Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility: Challenges to Companies with Low Company Cause Fit. Amy Scarlett

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1 CommunicatingCorporateSocialResponsibility: ChallengestoCompanieswithLowCompany CauseFit AmyScarlett ACapstoneProjectPresentedtoTheFacultyof theschoolofcommunicationinpartial FulfillmentoftheRequirementsfortheDegreeof MastersofArtsinPublicCommunication Supervisor:ProfessorLaurenFeldman April26,2011

2 Abstract Thispaperexaminesstrategiesforcommunicatingphilanthropic corporatesocialresponsibility(csr)activitiesinpubliccampaigns.academic literaturepointstoseveralfactorsthatinfluencethesuccessorpublicapproval ofsuchcorporatecommunicationefforts.thisstudyspecificallyconsidersone ofthesefactors thatofthecongruencelevelbetweenthecompanyandthe causeitsupportsincsractivities.morespecifically,itexaminestwoexisting campaignswithlowcompany causecongruence,kennethcole s Awearness andlizclaiborne s LoveIsNotAbuse, todetermineiforhowthisdetriment canbeovercome.resultsshowedthatothercampaignfactorsaremore significanttothesuccessofastrategiccsrpubliccommunicationcampaign. 1

3 TableofContents INTRODUCTION 3 LITERATUREREVIEW 6 WHATISCORPORATESOCIALRESPONSIBILITY? 6 BENEFITSTOTHECOMPANY 8 CONSUMERS&THEPUBLIC 9 EMPLOYEES 10 SHAREHOLDERS 11 COMMUNICATINGCSR 11 INFORMATIONSOURCE 13 ATTRIBUTINGMOTIVETOCSRACTIVITIES 14 COMMITMENTTOCAUSE 15 COMPANY CAUSEFIT 16 METHODS 21 CASEANALYSIS 21 CONTENTANALYSIS 21 CASEPROFILES 24 AWEARNESSBYKENNETHCOLE 24 KENNETHCOLEPRODUCTIONS 24 INTRODUCINGTHEAWEARNESSINITIATIVE 25 CURRENTAWEARNESSCAMPAIGN 27 CONTENTANALYSISRESULTS 31 CRITIQUEOFCAMPAIGN 33 LOVEISNOTABUSEBYLIZCLAIBORNE 35 LIZCLAIBORNE,INC. 35 CAMPAIGNHISTORY 36 LOVEISNOTABUSECURRENTCAMPAIGN 37 CONTENTANALYSISRESULTS 44 CRITIQUEOFCAMPAIGN 46 DISCUSSION 48 COMPANY CAUSEFIT 48 CSRBEYONDCOMPANY CAUSEFIT 50 STUDYLIMITATIONS&DIRECTIONSFORFUTURERESEARCH 52 CONCLUSION 53 REFERENCES 54 2

4 INTRODUCTION Corporatesocialresponsibility(CSR)isabusinessconceptwherebyacompany seekstobehaveinsociallyandenvironmentallyresponsiblewayssothatitsbusiness contributestosocietyinmeaningfulandlastingways(hopkins,2007).companiesare incentivizedtoengageinsociallyresponsibleprogramsbecauseofthepotentialbenefitsto business,whichincludebrandenhancement,marketdifferentiation,andemployee satisfaction( communicatetheircsractivitiestotargetaudiences,whichcanhinderthecompany s realizationofthesebusinessbenefits. Thereareseveralfactorsthatinfluencehowthepublicandothercompany stakeholdersinterpretandrespondtoinformationaboutcsractivities,suchasmessage content,informationsource,perceivedmotivationsofthecompany,industryofthe company sbusiness,brandreputation,andnatureoftheirbusiness.anotherfactorthatis oftenemphasizedinacademicstudiesisthecompany causefit,whichreferstothelogical connectionbetweenthebusinessfunctionofacompanyandthecauseororganizationit supports(simmons&becker Olson,2006).Thisisthoughttobeimportantbecausewhen company causefitislow,individualsengageinmoreelaborateprocessingasameansto explainthecompany smotivationsforsupportingaparticularcause.whennoother informationisofferedtosuggestalogicalexplanationforitssupport,individualscan becomeskepticalofthecompany struemotives,whichcanleadtonegativefeelingstoward thecompany.whileacompanydoesnothavecompletecontroloverallofthesefactors, effectivecommunicationstrategiescanhelptocreateanddeliveramessagethatismost beneficialtothecompany. 3

5 TogainabetterunderstandingofhowtocommunicateCSRactivities,thisstudy specificallyexaminesthefactorofcompany causecongruence,andhowlowcongruence betweenacompany sbusinessandthecauseitsupportscanbeovercome.acompanymay choosetosupportacausewithlowcongruencetoitsbusinessformanyreasons,including responsetoacrisisordisaster,andpersonalinvolvementorinterestinaspecificsocial domain(menon&kahn,2003).byexaminingthevariousaspectsoftwocurrentcsr campaignsthathavelowcompany causefit,thisprojectaimstodiscoverbestbusiness practicestoeffectivelycommunicatecsr,sothatthecompanyreceivesmaximum recognitionandbenefitforitsefforts.ifcompaniescanrealizethebrand enhancing benefitsofcsractivity,itmaypromptmorecompaniestoinvestadditionalresourcesin CSR.Suchinvestmentswouldbenefitneedycausesandwouldprovideanadditional advertisingoptiontocompaniesthatmaybeinterestedindiversifyingtheirtraditional marketandcommunicationoutreachstrategies. ThecampaignsanalyzedinthisstudywereKennethColeProductions Awearness andlizclaiborne,inc. sloveisnotabuse.thepurposewastodetermineiforhowacsr publiccommunicationcampaigncanovercomethechallengesoflowcompany causefit. Manyfactorslimitthegeneralizabilityofthisstudy sresults.thedegreetowhicha companyrealizesbenefitsfromitscsractivitiescanbemoderatedbyanumberof contingencyfactors(bhattacharya,korschun,&sen,2009).themostimportantofthese arecharacteristicsofthecompany,whichincludethecompany sreputation,andthe industryinwhichitoperates;thisstudydidnotexaminethesecharacteristics.kenneth ColeProductionsandLizClaiborne,Inc.,wereselectedpurposefullybecausetheir businessesoperateinthesameindustry retail anditwasbelievedthiswouldestablisha 4

6 fairbaselinefromwhichtocomparethetwocampaigns.however,specificitytotheretail industryalsorepresentsalimitationtothestudy,becausefindingsmayonlybeapplicable toothercompaniesinthatindustry. Tobegin,areviewofrelevantliteraturedescribingCSR,aspectsandimportanceof communicatingcsractivities,andcompany causefitwillbediscussed.next,methodology forthecaseanalysesandmediacontentanalyseswillbedescribed.then,acaseanalysisof eachcampaignwilloutlinetherespectivecommunicationefforts,provideresultsofthe contentanalysis,andofferaqualitativecritiqueoftheoverallcampaign.thediscussion sectionwillfollow,whichwillhighlighttheimplicationsoftheresultsforcreatingor examiningfuturecsrcampaigns.resultsfromthecontentanalysissuggestthatboth campaignsneedtoimprovecommunicationtoinvolvethepublicincampaignefforts. FindingsalsoshowedthatKennethColeProductionshaseffectivelysecuredcompany recognitionfortheawearnesscampaigninallmediacoverage,whereasloveisnotabuseis sometimesmentionedinthemediawithoutacknowledgementofthecompany s,liz Claiborne,Inc.,participation.Finally,areasforfutureresearchwillbesuggested. 5

