Doing Well While Doing Good

Book excerpt: Environmental abuse. Illiteracy. AIDS. Low quality education systems. Wildlife and habitat destruction. Poverty-stricken minority communities. Homelessness. Elderly neglect. Children in crisis. These are just some of the societal problems we face on a worldwide level, with effective solutions not always easy to come by. But if one looks to corporate America, one finds a new business ethic emerging that seeks solutions to these pervasive problems by following a socially conscious way of conducting business. L. Lawrence Embley, president of USA Communications, the leading cause-related marketing group in the U.S., explains how organizations must either measure up to the rising expectations of the socially sensitive consumer or perish in the shadows of their astute competitors. An informative and motivational source, Doing Well While Doing Good brings national attention to the new dynamics of social responsibility by exploring cause-related marketing and philanthropic economics, two ideas that have been implemented with huge success toward the restructuring of American and global society. This book shows how the practice of sponsoring a public, worthy cause, while simultaneously marketing one's own product, is fast becoming fashionable among the increasingly savvy marketers who recognize the changing attitude and trends of the American consumer. Proving that there is life beyond profit for the enlightened capitalist, this inspirational book highlights the new intelligence and ideology of the consumers, showing how and why they have risen to the state of global awareness, and how American business must market to them in order to turn a profit; addresses all segments of American business, illustrating how cause-related marketing is impacting the smallest to the largest companies; reveals the company-based and company-driven initiatives for social responsibility of several organizations, including Johnson & Johnson, 3M, Levi Strauss, Rubbermaid, Pepsico, General Foods, McDonald's, Coca Cola, and many others; deals with social venturing as a new phenomenon, focusing on the hundreds of millions of dollars now being created in the venture capital community to find and finance start up companies with a socially relevant context to their business plan; uncovers how America is motivated by the media and celebrity spokespersons who are passionate about their causes, examining the philanthropic economics of stars like Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor; uses IBM's corporate positioning as a solid example of today's American business philosophy, examining how and why it was chosen; spotlights the founders of companies that built huge successes by placing their principles ahead of their profits, such as The Body Shop, Ben & Jerry's Ice Cream, and others; and points to the importance of including courses on corporate social policy and business ethics in the core curricula of our country's business schools.