I recently came across an article on Forbes.com titled “Cause Marketing Coopetition on the Rise” by cause marketing guru David Hessekiel that I wanted to share here – because, to me, it really speaks to the true spirit of cause marketing (or at least what that spirit should be).
With cause marketing, we traditionally see individual companies supporting specific causes in an effort to do good, yes, but also to gain some degree of competitive advantage. And there’s certainly nothing wrong with that approach.
What thrilled me in Hessekiel’s article, however, was seeing two recent examples of industry competitors joining forces to tackle tough social issues – a trend we’ve seen more of in recent years. While the ROI behind their efforts certainly still matters to these companies, the importance of addressing tough issues – be it childhood hunger in one example or texting while driving in the other – outweighs typical competitive concerns. As a result, the companies still see a business benefit from their efforts, and they’re able to have an even greater social impact. Truly a win-win scenario…