The Flames Foundation for Life

I found that there are several categories of social responsibility that businesses are executing these include environmental efforts, philanthropy, ethical labor practices and volunteering. The Calgary flames participate in philanthropy and volunteering.

The Calgary Flames participate in corporate social responsibility through the Flames Foundation for Life and provide an exceptional example on reporting their efforts. On their website they clearly state what they do and the amount of money they have donated this year, “Flames Foundation for Life has several annual commitments in support of health/wellness, education and amateur and grassroots sports.  This year the Flames Foundation for Life distributed over $2.4 million to annual projects plus donations to Southern Alberta charities in need” (Calgary Flames,2016).

They also provide links for previous years donations to Red Cross and Kindle. The page is very easy to read and clearly highlights the various new programs they are fundraising for this year these include the Calgary Flames Grade 6 YMCA Membership Program and HEROS- Hockey Education Reaching Out Society and the Calgary Flames AtSchool Program in partnership with Chevron. The page then highlights the programs they are committed to each year in different categories. These categories are education, health and wellness, grassroots and amateur sports. The website also includes a page dedicated to community support that focuses on the many community initiatives they are engaged in. This site is also successful in reporting as it provides several links to various websites for more information on their programs as well as great pictures and several videos. The What We Do page includes a very cute video talking about what they do for the HEROS campaign.

            Stakeholders would be very happy to see the this reporting and by providing a video on the website that has an emotional appeal does an excellent job in providing them some insight into how the Flames Foundation for Life is passionate about making a positive impact for organizations and communities.

Link to the Video 

            Stakeholders would be very happy to see the this reporting. By providing a short video on the website that has an emotional appeal, The Flames Foundation for Life does an excellent job in providing them with insight into how the Flames Foundation for Life is passionate about making a positive impact for organizations and communities.

Link to the Website

Effective CSR Reporting

According to the Centre for Excellence in CSR, reporting on community investment and corporate social responsibility programs is essential to establishing trust amongst various stakeholders and potential investors. The way a company reports on its CSR activities (in terms of the kind of information provided and the accessibility of such reports) can influence whether or not a company is perceived as transparent and effective in achieving its objectives.

Companies should aim to report their CSR efforts in ways that evoke credibility and appeal to the informational needs of stakeholders. For example, in the Oxford Handbook of Corporate Social Responsibility, Orlitzky (2008) suggests that CSR activities of a company may influence consumer purchase preference based on:

• The degree of concern for an issue/issues
• The relevance of an issue/issues to an organization
• How a company communicates its actions and performance in addressing an issue/issues
• Whether or not the company is perceived as effective in addressing an issue/issues (i.e. direct impact of company actions)
• Whether or not consumers feel like they are contributing to helping solve an issue/issues (i.e. direct impact of consumer actions)

The Centre for Excellence in CSR mentions that companies can make CSR information more available by dedicating sections of their websites to the reporting of sustainable practices. These sections should generally include environmental, health and safety and community information (depending on applicability and relevance to the company). Stand alone reports, if available, should also be published online in addition to information on sustainability goals and progress. 

Based on these suggested “best practices”, a good example of CSR reporting is CIBC’s 2015 Corporate Responsibility Report. This report is not only displayed in an easy-to-read format, but it addresses several investor and consumer concerns. For example, CIBC demonstrates its stakeholder engagement initiatives in the form of a table, displaying information on the company's focus of activities, engagement methods and key results (see below). The report also provides details on the company's public accountability and governance practices, as well as its environmental responsibility initiatives and risk management policies and procedures. CIBC’s economic contributions (including its community investments and small business/debt-financing programs) are broken down in a transparent manner and contrasted with the economic contributions of previous years. Additionally, a variety CIBC’s community investment approaches and priorities are highlighted within the report and include videos (as well as other visuals) of sponsored events such as the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure, the CIBC 401 Bike Challenge and the CIBC Children’s Miracle Day.

