How Will CSR Shake Out in 2010?
In today's information rich society, consumers are very much in tune with what companies are selling, promoting and marketing. Additionally, consumers are aware of how corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs can impact the bottom line. It's gotten to the point now where consumers are helping brands with their CSR programs.
There are lots of opinions about how CSR will play out in 2010. Recently, we sat down with Scott Beaudoin, senior vice president, North America Director of Cause Marketing and CSR, with MS&L to discuss his opinions.
As a 16-year veteran of the business who has developed award winning programs, Beaudoin has seen the CSR space morph into what it is today, reflecting on how 2009 played out and what 2010 will look like in a recent interview
"In 2009, we coined the year, the year of values and activism. Given the down economy, we understood the necessity for companies and brands to prove the value of their products and services to consumers," Beaudoin said. "We conducted a Global Values Study that supported our belief, illustrating that global consumers were demanding to not only see the value in products and services, but also wanted to support companies and brands that shared their own values."
The biggest catalyst in the CSR space, Beaudoin said, was the
proliferation of social media tools that spurred increased consumer activism.
"We saw consumers rapidly aggregating online to both commend and condemn companies and brands," he said. "As a result, we saw a trend where companies and brands were looking to effectively communicate and rally stakeholders around their shared values."
Here's the rest of the interview:
Technorati: What do you believe will be the key areas of focus within the cause and CSR space in 2010?
Continued on the next page
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