7 LITERATUREREVIEW WhatisCorporateSocialResponsibility? CorporateSocialResponsibility(CSR)isaconceptofbusinessthatconcernsthe importantrelationshipbetweencompaniesandsociety(carroll,1999).csrisbroadly definedastherolethatacompanytakestointegrateresponsiblebusinesspracticesand policiesintoitsbusinessmodeltopromotehigherstandardsoflivinginsociety,for employees,andtheenvironmentwhilepreservingprofitability(hopkins,2007).academic literatureandresearchonthepracticesofcsrbeganinthe1950s,anditsdefinitionhas evolvedoverthistime.archieb.carroll,abusinessmanagementprofessoratthe UniversityofGeorgia,haswrittenextensivelyonthemanagementofbusinessethics,and corporatesocialperformance.asheexplains,corporationsareexpectedtofulfillcertain responsibilitiesjustasprivatecitizensare.hedistinguishestheseresponsibilitiesintofour faces:economic,legal,ethical,andphilanthropic(carroll,1998).csrisbasedontheidea thatcorporationsaremorethanjustprofit seekingentities,andthattheymustbe responsibleforthesocietalandenvironmentaleffectsoftheirbusinessactivities(lantos, 2001).ItisdifficulttodefineCSR,sinceitistechnicallyvoluntary(Carroll,1999),inthe sensethatitisnotlegallyrequired,socompaniesarefreetointerpretitspurposeand extenttowhichitisincludedintheirbusinesspractices(matten&moon,2008). ThetwomainwaysthatcompaniesengageinCSRarethroughimplementationof ethicalbusinesspracticesandengaginginphilanthropicactivities.ethicalcsrentails 6

8 incorporatingresponsiblepracticesthatminimizethesocietalharmsofbusiness operations(lantos,2001).therearemanywaysforcompaniestoimplementethical businesspractices;theseincludeminimizingenvironmentalpollutionfrommanufacturing facilitiesandprovidinghealthcarebenefitstoemployees.philanthropiccsrdescribesa company'ssupportforacauseoractivitythatoccursoutsideoftheirbusinessoperations butprovidesbenefittosociety(carroll,1999;kerlin&gagnaire,2009).companieswill usuallychooseacauseororganizationonwhichtofocustheircontributions,whichcan includedonationofequipmentortechnology,employeetime(volunteerism),ormoney (Carroll,1999;Kerlin&Gagnaire,2009).Forexample,CiscoSystemsfocusesits philanthropiccsrobjectivesonaccesstoeducation,humanneeds,andresponsible citizenship(kerlin&gagnaire,2009). UndertheumbrellaofphilanthropicCSR,therearedistinguishingelementsthat drivemotivationforacompany'sinvolvementandactions;thesedifferencesare representedbyaltruistic(intrinsic)andstrategic(extrinsic)motivations(lantos,2001; Matten&Moon,2008;Du,Bhattacharya,&Sen,2010).Altruisticmotivesarewoveninto thecorporation'scharacteraspartofitsintrinsicinstitutionalvaluesandenvironment (Matten&Moon,2008).Anexampleofintrinsicmotivesthatisfrequentlycitedinthe literatureisbenandjerry'shomemadeicecream,whichdonatesaportionofitsprofitsto causesthatthefoundersbelievein,likeeducationandgayrights(lantos,2001;hopkins, 2007;Kerlin&Gagnaire,2009;Duetal.,2010).Strategicmotives,however,areconsidered moreofabusinessinvestment,wherecompanycontributionsareexpectedtoyielda profitablereturn(lantos,2001).whateverthemotives,itiscertainthatcsrhasbecome 7

9 animportanttoolformeasuringacompany'sreputationandpublicimage(ellen,webb,& Mohr,2006). Cause relatedmarketing(orcausemarketing)isatypeofcsractivitythat" involvesacompany'spromisetodonateacertainamountofmoneytoanonprofit organizationorasocialcausewhencustomerspurchaseitsproducts/services"(nan&heo, 2007,p.63).Inthisform,CSRhasapositiveimpactonsocietyandprovidesdirectbenefit tothecompanythroughincreasedsalesrevenue(nan&heo,2007,p.63).onestudy reportsthat81percentofamericanconsumerswantcompaniestogivethemthe opportunitytopurchaseacause relatedproduct(cone,2010).throughtheirpurchasing power,theyareinvestinginthecompany scsrinitiativeandfeelliketheyarecontributing tothecause.however,otherstudiescautionthat"cause relatedmarketingcampaignsare morelikelytobeviewedwithsuspicion,"becausethey"oftenexplicitlylinksupportofa charitytoafirm'sprofit generatingactivities"(barone,norman,&miyazaki,2007,p. 439). ItisimportantforcompaniestocontinueinvestingintotheirCSRbecause thecsr conceptwillremainasanessentialpartofbusinesslanguageandpractice,becauseitisa vitalunderpinningtomanyoftheothertheoriesandiscontinuallyconsistentwithwhat thepublicexpectsofthebusinesscommunitytoday (Carroll,1999,p.292). BenefitstotheCompany CompaniesengageinCSRactivitiestoinfluenceandimprovestakeholders' perceptionofthecompany'simage.companyorbrandimageisimportantbecauseit ultimatelyprovidesthecompanyacompetitiveadvantagefortheirbusiness(baroneetal., 8

10 2007,p.444).CSRisbeingmonitoredmorecloselynowthaneverbeforebecause consumersareveryconcernedwithresponsiblebusinesspractices(morsing&schultz, 2006).ThisisevidentbytheincreaseinthenumberofyearlycompanyCSRrankings,such asforbesmagazine's100bestcorporatecitizens,ethisphere'sworld'smostethical Companies,theGlobalESG100byRiskMetricsGroup,andthedisclosureofactivitiesinthe annualreport(morsing&schultz,2006).companieshaveincreasinglyadoptedsocially responsiblepracticesbecausethepublic,employees,andshareholdershavehigh expectationsforthevaluesandconductofbusiness(carroll,1999).thesestakeholder groupscanhavetremendousinfluenceonprofitability,soitisinthebestinterestofthe company sbottomlinetomeettheexpectationsofthesegroups. Consumers&thePublic Arecentstudyshowedthat85percentofconsumerssaysupportingacausethey careaboutenhancestheirperceptionofaproductorcompany(cone,2010).beingviewed asgoodcorporatecitizenscanfosterlong term,loyalrelationshipswithconsumers,who seethemselvesasinvestorsinthecompanyorbrandwiththeirpurchasingpower(duet al.,2010).consumersmayalsobewillingtopayapremiumpriceforproductsorservices offeredbyacompanyengagedincsr(austin,leonard,reficco,&wei Skillern,2006;Duet al.,2007ascitedinduetal.,2010).csrprogramscanalsohelptoestablishapositive corporatereputationthatmakesconsumersresilienttonegativecompanynews(duetal., 2007ascitedinDuetal.,2010).Consumerscanbecomepromotionalmechanismsfora companyorbrandthroughpositiveword of mouthcommunication.theinternethas offeredamagnifiedplatformforthis,asconsumersareusingsocialnetworkingsitesto communicatetheirenthusiasmforacompanyorbrandbecauseofitssociallyresponsible 9