- Olivia Blundell

Reporting on Sustainability

Photo credit: Telus

Telus is one of biggest telecommunication companies and it is known for supporting a number of causes. When researching into companies reporting on CSR Telus was one of the ones that stood out the most for me. As a Telus customer myself I thought it might also be good for me to learn a little more about their initiatives. The document I looked at for this blog post was Telus's Sustainability Report 2015.

Why did Telus's Sustainability Report 2015 report stand out to me?

Photo credit: Telus

1. In true Telus fashion the report featured numerous high-resolution eye catching photos. The vibrancy of the photos give the report an attractive look that quickly grabs the reader's attention.
2. The report uses real people when discussing different initiatives which I feel makes the report and the work that Telus is doing for sustainability feel more relatable
3. The document is easy to read, follow and understand
4. The document flows well and uses illustrations and quotes often to demonstrate points
5. Telus's goals regarding sustainability are clearly stated under each initiative and the outcomes of that goal are clearly shown

Overall I think Telus's use of illistrations, imagery, testimonials and clear voice are what make this document an excellent example of CSR reporting. If more reports are written and designed as this one was more people might be interested in reading them and learning more about the CSR initiatives of companies they buy goods or services from. 

To read more about Telus's sustainablity report click, - here -
To learn more about Telus's CSR initiatives click, - here -

- Thea Ness

Dove Self-Esteem Project

Blog 4 - By Meghan Schimpf

Dove’s 2013 Self-Esteem Project is an excellent example of corporate cause promotion done right. After conducting research that illuminated shocking statistics on body confidence in young girls (ages eight to 16) and their desires to participate in physical activities they enjoy. Dove’s Self-Esteem Project aimed to create awareness among mothers with girls within this age group and to promote body confidence among the young girls themselves through the Self-Esteem Project. The project provided girls and women the tools they need to inspire one another, such as games and information guides, while also helping mothers and mentors develop the skills to have real body confidence discussions.

How did they do it – what was the communication piece other than the materials and information? – Two massive 3D billboards displaying real soccer cleats and swimsuits, paired alongside two large ads in two incredibly busy Toronto and Montreal intersections. 

The ads contained factual statistics on the relationship between low body confidence preventing girls from engaging in sports. Through this powerful and impactful pairing of visual and textual communication, Dove was able to create dialogue among mothers, mentors and young girls. The results of the campaign were impressive: over seven million impressions were made by the campaign itself and almost three million through the billboards themselves.

This promotion benefited Dove, because it positioned themselves as a company that cares for its consumers, one that is aware of what’s going on in the world and the importance of its role in helping make young girls feel good about themselves at a young age. This is beneficial, because starting such associations with a brand at a young age makes it very likely that they will continue to use the products in the future. 

I think it is a smart business move and a great brand alignment that positioned the company very well with women across Canada and around the world. Body products are intimate and they do make us feel a certain way about ourselves, so pairing this mentality with the importance of body confidence at an early age is a great association.

Disney Does Good in More Ways than One

Blog 5 - by Meghan Schimpf

Disney Does Good in More Ways than One

This is a topic of high interest to me. I am really fascinated in better understanding the ways companies engage in the reporting process and communicate how they are putting their words to action, or not. I feel corporate social reporting and community investment reporting can often be done merely out of lip service, while I feel that others have a strong desire to ethically communicate and share the things they are doing beyond their responsibilities to make a profit. I am of the belief, unlike that of Milton Friedman, that organizations have a wider responsibility beyond simply making a profit, which includes social, environmental and other such areas.

