Basic Needs and Green Are Hot

The recession and concern over global warming are definitely having an impact on the causes companies choose to build new campaigns around.

Many domestic basic need charities are experiencing an upsurge in new partnerships. For example:
-- Mott's is giving a dollar to Feeding America when consumers arrange for actress Marcia Cross to give someone a wake-up call.
-- Kentucky Fried Chicken is fixing potholes in five cities in need of road repairs.
-- Walgreens is teaming up with AARP to provide free health screenings in 3,000 communities over the next two years.

On the environmental front, a recent study by Cone found that nearly 80 percent of consumers were as or more likely to buy environmentally responsible products now than before the recession.

Marketers are "hip" to that as evidenced by the deluge of program announcements I've received in time for Earth Day such as:
-- Tropicana and Cool Earth are empowering consumers who upload product codes to rescue 100 square feet of rain forest.
-- Payless Shoe Source is giving a dollar to The Nature Conservancy to plant trees in Brazil with the purchase of reusable shopping bags and a "green" line of shoes.
-- NBA Green was launched as part of an intergrated campaign between the basketball league and the National Resources Defense Council.

Cotton Inc. and the National Geographic Society are recycling jeans into insulation; Organic Valley is sponsoring Earth Dinners across the country; Campbell Soup is giving away tomato seeds so consumers can grow their own; the proliferation of programs this year is truly stunning.

(Source: David Hessekiel, Cause Marketing Forum, 04/15/09)

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