11 practicesorprojects(duetal.,2010).however,thispowerfulvoicecanhaveanadverse effectforacompanythatisnotmeetingconsumerexpectations(austinetal.,2006). Consumershavebeenknownto'punish'companiestheybelievearebehavingsocially irresponsiblythroughproductboycottsandencouragingotherstodothesame(austinet al.,2006). AstudybySenandBhattacharya(2001)foundapositiverelationshipbetweenthe CSRactionsofacompanyand consumers'attitudestowardthatcompanyandits products (p.225).resultsshowedthatinformationaboutacompany'scsrinitiatives enhancedconsumers'evaluationsofthecompany.inasituationwhereconsumershavea choicebetweentwoproductsorservicesthatarerelativelythesame,thecharacteror attributestheyhaveassociatedwiththosecompanieswouldbeaninfluencingfactorin theirdecisionofwhichproductorservicetopurchase(sen&bhattacharya,2001). Employees Companiescanalsorealizebenefitsofsociallyresponsiblebusinesspractices internally,amongitsemployees.whenemployeesareawareoftheresponsiblepractices andphilanthropicactivitiesoftheiremployeritcangeneratefeelingsofprideinthe companyandleadtoincreasedemployeededicationtothecompanyemployees(austinet al.,2006).csrcanalsoleadtoemployees increasedwillingnesstooffermoretimeand energytotheircompanies(maignan&ferrell,2004).somestudieshavefoundthatjob applicantsaremoreattractedtocompanieswithhighcsrratings(turban&greenning, 1996ascitedinMaignan&Ferrell,2004).Whenemployeesfeelthissenseofpridefor theircompany,thisfollowsthemoutsideoftheofficeandtheycanbecomeapromotional assettothecompany,servingasambassadorsforthebrand. 10

12 Shareholders Shareholdersaremainlyconcernedwiththecompany sfinancialbottomline.their interestincsrrelatestohowitcandifferentiatethecompanyinthemarkettoincrease companyprofits.acompany'scsractivitiescanimproveitsreputationbecauseit establishesasocialvalueofthecompany,whichcanbeadistinguishablequalitythathelps setitapartfromcompetitors(austinetal.,2006).thus,shareholdersbenefitfromcsr programsbecauseoftheirinfluenceonconsumerpurchasingbehaviorandpotentialto increaseemployeeproductivity.thecompanyannualreportprovidesanoutletfora companytoshareinformationwithshareholdersaboutthebusinessoperationsand financialsuccessofthecompanyinthepreviousyear.csractivitiesareoften communicatedtoshareholdersthroughtheannualreportoraseparatecorporate responsibilityreport. Beforeacompanycanrealizethesebenefits,internalandexternalaudiencesmust beinformedaboutcsrinitiatives(duetal.,2010).however,awarenessofcompanies'csr activitiesiscurrentlylowamongpublicandcompanystakeholders(duetal.,2010).this provesaneedforeffectivecommunicationstrategies. CommunicatingCSR AdisconnectincommunicationbetweenCSRinitiativesandpublicawarenesswill impedeanypotentialbenefitstoacompany;so,itisimportanttointelligentlyand strategicallycommunicatethistothepublic(maignan&ferrell,2004;morsing&schultz, 2006).Thenewsmediaareavailabletoreportbusinessscandalstothepublic,butitisthe 11

13 company'sresponsibilitytoinformthepublicaboutthegoodthingsthatitdoes.aswith anypubliccommunicationcampaign,itisfirstimportanttoidentifytheobjectivesand consideralloftheaspectsthatcontributetoasuccessfulmessage.thedesiredoutcomefor communicatingcsrinitiativesistoensureallofthepossiblebenefitstothecompanyare achieved.inordertogeneratefavorableattributionforacompany'scsrprogramsitis necessarytocommunicatethecompany'smotivationbehinditsinvolvement,explainthe reasonforchoosingthatparticularcause,anditscommitmenttothecause(duetal.,2010). TherearedifferentmethodsforcompaniestocommunicatetheirCSRdependingon theaudiencetheyaretryingtoreach.thespecificaudienceisidentifiedbywhothe companyistryingtoinfluencewithinformationaboutthegooddeedstheydo. Communicationwithshareholdersandinvestorsisfocusedonthecompany sannual Report,whichincludesfinancialdata(Duetal.,2010).Throughpressreleases,the companycanattractmediaattentiontotheircsrprograms.internalcommunicationwith companyemployeescanoccurthroughmanychannelsincluding ,newsletters,and internalwebportalsandcanemphasizeincludingtheminthecompany scsrinitiatives. Forcompanieswhosellconsumerproducts,itspurposeistoinfluenceandimprovethe publicimageofthecompany,andsometimesthisisdonethroughtraditionalmarketing channels,suchastelevisioncommercials,printadvertisements,billboardadvertisements, andproductpackaging.internetcommunicationsofferopportunitiestoengageandshare informationwithvastaudiences.dedicatingasectionofthecompany swebsitetocsr informsvisitorsofitsinitiatives,andincorporatingsocialnetworkingsites(e.g.facebook andtwitter)intothecommunicationplaninvitesconsumerstojointhecompanyin 12

14 supportofthecause(duetal.,2010).thispaperfocusesoncsrcommunicationtothe generalpublic. Advocacyadvertisingandcausepromotionaretwoapproachesforcommunicating CSR(Menon&Kahn,2003).Throughadvocacyadvertising,acompanyprovidesaresource toacauseorphilanthropicorganizationanditsinvolvementiscommunicatedthrough channelsthatfocusonthecauseorphilanthropicorganizationratherthanonthecompany (Menon&Kahn,2003).Causepromotionencouragesaudiencestopurchaseaproductthat willbenefitthecause;thisisalsocalledcausemarketing.menonandkahn(2003)argued thatwhenacompanydoesnotadvertiseinawaythatshowshowthecompanyitself benefits,thistriggersmoreelaborateprocessingbythemessagereceivertounderstandthe actualmotivesofthecompany.instead,causepromotionshowsanobviouscompany motivetoselltheirproduct.menonandkhan foundthatcausepromotionsyieldedhigher ratingsofcsrthanadvocacyadvertising (2003,p.325).Theyattributedtheseresultsto theideathatitwaseasiertounderstandacompany ssupportforacausewhentheysaw thebusinessbenefitfromsellingtheproduct;however,advocacyadvertisingfocusing solelyonthecauseledtomoreelaboratecognitiononthecompany smotivesfor promotion. InformationSource Thesourcefromwhichapersonreceivesinformationcanaffecthowthat informationisinterpretedandvalued(yoon,gürhan Canli,&Schwarz,2006;Simmons& Becker Olson,2006).Acompany scsrcanbecommunicatedbythecompanyitselforbya thirdparty.informationfromthecompanycanbemadeavailablethroughadvertising, pressreleases,orthecompany swebsite.thirdpartysourcesrepresentreportingonthe 13

