.
August 17, 2007 at 8:09 pm
[...] Earlier today we were going on about social responsibility programs and how in fact, these should be part of your clients advertising strategies. Sony has launched a new initiative that is going to do them some PR good. Starting Sept. 15, Sony is offering free recycling of all its products in the USA. No more chucking that old VCR into the trash people. Customers will be able to drop off all Sony products (TVs, stereos, etc.) at centers run by Waste Management. If you attempt to give them say, a Toshiba computer, you’re out of luck. The program will launch with 75 waster centers and will ramp up to 150 in year. The end goal is to get every Sony customer in the country within 20 miles of a center. Not bad. The slogan for this new Sony Recycling Campaign is Reduce. Reuse. Respect. Recycle. [...]
August 19, 2007 at 12:43 am
[...] Agency Spy – Companies Are The Perfect Narcissists “Don’t say it feels authentic. It is. Agencies have a knack for boiling “good” things into “ad speak” … don’t negate the programs with analytic or advertising jargon. No consumer wants to hear that.” (tags: advertising authentic words voice jargon stopcallingmeaconsumer consumering strategy tactics theadvertisedlife) [...]