Cause Marketing

Until I saw the free standing insert (FSI) on the left from Marcal Manufacturing on Sunday, I could count on one hand the number of times I’d seen a CEO featured in a cause marketing type ad. Heck, I could count it on one finger. That CEO was the wonderfully avuncular Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy’s as well as its long-time pitchman. Thomas died in 2002 at the age 69. Thomas was famously adopted as a child. As an adult he started the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption , which Wendy's sponsored. Wendy’s continues to support the foundation … along with other charities… with cause marketing initiatives and corporate giving. Now Marcal is using its CEO in a cause marketing type appeal. Since 1950 Marcal has made paper products from recycled paper. It goes without saying that Marcal was decades ahead of its time. Marcal was purchased in 2008 by a private equity outfit and Tim Spring , the man in the ad, was installed as CEO. Spring has extensive experience in consumer package good...

In the States there’s one place where you’re all but guaranteed to run into some kind of cause-related marketing, namely a retail franchise outlet. The ten largest U.S. based franchise systems, ranked according to total system sales volume as ranked by the Franchise Times follow. Where known I’ve added the cause with which each franchise system is most publicly-affiliated. 1). McDonald’s… Ronald McDonald House Charities 2). 7-Eleven… Muscular Dystrophy Association 3). Carlson-Wagonlit Travel…? 4). KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken)…? 5). Ace Hardware… Children’s Miracle Network 6). Burger King… ? 7). Pizza Hut… Book It reading incentive program 8). Coldwell Banker Real Estate… Habitat for Humanity 9). Subway Restaurants… American Heart Association 10). Wendy’s… Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption It’s not surprising that consumer-oriented franchises would tend to have a cause marketing focus. Academic researchers consistently find that corporate social responsibility makes good business se...