15 CSRactivitiesbyindividualsnotassociatedwiththecompany,likejournalistsandopinion leaders.informationsourcecanalsoaffecttheperceivedsincerityofacompany smotives toparticipateincsractivities(yoonetal.,2006).learningaboutcsractivitythrough companyadvertisinglowerstheperceivedsincerityofthecompany smotivesforengaging inthecsractivity.advertisementsarealsopotentiallydangerousbecausetheybring attentiontofundsthatthecompanycouldbespendingonthecause.however,ifa company scontributiontothecsrcausefarexceedsitsspendingonadvertising,the negativeconsequencesforthecompany sself promotioncanbeovercome.simmonsand Becker Olson sstudyshowedthatattitudesweremorefavorableofsponsorshipswhenthe informationsourcewasthenonprofitorcauseorganizationratherthanthecompany (2006,p.162). AttributingMotivetoCSRActivities Themotivationdrivingacompany'sparticipationinCSRisimportantbecausethe publicrelatesmotivetothecompany'scharacter(sen&bhattacharya,2001).whilethe publicusuallyhasapositivereactiontomessagesaboutcompanies'ethicalandsocially responsibleactivities,therearecertaincircumstancesthatcanleadtoaboomerangeffect oftheintendedmessage(morsing&schultz,2006).consumersunderstandthatinorder tofunction,acompanymustfirstbeconcernedwithitsfinancialbottomline(ellenetal., 2006).Becauseofthisunderstanding,ifacompanydisclosespurelyaltruisticmotivesfor itscsrinitiative,thepubliccanfeelmanipulatedordeceived(forehand&grier,2003as citedinduetal.,2010).inmostcases,altruisticmotivesarenotexpectedorbelievableand cangenerateasenseofdistrustinthecompany,possiblytriggeringpublicskepticismabout theactualmotivesforcsrparticipation(ellenetal.,2006).consumerskepticismofcsr 14

16 involvementcanbeavoidedbyacknowledgingandexplainingthestrategicbenefittothe company(ellenetal.,2006). ResearchconductedbyEllen,Webb,andMohr(2006)examinedtheinfluenceof consumers'attributionsofacompany'scsrinitiativesontheirtrustinthecompanyand howthatextendstotheirintenttopurchaseaproductfromthatcompany.study participantswereaskedtoevaluatecsrinitiativesbasedontheperceived self centered (strategicandegoistic)and other centered (values drivenandstakeholder driven) motivationsofthecompanyandthenindicatetheirlikelihoodtopurchase.resultsshowed thatconsumersstillhadapositiveperceptionofthecompanywheninformationwasmade availableforthemtoattributecompanycsrparticipationtoacombinationofbothvaluesdrivenandstrategicreasons.thisillustratesthatconsumershaveacomplexcognitionof thereasonswhyacompanyparticipatesincsractivities,andunderstandtherecanbea varietyofreasonsthatinfluencethesemotives(ellenetal.,2006). CommitmenttoCause Acompany scommitmenttothecauseitsupportsthroughcsrcanbeassessedin termsoflongevityandimpact(maignan&ferrell,2004).thelengthordurationof commitmentisimportantbecauseasellenetal. sstudyfound, Whencommitmentwas onlyforashortperiodoftime,[consumers]thoughtthatthecompanywasparticipating[in CSR]onlytomeetothers expectationsinsteadofactingontheprinciplesofthe organization (Ellenetal.,2006,p.154).OneofthepurposesofreportingCSRisto enhancetheimageofacompany scharacter,butthiscannotbeachievedifitsparticipation isperceivedtobeinsincere;long termcommitmentstocsractivitieswillprovide credibilityofthecompany smotives.impactofcommitmentdescribestheoutcomeor 15

17 effectthatthecsrinitiativehasonthecauseitsupports(maignan&ferrell,2004).the publicandcompanystakeholdersexpectcompaniestoengageinacausewhereitcanbe mosteffectiveand havethemostimpact (Duetal.,2010,p.16).Bhattacharya,Korschun, andsen(2009)explainthat animportantaspectofstakeholderperceptionsofcsr initiativesisthedegreetowhichinitiativesareseentobeeffectiveinbenefittingthecause beneficiariesand/orsociety (p.261).therefore,acsrcommunicationstrategyshould includereportingtheimpactorresultsofthecompany seffortsinordertohavethe optimaleffectonstakeholderperceptionofthecompany. Company CauseFit Thecompany cause fit describestheperceivedcongruencebetweenacompany andthecauseororganizationitsupports(simmons&becker Olson,2006).This congruenceisthedegreetowhichtheirassociationmakeslogicalsense,basedonthe connectionbetweenthecompany'sbusinessfunctionandthecause.ifthislogical connectionexists,peoplearemorelikelytoattributeitscsractivitiestothecompany's desiretohelpthecauseandtobuildrelationshipswithcustomersratherthanfor excessiveprofiteering (Ellenetal.,2006,p.154).Researchhasindicatedthatthefitofthe companytothecausecanaffectthepurchasingintentionsofconsumers(ellenetal.,2006). Thelevelofcongruencebetweenthecompanyandthecauseaffectshowtheactionsofthe companyareperceived,whichcanthenaffectapprovaloftheactivity.the fit canbe furtherdistinguishedbythedegreeoffitandtypeoffit.degreeof fit isdescribedin termsofeither high fit or low fit. High fitmeansthatthereisanobviousconnection betweenthecompanyandthecause,andcanbeviewedasbeingconsistentwithwhatis expectedfromthatcompany.whenfitishigh,thisreinforcestheperceivedimageofthe 16

18 brandorcompany(simmons&becker Olson,2006,p.160).Whilelow fitdescribesalow levelofobviouscongruencebetweenthecompanyandthecauseandisthusnotconsistent withexpectedbehaviorfromthecompany. Company causefittypeisdifferentiatedbytwogeneraltypes:functionalandimage. Functionalfitrelatesthecompany sbusinessproductioncapabilitiestothetypeofcauseor organizationsupported(alcañiz,cáceres&pérez,2010).imagefitregardsthecorrelation betweenthecompany scharacterorreputationandtheimageofthecharitable organizationorcausethatitsupports. MenonandKahnidentifyfourdimensionsofassociationfromwhichpeoplecan perceivecongruencebetweenthecompanyandcause,theseinclude:(1)product dimensions,(2)affinitywithspecificaudience,(3)establishedcorporateimageassociated withaspecificsocialdomain,and(4)thecompany spersonalinvolvementinasocial domain(2003,p.318).productdimensionsrefertocongruencebetweenproductsor servicesthecompanysellsandthecauseitsupports;anexampleisagrocerystorethat donatestoafoodbank.affinitywithaspecificaudiencedescribesacompany s sponsorshipofacausethatrelatestoitsmainconsumerbase,forexample,achildren s clothingcompanydonatesmoneytoprimaryeducation.establishedcorporateimage associationsaredefinedbythecompany spastconductinsupportingaspecificcause,for example,thebodyshop sparticipationwithenvironmentalprotectioncauses(menon& Kahn,2003).Personalinvolvementofthecompanyreferstosponsorshipofacausefor reasonsrelatingtoapersonalconnectiontothecausefromsomeonewithinthecompany; forexampleifthecompany schiefexecutiveofficerhasachildwithautismandthe companysponsorsautismspeaks.someofthesedimensionscanbemadewithcommon 17

