Part 2
In my previous blog, I touched on the importance of creating win-win CSR programmes that have a measurable impact, because after all, good PR is focused on delivering real results for clients.
But how can we create a strategy that achieves business objectives while also supporting society? I would like to use a recent example from one of our clients – Deliveroo – which we helped to launch a Ramadan CSR programme in partnership with Emirates Red Crescent. The campaign raised AED 136,000 for the charity, while Deliveroo benefited from heightened exposure, an enhanced reputation and a new level of engagement with the community at this important time of year.
How did we create this success?
- Assessing business objectives: All good CSR campaigns begin with assessing client objectives, and during Ramadan, Deliveroo wanted to stand out from the competition, reach out to the community, and position itself as a socially responsible company.
- Identifying community needs: It is also essential to get to the heart of how your client can best answer community needs with its services. During Ramadan, the community gathers to share suhour and iftar with the needy, and as Deliveroo is a food delivery service, it is perfectly positioned to contribute to these efforts.
- Aligning philosophies: It is important to create an affinity between your client and the charity. For this reason, we partnered food delivery service Deliveroo with Emirates Red Crescent, which as part of its charity activities provides meals to needy individuals across the UAE.
- Bringing in the community: Community involvement is crucial to the success of CSR campaigns. Deliveroo already has a user-friendly platform, which we put to good use by offering customers the opportunity to donate meals to Emirates Red Crescent with each order they placed. This brought customers into the campaign and made them feel part of the cause.
- Amplifying the campaign: Getting the word out is where PR professionals excel; we issued press releases and features to the media, generating significant coverage for Deliveroo, while also taking to social media to encourage people to give back by ordering via the platform.
- Measuring the results: As a result of our efforts, we not only raised a significant amount of money for Emirates Red Crescent but also received a flood of positive consumer feedback for Deliveroo, which saw its sales increase as people discovered a unique opportunity to give back.
The key to a successful CSR campaign, in my opinion, is to find the right balance between the client’s and the community’s immediate needs and to devise short-term projects that the media and community can get behind and that have a measurable impact. CSR campaigns are a win-win in this way – they boost client reputation, and even sometimes the bottom line, while also doing good for the UAE and the world.
Reem Masswadeh is Account Director at Cicero & Bernay Public Relations. An independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai and offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA. | www.cbpr.me