When I was researching for this blog I attempted to find companies who were well known for their responsibility reports. One of the best I came across in my search was Disney’s Citizenship Report (performance summary). I think this report stood out to me because of the way it attempted, and in my opinion, successfully communicated its efforts toward social responsibility and community investing with its stakeholders. Reasons I found the report to be a success and perhaps best practice takeaways for other companies would include:

• Readability of the report itself – it was not written in jargon language, but was rather communicated in more simplistic language, with easy titles and navigation tabs to take readers wherever to whatever sections of the report they wished to further investigate
• Beyond just communicating successes, the report also highlights areas for improvements and targets that were not achieved and also offers yearly comparisons – this type of authentic, transparent communication makes reports more valuable and trustworthy
• In addition, it indicates its GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) status – this is important to indicate that they had in fact used a standard of reporting, because as not many may know, reporting of this type is currently voluntary and by no means mandatory. Report validity/veracity can be questionable, so to use a set standard that requires having content verified and approved of is key to reassuring stakeholders that what is being communicated is actually truthful and not just done out of lip service or merely to boost reputation
• Beyond the GRI status, the report also included stakeholder feedback and veracity of the report. Areas for improvement within the reports were indicated and Disney proactively provided the requested documentation/information.
• The inclusion of an ethical conduct section is also a good component to share with stakeholders.
• Disney’s report also has a section of awards and accomplishments that they’ve received from externals who have analyzed their CSR efforts – this is another key piece to include that offers a credibility component for stakeholders.
• The detailed data inclusion that highlights very relevant, real and often controversial information was another great piece to communicate. By having things such as gender and ethic representation, child labour, wages and actual environmental impacts, Disney again shows its transparency and willingness to communicate and become vulnerable to do so.

There were many other aspects of the report that made it a success, but overall I was pleased as a stakeholder myself to read how their actions are being tangibly put into words.

BC Hydro's Power Smart Program

In 2011, BC Hydro’s Power Smart Residential Behavioral Program was designated as a Landmark (best practices) Case Study by Tools of Change. As a great example of corporate cause promotion, BC Hydro’s program was unique in that it used a opt-in, membership style approach to engaging and changing consumer behaviors (Team Power Smart). By using this kind of approach, the program aimed to connect the notion of energy conservation to things audiences cared about (i.e. being eco-conscious) and routine activities audiences could relate to (i.e. buying new appliances, changing windows, re-insulating households, etc.). As a result, BC Hydro’s attempt to increase engagement focused on three areas – resonance, enjoyment, and affiliation.

About the BC Hydro Power Smart Program

The program aimed to shape consumer behavior by promoting the tangible benefits of membership (i.e.  a lower power bill, special perks), intangible benefits (i.e. being part of a “unified” group), and hidden motives (i.e. the feeling of making a difference). The program’s tactics included storytelling, co-creation, member feedback, exclusive offers, events, endorsements and energy saving tip and challenges.  Regular communication with members was also conducted through mail and email, including a monthly e-newsletter and bi-annual magazine.  

How did BC Hydro benefit from the Program?

As BC Hydro is a Crown corporation and the province’s main energy supplier, it has an inherent obligation to the public despite any losses it may incur as a result of the Power Smart program. For example, the Power Smart program may end up cutting the power bills of customers, which would decrease BC Hydro’s residential revenues. However, BC Hydro, as a crown corporation, must not only consider its own best interests but also what the best interests of its customers are. Trying to promote “power saving” therefore, is in BC Hydro’s best interests as it shows customers that BC Hydro is trying to help lower the cost of power bills, both on an individual/residential level but also on a larger, more provincial level.

While BC Hydro did not set measurable objectives for each of its 25 “targeted” behaviors (i.e. turning off the lights at night), it did set cumulative behavioral targets. According to its baseline from 2009, Team Power Smart has reduced power consumption by 46 GWh to the end of 2015. “Power Smart” has now become BC Hydro’s “slogan”, perhaps due to the overall success of and practicality of the program (in 2011, the “slogan” said “for generations”; now it says “power smart”). 