19 knowledgeofproductorcompany;however,insomecircumstancesaconsumermayneed morein depthknowledgeofacompanytobeabletorecognizeitsassociationformedwith acausebecauseofitsestablishedcorporateimageandforpersonalinvolvement. NanandHeo s(2007)researchestablishedabaselineconditionthatshowedan actualeffectfromcausemarketingonconsumers attitudestowardcompanies.theyfound thatregardlessofthecause fitlevel,anyadvertisementwithacause marketingcomponent elicitedmorefavorableresponsesfromconsumers attitudestowardthecompanythana similaradvertisementwithoutthecause marketingcomponent(nan&heo,2007,p. 70).NanandHeoalsoidentifiedbrandconsciousness,anindividualtrait,asamoderating factoraffectingtherelationshipbetweencause fitandconsumers'evaluationofa company.thestudyfoundthatpositiveeffectsfromhigh fit(e.g.companyevaluations) wereonlyrecognizedinsituationswhereconsumershadhighbrandconsciousness.when therewaslowbandconsciousness(ornopreviousfamiliaritywiththebrand),therewas noeffectoncompanyevaluations(nan&heo,2007,p.71). SimmonsandBecker Olson(2006)examinedtheeffectsofhigh fitandlow fiton consumers evaluationsofcompanies.inthehigh fitconditionoftheirstudy,alpopetfoods supportedthehumanesocietyandinthelow fitcondition,itsupportedthespecial Olympics.Resultsshowedthatconsumers evaluationsofthecompanyweremore favorableinhigh fitconditionsascomparedtolow fitconditions.theyattributedthese resultstothefactthatwhenfitislow,consumersengageinelaborateprocessingtomake senseoftheconnection,andifnootherinformationisprovidedthisleadstolessfavorable attitudestowardthecsractivityandcompany(simmons&becker Olson,2006,p.164). SimmonsandBecker Olsonexplainedthathigh fitisimportantinacompany cause 18

20 relationship;however,theysuggestthe negativeeffectsoflowfitcanbereduced(1) throughcommunicationsdecisionsthatcreateperceivedfitand(2)byalteringthemessage source (2006,p.154).Creatingfitestablishesaheuristiclinkbetweentheotherwise unrelatedorganizations.thiscanbeaccomplishedbydonatingarelatedproductthat evokesasharedassociationorbyprovidingamessagethatexplainshowthecompanyfits withthecause(simmons&becker Olson,2006,p.161).Alteringthemessagesource mightincludeathirdpartyreportingonthecsractivitytoprovideobjectivityand legitimacytothecompany sprogram. Barone,Norman,andMiyazaki(2007)studiedtheeffectsofcompany causefiton consumerevaluationsofcompanies,specificallyintheretailindustry.theirresearch foundthattheinfluenceofcompany causefitonconsumers'evaluationofcompaniesis contingentonotherfactors,suchasmotive,andattitudetowardthecause.examining high fitconditions,companyevaluationsdifferedbasedonconsumers'attributionof motive;whenapositivemotivewasattributedtoacompany'scausemarketingeffort, companyevaluationsimproved;however,whenmotivewasperceivedlessfavorably,so wasthecompanyinevaluations(baroneetal.,2007,p.444).anotheraspectoftheirstudy showedthatwhencompanieschoseanunpopularcause,higherlevelsoffithelpedthe companyovercomeeffectsofchoosinganunpopularcause;however,thisdidnotprovide anyadditionalbenefittothecompanyevaluations. TheliteraturereviewedexplainsthatvariouselementsofCSRcanaffecthowthe activityisperceivedbythepublicandotherstakeholders,including,attributionof companymotive,company scommitmenttothecause,sourceofinformation,andthetype 19

21 andlevelofcompany causefit.thisstudyhighlightstheroleofcompany causefit.based ontheexistingresearch,itisexpectedthatlowcompany causefit,inthecasesofkenneth Cole sawearnessandlizclaiborne sloveisnotabuse,willhinderthepotentialbenefits realizedbythecompanyforitscsractivities.thefollowingresearchteststhis expectation,inordertodeterminetheimportanceofcompany causefitrelativetoother elementsinacsrcampaign. 20

22 METHODS Researchforthispaperconsistedofaqualitativecaseanalysisandamediacontent analysisofmediacoverageofkennethcole sawearnessandlizclaiborne sloveisnot Abusecampaigns. CaseAnalysis Thecaseanalysisincludedinformationaboutthecompany,achronological developmentofthecampaign,andadescriptionandcriticalanalysisofcurrentcampaign programsandpractices.reviewingeachcampaign'sevolutionovertimeprovidedabasis fortherationaleofitscurrentpractices.anexaminationofthecampaign scurrentpublic communicationpracticesofferedinsightofwhattheyareeffectivelyaccomplishing,and whataccordingtotheacademicliterature,theycouldbedoingbettertoassuremaximum benefitstothecompany. ContentAnalysis Acontentanalysisofmediawasconductedforthisstudy.Thepurposeofthis contentanalysiswastodeterminewhatinformationwasaboutthesecsrcampaignswas reportedbythenewsmedia.mediacoverageofcsrissignificantbecauseofitspotentialto reachvastaudiencesandbecausecsrinformationreportedbyanobjectivesource(i.e.not thecompany)isperceivedasmorecrediblethaninformationfromthecompany(through advertising)(yoonetal.,2006).elementsexaminedinthecontentanalysisincluded: relevancetotherespectivecampaign,typeofpublication,mentionofcompanynamein 21

23 associationwiththecsrcampaign,inclusionofinformationtoinvolvethepublicinthe campaign(i.e.,throughproductpurchaseorfurtherinformationseeking),descriptionof thecampaign simpactoreffectivenesstohelpthecause,andmentionofcongruence betweenthecompanyandthecause(cause fit).thefollowingisadetaileddescriptionof howmediacontentwasselectedforanalysis. MediacoverageofbothcampaignswaslocatedusingLexisNexisAcademicand Factivaonlinedatabases.Coverageofbothcampaignswasexaminedfromanequalperiod ofthreeyearsandtwomonths,toestablishabaseforcomparableanalysisofmediaresults. MediacontentforanalysisoftheAwearnesscampaignwasfoundfromapower searchonthenewsarchivewebsitelexisnexisacademicforallnews(english),usingthe searchterm awearness. AFactivasearchidentifiednewsarticlesthatincludedthetext awearness intheenglishlanguage.thesearchyieldedthefollowingtypesofmedia: newspaperarticles,magazinearticles,blogarticles,newsletters,webpublications,and mediatranscripts.searchresultswerespecifiedforthedaterangebetweenjanuary1, 2008andMarch1,2011.Thisstartdatewaschosenbecauseitwasshortlyafterthe campaignlaunch,butbeforethereleaseoftheawearnessbook,whichwasthefirstlarge eventofthecampaign.aftersearchresultswerefilteredforduplicatesandpressreleases, thelexisnexissearchyielded64articlesandthefactivasearchproduced41articles.then, resultsfromdatabasesearcheswerecomparedtoidentifysimilarfindings;atotalof32 articleswerefoundinbothsearches.anadditional32articleswereprovidedexclusively bylexisnexisand9byfactiva.thetotalnumberofarticlesultimatelycodedforawearness was73( ). 22

