Whether it was diapers for vaccines, clothes for refugees, or giving children a breakfast, the last 12 months has seen a surge in cause-related marketing initiatives. Some have been global causes that have been localised to the Gulf, while others have been developed specifically for the region.
Spurred by consumer demand for companies to engage in corporate social responsibility initiatives, cause-related marketing, in which fundraising for a cause is tied to purchase of a firm’s products, has become popular in recent years. However, marketers face significant challenges in designing cause-related marketing campaigns that appeal to the Gulf’s consumers. The first is the question of who to partner with. Aside from UN-affiliated organisations such as UNICEF, there are few global charities operating in the Gulf, with the exceptions being Save the Children and Medecins Sans Frontières. Essentially, marketers need to partner with local charities, some of which lack an understanding of what is required to make cause-related marketing a success with consumers, particularly the need to communicate the personal role that consumers have in making any charitable campaign a success.
The second issue marketers have to tackle is finding a cause that satisfies three key criteria. The first is a cause that consumers care enough about to motivate them into making a purchase – this can be an exercise in frustration in a country like Qatar where there are few local social issues that a majority of the population cares strongly about. The second is supporting a cause that is different to the myriad other cause-related marketing campaigns (think of the sameness of the multitude of brand-based cancer-awareness campaigns running through October every year). The third is supporting a cause that has an affinity with the brand. One local example is Unilever’s tie-up with the Red Crescent for its Omo brand and the donation of clothes to the poor during Ramadan.
The third challenge is legislation. A number of the Gulf’s governments have introduced processes that, while well-meaning in theory, have impeded the number of cause-related marketing initiatives taking place in stores across the region. Regulations include the need to partner with a locally-registered charity and a requirement for a percentage of the collected funds to be spent locally. For those who don’t follow the letter of the law, expect to face strict penalties.
When done well, cause-related marketing can result in greater consumer engagement, increased trial, and a significant bump in sales. However, brand managers need to wake up to the need to move beyond simply copying what others are doing and move towards cause-related campaigns that are distinctive enough for consumers to not only recall them but actively engage and support them.
Working within the region’s legal guidelines regarding fundraising doesn’t make our job easy. But we have to better understand local issues and the charity landscape. We have to be more creative whilst ensuring that our messaging is personal enough for consumers to both understand what the cause is about and then to take action to support that cause. And we have to better align our cause-related marketing to the brand and the business. If we forget these points we’re in danger of ending up with campaigns that are supposed to support a good cause, but are simply gimmicks.
Alex Malouf is vice-chair of the Middle East Public Relation Association’s (MEPRA)