- Olivia Blundell

#SpeakBeautiful

A very unique caused-related marketing campaign I wanted to talk about is Dove’s #SpeakBeautiful campaign. In the past few years Dove has really stepped up in trying to change the way women view their bodies. I am sure many of us have seen the various viral YouTube videos created by Dove that tug on the heart strings and focus on empowering women and young girls. Dove’s newest campaign has taken a far more unique approach to a cause-related market campaign as they have teamed up with Twitter to diminish negative social chatter around self image. The campaign began roughly one year ago and continues to grow in success. People were encouraged to retweet a post on Dove’s Twitter account that includes the hashtag #SpeakBeautiful. Dove then automatically responds to the retweet with a link that directs the user to a custom microsite. This microsite includes a chart of Twitter data that is then compared to a chart showing other users tweets about self image and how the users tweet stacks up to theirs. A custom algorithm was created to highlight negative tweets in realtime that occurred during events such as the Oscars.This helped to identify the need for more positive self talk and less body shaming that circulates on Twitter.

According to Twitter, the campaign was incredibly successful as it earned over a billion impressions and reduced negative tweets over the past year about the beauty of others by 68 per-cent and self beauty by 40 per-cent.This campaign is attractive in more ways than one. The Dove brand focuses on empowering women and emphasizing that being attractive or beautiful starts from within and then reflects out. It is difficult today to find brands that are accepting of various skin colors, body types and shapes. Dove encourages women to love themselves and in doing so encourages them to be accepting of others “flaws”. There is beauty in imperfection. 

An interesting pitfall for the brand is that the same company that owns Dove also owns AXE, the very popular male body spray company. There is an inherent flaw in this as Dove and AXE contradict each other in their portrayal of women and sexuality. AXE commercials are well known for featuring thin beautiful barely clothed women and meanwhile Dove is featuring women of all sizes and shapes in their commercials. This calls into question if  Dove is simply playing on the insecurities of women to make money or do they genuinely care about how women feel? How would all of this play out on Twitter if someone had raised this matter? What is a celebrity sheds light on the Dove and Axe connection? I believe this cause-related marketing campaign is wonderful in theory, I just hope it doesn’t backfire and that the new hashtag associated with Dove doesn’t become #SpeakTruthful to reflect the companies contradictive marketing messages. This would not only have a negative affect on the brand itself but would also put Twitter in a very uncomfortable position.

Find more about the campaign here

Check out their Twitter page here 

Holt Renfrew adds Me to We Atelier to its Uncrate Africa boutiques

In 2015, the famous Me to We brand was added to Holt Renfrew's Uncrate Africa boutiques across Canada. It was added to the lineup alongside other socially conscious brands within Holt Renfrew's H Project umbrella in hopes that it too would empower and enable these high-end consumers to make conscious purchases that would make a real difference. In particular, the Me to We Atelier collection supports a community of Kenyan women who themselves are the designers and craftsmen of the precious jewelry pieces. Through the purchase of each Me to We Atelier product at Holt Renfrew, a Kenyan girl will receive the gift of education. 

ME to We is an incredible brand that continually works to create change and bring awareness through its cause-marketing approach to business and doing good. By working with Me to We, the women in these communities offer future generations a sustainable future, where income and education are gained and poverty becomes a thing of the past. 

These products and this partnership are attractive to consumers because it offers a tangible good, while at the same time offering a feel good feeling of doing something more and going beyond that of a typical, everyday consumer purchase. Another reason it is attractive, for Holt Renfrew in particular is that it allows the brand to show its commitment to fashion in every form and its support of causes that matter and directly align with its brand values. The product is an incredibly good fit with the company, which is highly important in pursuing any type of corporate philanthropy - consumers in this case are able to very plainly see that it is not a random inclusion into Holt's product offering, but a strategic decision that supports the overall vision of offering unique fashions for savvy, trend-focused consumers from around the globe. 

I think what could be a potential pitfall is the possibility that the individual brand and cause itself may get lost along the way in terms of awareness creation and that consumers may not gain as much knowledge about the product/cause because of the type of retailer and the resources dedicated to ensuring all staff know lots about the product beyond just the look of it. This is a minor detail and in general I think it is a great cause-marketing collaboration. Instead of donating a simple amount of money - a child gains an entire education through the small purchase of a piece of craftsman jewelry. It is a great cause and I think a very smart business decision on both companies sides. 

By Meghan Schimpf