24 MediacontentforanalysisoftheLoveIsNotAbuse(LINA)campaignwasfoundfrom apowersearchonthenewsarchivewebsitelexisnexisacademicforallnews(english), usingthesearchterm loveisnotabuse. TheFactivasearchidentifiednewsarticlesthat includedthetext loveisnotabuse intheenglishlanguage.thesearchyieldedthe followingtypesofmedia:newspaperarticles,magazinearticles,blogarticles,newsletters, webpublications,andmediatranscripts.searchresultswerespecifiedforthedaterange betweenjanuary1,2006andmarch1,2009.thistimeframewaschosenbecausethe campaignreceivedanawardin2007anditwasassumedthatintheyearpriortowinning thisaward,2006,therewouldhavebeengreatermediacoverageandthusmoremedia contenttoanalyze.aftersearchresultswerefilteredforduplicatesandpressreleases,the LexisNexissearchyielded45articlesandtheFactivasearchproduced36articles.Then, resultsfrombothdatabasesearcheswerecomparedtoidentifysimilarfindings;atotalof 28articleswerefoundinbothsearches.Anadditional17articleswereprovided exclusivelybylexisnexisand8byfactiva.thetotalnumberofarticlesultimatelycoded forlinawas53( ). Allpressreleasesfoundinarticlesearchresultswereremovedfromthecontent analysisbecausethesourceofthesearticleswasthecompany(i.e.,sincethecompanyis thesourceofthecontent,thereisnoobjectivity)andbecausethegeneralpublicdoesnot readnewsreleases. 23

25 CASEPROFILES AwearnessbyKennethCole KennethColeProductions In1982,designerKennethColecreatedafootwearcompany,thefirstofhismany ventures(colbert,2011a).in1994,thecompanyconvertedfromaprivatecompanyintoa publiclytradedcorporation.currently,kennethcoleproductions(kcp)isamultinational corporationthatproducesandsellsfootwear,apparel,andaccessoriesunderitsbrands: KennethColeNewYork,KennethColeReaction,Unlisted,andGentleSouls(Colbert, 2011a).Itsvariousproductlinesaremadeformen,women,andchildren,andareavailable toconsumersatanestimated5,500departmentandspecialtystores,110companyoperatedretailandoutletstores,andthroughcatalogsandwebsites.designerkenneth Cole(KennethCole)isstillamajorfigureinthecompany;asofMarch2011,heservedas chairman,ceo,andchiefcreativeofficerofthecompany.colealsoownsmajoritystock (about54percent)inthefirmand controlsalmostallofthevotingrights (Colbert, 2011a). Fromthebeginning,whenKCPwasaprivatelyownedcompany,KennethColeused productadvertisingasachanneltoadvocateforthesocialissuesthathepersonallycared about.hisfirstsocially consciouscampaigndebutedin1983andwasdesignedtoraise awarenessaboutaids acausethedesignercontinuestosupport throughprint advertisementsthatread BuyonelesspairofshoesanddonatethemoneytoAIDS research (Colbert,2011a).Asthecompanygrewandeventuallybecameapublic corporation,kennethcolecontinuedtousekcp smarketingplatformtodeliveractivist 24

26 messages.in2005,kcplaunched WeAllHaveAIDS, anotheradvertisingcampaign intendingtoreducethepublicstigmaattachedtopeoplewhoarelivingwithhiv/aidsand toencouragefurtherpreventionandresearchefforts(kcp,2005).thiscampaignincluded salesoft shirtswithsloganssuchas WeAllHaveAIDS and IHaveAIDS, andpublic serviceadvertisements. KCPbelievesthatitsmostvisibleCSReffortshave beenitsuseofmarketingand advertisingasavehicletobringsociallyrelevantissuestotheforefront (Cole,p.253).The company sadvertisingisdesignedto strengthentheemotionalconnectionwith[its] consumers (KCPAnnualReport(AR),2010,p.2).Thismarketingapproachfocuseson KCP sproducts, whilemaintaining[thecompany s]uniquesocialvoice,toensure[it] remainsbothrelevantandaspirational (KCPAR,2010,p.10). IntroducingtheAwearnessInitiative Tocommemoratethecompany s25 th anniversary,kcplaunchedtheawearness campaigninmid2007;acsrprogramthatconsolidatedthecompany sphilanthropic activitiesintoonecharitableinitiative,dedicatedtocreatingpublicawarenessofsocial causeslikeaidsandhomelessness(beckett,2007).alongwiththecampaign,the AwearnessFundwasestablishedasanonprofitentitytocollectandallocatethecompany s charitabledonations.ascoleexplains: ThroughtheAwearnessFund,[thecompany]willseektocontinuetoraise awarenessforvarioussociallyrelevantissues,stimulatepublicdebate,andprovide inspirationandopportunitiesforourcommunitiestogetinvolvedandgiveback (KennethColeProductions(KCP),n.d.). 25

27 Inlate2008,KennethColereleasedabookrelatedtothecampaign,Awearness: InspiringStoriesAboutHowtoMakeaDifference.Thebookiscomprisedof86essays writtenbyinfluentialpoliticalandadvocacyleadersaboutvarioussocialissuesandstories designedtoencouragepeopletovolunteerforsocialchange(cole,2008). Inadditiontoitssocialmessageadvocacy,theAwearnesscampaignisacause marketingoperation.approximatelyonceeveryquarter,awearnesschoosesacauseor nonprofitorganizationtopartnerwithandfocusitssupport(kcp,n.d.).thecauses supportedvary;theyincludedisasterreliefeffortsandtwoprimaryorganizations,amfar andhelpusa.thefoundationforaidsresearch,oramfar,isaglobalnonprofit organizationthatfundsaidsresearch( organizationprovidinghousingandservicestohomelesspeopleintheus ( anddonates100percentofthenetprofitsfromitssalestotheawearnessfund,which thenmakesafinancialcontributiontothepartneringcauseororganization.eachofthese partnershipcampaignsincludesadvertisingcomponentsthatbringsattentiontothecause ororganizationandpromotessalesofthepromotionalproduct.kcpalsoidentifies ChangeAgents, whichareindividualswhoworkwiththecauseornonprofitandare describedas socialactivist[s]whostrivetohelpeducateandencourageotherstoget involved (KCP,n.d.).KCPconsidersthisinitiativeanimportantcomponentofits marketingstrategy,andbelievesthattheprogramhasheightenedpublicperceptionofthe company sbrands(kcpar,2010). AninitialfocusoftheAwearnessinitiativewastoencouragevolunteerism;inlate 2008,thecampaignestablishedapartnershipwithVolunteerMatch 26

28 ( volunteeringwithcausesandorganizationslookingforhelp(volunteermatch,2008).the partnershipincludedavolunteerwebsiteaccessiblefromwww.awearness.comand poweredbyvolunteermatchthatconnecteduserswithvolunteeropportunities (VolunteerMatch,2008).Inaddition,selectKennethColeretaillocationsaddedin store kioskswherecustomerscouldsearchforactivevolunteeropportunitiesbyenteringtheir ZIPcodesandinterestareas. CurrentAwearnessCampaign KCPexplainsitsadvertisingconceptstoshareholdersasawaytoclearlydepictthe brandas thequintessentialmetropolitanlifestylebrandformodernmenandwomenwho areconfident,cleverandcool (KCPAR,2010,p.11).KCPdescribestheAwearness initiativeasacomponentofthebrandthatdistinguishesandenhancespublicawarenessof thecompany,itsproducts,andsocialissuesitsupports(kcpar,2010).thecampaign currentlyconsistsofhostingevents,outdooradvertising,andsocialmediaplatforms. Events InJune2010,AwearnesspartneredwiththeHumanRightsCampaigntoraise awarenessaboutlegislationseekingtorepealthefederalgovernment slawagainst allowinghomosexualstoserveopenlyinthemilitary,commonlyreferredtoasthe Don t Ask,Don ttell policy(humanrightscampaign(hrc),2010).thispartnershipincluded salesofalimitededitiont shirtandhostingeventsatfivekennethcolestoresnationwide. TheeventswereheldduringGayPrideWeekandpartoftheproceedsgeneratedfromthe shoppingeventwasdonatedtothehumanrightscampaign(hrc,2010).advertisements fromthisinitiativeplayedofftheusarmy srecruitingcampaignforworldwariandii, 27

