At the risk of sounding polar… the foundations you mentioned above also represent a clarion call to all the Davids out there looking for their Goliath.

The fair trade label on the coffee cup at my local bean bar is appreciated; but I don’t think even the squeaky-cleanest of corporations could withstand the rigorous dissection their brand would undergo after claiming a social consciousness… Then again, maybe we’ll see some fresh new brands build themselves directly from a grass roots movement that starts with a push from a Social Media outcry. [??]

You need a foundation in credibility on the cause to begin with…

I agree the avoidance of political issues, and some social issues should be dealt with with a tender touch. Particularly ones that polarize issues. That said, polarization can be a great support for a brand. Look at the Chevy Tahoe thing GM did in the US last year.
The platform polarized the audience, and in the end, solidified brand loyalists and actually sold more trucks!

Pretty amazing if you ask me.

In the same breathe,
If you are a tuna company, and you don’t use nets that catch dolphins… There is a foundation.
If you are in the diamond trade, and you don’t use conflict diamonds, There is a foundation.
If you are in the carpet business, and you use environmentally sound products, There is a foundation
If you are in the coffee business, and you use fair trade coffee, there is a foundation.

It seems the best credibility is to find something bad that the competition is doing, and talk about how you don’t do it.

That is a good start anyway…

Although this probably wouldn’t be too big an issue with the ’cause’ you mention above given the almost plurality in belief that we humans are cooking the earth… BUT…

Outside of G.W. and the fight against AIDS, I can’t think of another cause a ‘general merchandiser’ might want to tie themselves too tightly too; conversely, I shudder to think the panic most would feel if discussions around their product turned to say… something like Gay Marriage.

An intersting example that… I was the first applaud IKEAS ‘gay couple’ ads; but I’ve often wondered how that would have flown if those ads had run in Southern Ohio and Central Indiana. Its easy to pic regional and/or demographic exposure to more controlled channels like newspapers and television; not so much so over social networks…

AND of course, the IKEA ads didn’t zoom in on those couple wedding rings

[AND, of course, social networks are making it almost impossible to prevent the ads shown in NYC from being played over YouTube in Acron]

I’d be hard pressed in suggesting a client tie their product to a ’cause’ in any medium.

I guess it would be both. Participating in social media sites external to your own platforms is a good thing. Building a social media platform to guide the conversation in your domain is even better. Trusting your consumers to speak amongst themselves is best… Even if some of them have something bad to say. If they are right, you are doomed for that point anyway. If they are wrong, you have a credible platform to respond from.

cheers
c

p.s.
thanks for the link love.

I’m a bit unclear; with regards to the social media platform mentioned above; are you talking about adding these features to a corporate marketing site? Or using existing SM sites; creating/promoting groups? (or both?)

Understanding the demographics of social media is to understand that these are the people who are setting the demographic profile of your company.

Every term entered into a search engine in the pursuit of commerce constitutes a sort of corporate pro…