29 andincludedanimageofunclesampointingoutattheaudiencetoaskfortheir participation(americantreasuresofthelibraryofcongress,n.d.).figure1showsan invitationtooneofthecampaigneventsheldatakennethcolestoreinnewyorkcityon June25,2010. Figure1:KCP&HRCRepealDon'tAsk,Don'tTell Source:HumanRightsCampaign(2010) Advertising KCPoperatesitssignaturebillboardinNewYorkCityontheWestSideHighwayand 59 th Street(J.Moore,personalcommunication,March16,2011).Thislocationregularly featuressocialmessagesfromthedesigneraswellaspromotionaladvertisementsforkcp products.manyoftheoutdooradvertisementsalsodirectviewerstokcp ssocialmedia sitesformoreinformationandopportunitiestogetinvolvedinthecampaign scause.the 28

30 campaignalsoadvertisesawearnesspromotionstocustomersthroughitscustomer list(j.moore,personalcommunication,march16,2011). Website Initially,theAwearnesscampaign sonlinepresencewasanextensionofkcp's shoppingwebsite(kcp,n.d.).onnovember5,2008,coincidingwiththebooklaunch,the campaignestablisheditsowndomainnamefortheawearnessinitiative, independentwebsiteforawearness,sincethisdomainnamenowlinkstoasectionofkcp s consumerwebsitethatisdedicatedtotheawearnesscampaign.asitexiststoday,the AwearnesssectiononKCP sshoppingwebsiteisusedtopromotethecurrentquarterly campaign,offeringaplatformtosellthecause relatedproductsandtohighlightthe recognized changeagent. SocialMedia InFebruary2008,KCPlaunchedablogwebsiteforAwearness, platformforcoletoraiseawarenessandengagediscussiononissuesrelatingtosocial rights,well being,andthepoliticallandscape.initially,theblogconsistedofregular contributionsfromcole.thegeneralpublicwasalsoinvitedtocontributetotheblog conversationsafterregisteringtoparticipatewiththesiteandcreatingapersonalprofile (Lo&Mirchandani,2008).Forunknownreasons,theblogisnolongeractiveoraccessible ontheinternet;linkstowww.awearnessblog.comnowredirectstotheawearnesssection onkcp swebsite. 29

31 TherewasalsoanAwearnessTwitteraccountassociatedwiththecampaign sblog accountofferednooriginalcontent,butwasinsteadusedtoconnectusersfromtwitterto theawearnessblog.alltweetsissuedfromthistwitteraccountwerenoticesofnewposts totheawearnessblog.eachtweetcontainedaportionofablogposttitleandoffereda hyperlinkconnectingtotheblogthatwouldallowareadertoviewtheentirepost.asof sincetheawearnessbloghasbeendeactivated,therehasbeennoactivityformthis accountsincemay2010,andclickingontheselinksnowalsoredirectstotheawearness sectionofkcp AwearnessdoesnothaveaFacebookpresence(i.e.,apagedevotedtothecampaign). However,KCPhasacompanyFacebookpagethatwascreatedinFebruary2010that sometimesreferstoawearness( March10,2011,theFacebookpagehad135,533peoplewho like thepage.awearnesshas beenmentionedbykcponitsfacebookpage13timesinitshistoryinpostsorcommentto otherpeople sposts;mostofthesewerepromotional,toreportanewawearness related productforsaleandtoofferinformationonhowtopurchasethisproduct(e.g.onlineorin stores). SeveralAwearnesscauseshavebeenpromotedthroughtheKCPFacebookpage.In responsetothe2010earthquakeinhaitiandthebpoilspillinthegulfofmexico, Awearnesslaunchedproductswithaccompanyingadvertisementstoraisemoneyand attentiontothedisasters(kcp,2010).inmidjune2010,awearnesssponsoredacustomt 30

32 shirtdesignstoreonthekcpfacebookpage,allowinguserstochoosetheirown combinationofvariousslogans,shirtcolors,andgraphics(kcp,2010).t shirtssoldfor $35andwereavailableexclusivelyontheFacebookpage.Therewasalsoanoutdoor advertisementthatread, Wecanallcleanupwelltosupportthegulf anddescribedthe customt shirtsavailableforpurchaseandprovidedtheurladdresstokcp sfacebook page(johnston,2010,seefigure2).thecampaignexplainedthatonehundredpercentof thenetprofitsgeneratedfromt shirtsaleswenttosupportthegulfclean upefforts. Figure2:KennethColeOilSpillBillboard Source:Johnston,2010 ContentAnalysisResults Theinitialcontentanalysissampleincluded73mediaarticles;ofthose,54articles weredeterminedtoberelevanttokennethcole sawearnesscampaign.anarticlewas consideredrelevantifthecampaignnamewasmentionedatleastonceanditwasin referencetosomeaspectofthecampaign,suchasactivities,productpromotions,orthe company(i.e.kennethcole).the54relevantarticleswerefurtherexaminedforadditional 31

33 characteristics,including:typeofpublication,mentionofthecompany,inclusionof informationtoinvolvethepublic,anddescriptionofthecampaign simpactoreffectiveness tohelpthesupportedcause.relevantarticleswerecomprisedofvariouspublicationtypes including,41percentfromnewspapers,28percentfrommagazines,20percentfromblog posts,and11percentfromothersources. All thatis,onehundredpercent ofthemediacontentanalyzedincludedmention ofthecompany,kcp,orthedesigner,kennethcole.thisisanimportantfindingbecauseit showsthatkcpisreceivingacknowledgementforawearness effortsinallofthemedia coverageregardingthecsrinitiative.asnanandheo(2007)found,causemarketing programselicitedmorefavorableresponsesfromconsumersaboutacompany.however, asbhattacharya&sen,(2004)explained,beforethecompanycanexperiencethebenefits associatedwithitscsractivities,consumersandthepublicmustbeawarethattheyexist. EnsuringthatallmediacoverageofAwearnessalsoincludesthecompanyordesigner s name(i.e.,kennethcole)establishesaconnectionbetweencsreffortsandthesponsoring company. AstheCone(2010)studyfound,consumerswanttobegiventheopportunityto purchasecause relatedproductsbecausethroughpurchasingbehavior,theyfeellikethey arecontributingtothecause.inorderforconsumerstoparticipatethroughtheir purchasingpower,theyneedtobeawareofthecause relatedproductpromotion.media coverageprovidesanopportunitytoinformthepublicofsuchpromotionalpurchasesand howtheycanparticipate.however,theawearnesscontentanalysisfoundthatonly44 percentofthemediacoverageincludedinformationonhowtheaudiencecouldget involvedinthecampaign,thisincludedwheretheycouldpurchasethepromotional 32

34 products.sincethepurposeofthiscampaignistocreateawarenessofsocialissuesandto generatesalestosupportthecauses,itisimperativetothegoalsofthecampaigntoinvolve thepublicand/orconsumers.thischaracteristicwasdeterminedbytheinclusionof informationaboutacurrentproductpromotionorevent,andfurtherinformationforhow toparticipate(e.g.,website,stores,facebook).awearnessshouldmakeitamorefocal pointtoincludeinformationonhowthepubliccangetinvolvedinthecause;mostly throughpurchasingthecause relatedproducts. None,orzeropercent,ofthemediacontentstatedorgavereferencetotheimpactor outcomeoftheawearnesscampaign sefforts.bhattacharyaetal.(2009)explainthatitis importanttoreporttheeffectivenessofcsrinitiativesbecauseitprovidesvaliditytothe company sclaimthatitissociallyresponsible.theawearnesscaseanalysisalsofoundno mentionofthecampaign simpactoncausebeneficiaries.thecampaignshouldofferfollow upinformationonthenumberofcause relateditemssoldortheamountofmoney ultimatelydonatedtotheorganizationsitsupports. None,orzeropercent,ofmediacontentcontainedamentionofthecongruence betweenthecompanyandthecausesitsupports,suggestingthatthiswasnotasalient elementofthecampaignintheeyesofthemedia. CritiqueofCampaign KennethColeProductionsoperatesasafootwear,apparel,andaccessories company.accordingtothecompany,itsproductsare targetedtoappealtomodern fashionconsciousconsumerswhoseekaccessibledesignerfashionthatreflectsa metropolitanlifestyle (KCPAR,2010).Basedonthecompany sbusinessproductionand consumerbase,theawearnesscampaignhaslowfunctionalfitwiththesocialcausesit 33

35 supports.however,kennethcole,thedesigner,hasestablishedthekcpbrandasan extensionofhimself,andassuch,thecausessupportedbykcpthroughtheawearness campaignrepresentcausesthatkennethcolepersonallycaresabout.inthissense,ifthe designerrepresentsthecompany scharacter,thereisadegreeofimagefitbetweenkcp andthecausesitsupports,because,asalcañizetal.explain,imagefitisthecorrelation betweenthecompany scharacterorreputationandthecharitablecauseitsupports (2010).TheassociationcouldalsoqualifyunderMenonandKahn s(2003)dimensionof congruenceasanestablishedcorporateimageassociatedwithaspecificsocialdomain, sincekcphassupportedcausessuchasaidssince1983. Duetal.(2010)explainedthatconsumersareusingsocialmediawebsitesto communicatetheirenthusiasmforbrandsandcompaniesfortheircsrefforts.asa strategiccsrcommunicationtool,theawearnessblogallowedkcptoshareinformation aboutitscsractivitiesandservedtoengageitscustomersandthepublic.bynothaving thesetoolstoreachouttoitsconsumerbase,thecampaigncouldbesacrificingsupportand salestobenefitawearnesscauses.theawearnesscampaignwouldbenefitfrom reintroducingsocialmediaplatforms,suchasfacebookandtwitter,intothe communicationtactics.thiswouldengageconsumerswiththecompany seffortsand possiblyencouragethemtogetinvolvedbypurchasingtheawearness sponsoredproduct. OtherdeficienciesintheAwearnesscampaign scommunicationmechanismswere foundinthemediacontentanalysis,theseinclude,limitedmentionofacalltoaction,and absenceofinformationaboutthecampaign simpact.awearness failuretoemphasizeacall toaction,ortoprovideinformationonhowthepubliccansupporttheinitiative scause, representsalostpromotionalopportunitythatcouldadvancethecampaign sabilityto 34

36 supportitscauses.also,sincereportingtheimpactofacsrinitiativegivesvaliditytothe campaign sefforts,awearnesswouldbenefitfromreportingtheoutcomeofcause related productsalesinnewsreleasesandadvertisements,includinghowmuchmoneywas ultimatelydonatedtothesupportedcause. LoveIsNotAbusebyLizClaiborne LizClaiborne,Inc. LizClaiborneInc.,(orLizClaiborne)isaU.S.basedfashioncompany.Thecompany wasfoundedin1976bylizclaiborne,whodesignedstylishandaffordableclothingfor workingwomen(colbert,2011b).atthistime,manywomenwerejustenteringthe workforce.in1981,thecompanybecameapubliclytradedcorporationandby1990,liz Claibornethedesignerwasnolongerinvolvedwiththecompany(Colbert,2011b). Currently,thecompanydesignsandmarketsclothingandaccessoriesformenandwomen internationallyunderthegroupofbrandsitowns,includinglizclaibornenewyork,liz& Co.,Claiborne,ConceptsbyClaiborne,KateSpade,JuicyCouture,andLuckyBrandJeans (Colbert,2011b). LizClaiborneengagesincorporateresponsibilityinavarietyofways,froma commitmenttoresponsibleglobalworkingconditions,environmentalinitiatives, philanthropicactivitiesthroughthelizclaibornefoundation,andthroughtheloveisnot Abusecampaign,itspublicinitiativetoeducateandraiseawarenessaboutdomestic violenceandteendatingabuse(lizclaiborne,inc.,n.d.).thecompanyrecognizesthelove IsNotAbuse(orLINA)campaignasa long termcampaignthatuses[the]corporateprofile 35

37 andinfluencetoadvocateantiviolencemessagestothegeneralpublic (LizClaiborne AnnualReport(LCAR),2010,p.20).Thetargetaudienceforthiscampaignis everyday Americanswho,withtherighttoolsandinformation,canhelppreventviolent relationships (LCAR,2010,p.20). CampaignHistory In1991,LizClaibornelaunched Women'sWork, anationalprogramtosupport localcommunityartprojectsdesignedtoraiseawarenessofthecomplexproblemsfacing societyaswomenenteredtheworkforce(lizclaiborne,inc.,1991).initially,women s Workwasanattemptbythecompanytoestablishasociallyresponsibleimageandto improvetherelationshipwithitscorecustomerbase women(crt/tanaka,n.d.).the purposeofthecampaignwastocreateawarenessaboutdomesticviolenceandtoeducate thepublicaboutwhattheycandotocurtailabuse.lizclaiborneexplaineditsinvolvement andperspectiveashavingamoreseriousresponsibilitytocustomersbeyondmarketing apparel,noting, ouractiveconcernforimprovingthequalityoflifeforwomenandtheir familiesisanaturalextensionofourongoingcommitmenttoqualityingeneral"(jerome Chazen,ascitedinLizClaiborne,Inc.,1991). Theprogramgrewtobecomeaninclusivecausemarketinginitiative,selling domesticviolenceawarenessmerchandisesuchast shirts,handbags,andjewelry,with proceedsbenefittingdomesticviolenceorganizations(lina,n.d.).anotherpurposeofthe campaignwastostimulateapublicconversationaboutthedangersandprevalenceof domesticviolenceintheus.thepublicawarenesscampaigncommunicatedthrough billboardadvertisements,publicserviceannouncementsfeaturingcelebrity 36