So much controversial brand marketing news this week to choose from.... Apple innovates again with iPad, Burger King launches Whopper Bars, Toyota faces a crisis of quality, Snickers re-enters the Super Bowl, the Super Bowl stirs up controversy by allowing ads from Focus on the Family (why Tim Tebow's Mom didn't abort him).
Rather than discuss any of those, I'd like to highlight an effort from Sony in Japan. This 'campaign' involved recycling Sony billboard tarps into one-of-a-kind jeans, then placing the jeans back where they first hung, on the side of the Sony Building in Tokyo. There, shoppers could browse the whole collection and guys decked out in mountain climbing gear scaled the walls to bring them the pair of their choice. The profits from the sale were enough to cover the cost of the campaign, but Sony kept the recycling going by donating the money to restoring world landmarks.
Another Japanese brand, Toyota, has created special grasses and flower species to adorn its plants and support its 'green' profile. Numerous other green capital improvements have been made to the physical plant. Solar panels and special paint that absorbs harmful gases have been installed at Toyota's Tsutsumi plant.
These programs required considerable effort on the part of Sony and Toyota, all to show they are socially responsible. Yet, these programs do not touch the consumer. And in terms of scale (actual donations and impact) are rather small.
How important is it for companies to support their brands with these types of gestures? Does this make you feel any differently about Sony?
Posts
17 comments:
I really like the Sony jeans campaign. I think it’s unique and innovative, much suited to the youth culture in Tokyo.
As far as corporate social responsibility is concerned, I think it is definitely becoming an increasingly important element for companies who hope to differentiate themselves from competitors. It is evident that more and more companies today are investing in human capital, the environment, and their relationships with stakeholders to gain their respect and trust. Professional excellence and commitment to employees and clients is not enough in itself anymore – these are things easily duplicated by competitors. With increasing globalization, greater environmental and social awareness amongst citizens and more efficient communication, the concept of companies' responsibilities beyond the purely profit-maximizing has definitely gained momentum.
However, CSR does have an impact on the company' financial budgets. With much of our world now in recession, it will be interesting to see whether CSR really has been embraced by corporations or whether it is simply a marketing and publicity initiative for them.
I agree that the Sony jeans campaign was innovative, but I don’t really see the connection from the campaign to the brand. When I think of Sony, I think innovative entertainment technology. I think Sony could center its campaign on something more closely related to its business, such as a creative project involving recycling parts from its electronics products. I think that this would have more of an impact on consumers. Toyota…Prius…less emissions…environmentally friendly…cleaner plants….
I agree with Suzy – it’s becoming increasingly important for all companies to highlight the “good” that they are doing, and consumers and investors almost expect to see this. I think the companies who will have the greatest positive impact on their bottom line are those who integrate their efforts into core business operations or tie them directly to the company or brand strategy.
I can see the connection to the company, however thin it may be. Innovation in advertising is equally important as innovation in technology. However, I think the main point of the jeans campaign is achieved right here: we're talking about it, searching Sony's website, and deciding how relevant is it to the company. Such gestures are extremely important because they create talking points. Granted such buzz is not sustainable, but short-term, they are brilliant. My hat is off to them to thinking of this before any other company. Though I have more respect for Sony's marketing department, I do not see how the jeans campaign can cause drastic swings in opinions in the long-term. Those advantages can only be achieved through real innovations in the products.
I agree with Amy, the jeans sales don't seem relevant to Sony's core businesses and therefore risk coming off contrived for the name of recycling. On the other hand, people may not think that deeply on it, and its likely effective by simply exploiting their tall building to generate awareness of the brand.
The factory efforts seem to be another matter, as factories have come to personify the concept of environmental degradation. Any company that can make symbolic changes to their factory like Toyota has added value to those that live in its area who look negatively at factories. Certainly Subaru's zero landfill factory in Lafayette has done that. While its easy to ask how such indirect and expensive decisions could influence purchasing decisions enough to be cost effective, the many factors that large decisions like car purchases involve should never exclude the relevance of unconscious and emotional touch points.
I think Sony's project is effective on several fronts. It definitely creates a certain buzz around the brand of Sony and its commitment to social responsibility within the local area. In terms of its effectiveness it has clearly been crafted with the unique fashion oriented culture of Tokyo in mind. And while being perceived as socially responsible might not sell Sony televisions I think it definitely has benefits related to energizing and attracting employees and improving relations with NGO’s and governmental agencies. Further, it may reach demographic groups that are hard to penetrate with traditional marketing campaigns.
While the net effect of Sony's and Toyota's efforts are likely going to be small they will still add to or at least maintain a certain level of brand equity and support the brand message. Additionally, I think consistent support for social causes will lend related past and future projects a sense of authenticity.
I agree with all of the comments about how important CSR efforts are becoming in today’s competitive marketplace. However, I can’t help but think that the CSR messaging is becoming lost in the outrageousness of some of the campaigns out there. I agree with Sarah Louise in that there is somewhat of a connection for innovation in advertising with innovation in technology. But because of the low impact and donations made by the campaign, I think Sony was far more focused on the buzz generated by its campaign than any real CSR impact. Somewhat cynically, I think companies are vying against each other, not in a race to make any real impact in terms of CSR, but instead, in becoming the most shocking and buzz-worthy advertising campaign. I’m hesitant to applaud such efforts, including in Sony’s case.
I’m a strong support of these types of campaigns and I feel that they bring customers closer to a brand than traditional advertising does. Consumers are bombarded by thousands of advertisements every day telling them of the different features and values that each brand holds dear. Unfortunately, as it becomes easier and easier to reach the consumer through internet, TV, radio, product placement, and so on these message become more and more diluted and less effective. Luckily for brands, the old adage that “actions speak louder than words” still holds true. By supporting an important cause that the customers are worried about, there is a deeper connection than just traditional advertising. Of course, not all customers are going to feel the same level of connection as the “true believers” but there will still be at least a slight halo effect for them as well. These sort of sponsorship advertising campaigns are really the next big wave in marketing for brands.
I agree with Kathryn on this one with one distinction. I do not see it so much as an attempt to link innovation in advertising to technology. Sony has always been an image driven company. Using jeans (especially designer jeans) is a great analogy for their own product - jeans and computers are both commonplace but they can be an expression of your style. That message struck me as the goal of the campaign, and the CSR message just felt tacked on.
While this didn't do anything to change my impression of Sony, Toyota's efforts are admirable and reinforces my impression of the company. It's a case of practicing what you preach. While this campaign was clearly directed at the Tokyo market, a market I honestly don't know much about besides what I read on the internet, a Sony electronics recycling project would go a lot farther to make an impression.
Both the Toyota and Sony campaigns highlight the growing importance of an organization's CSR statement. As I mentioned in the Pepsi Refresh blog, I believe CSR campaigns like the ones we're seeing out of these two companies will be required to stay in the game - especially with young people. The trick will be to develop SMART campaigns that stick in a consumer's mind and leave a lasting impression. I agree with Suzy when she said that for Sony, the unique, highly visual 'jeans campaign' makes sense given the youth audience in Tokyo. For me, some of the sustainability activities don't tie into purchasing products, but again will become required to play in the game. In the end, the closer you can bring the campaign to the consumer the more you win.
On a side note - the article mentions the debut of the ipad. Click the link for a humerous take on the naming of the ipad from Harvard Business Review =)
http://blogs.hbr.org/hbr/hbreditors/2010/01/the_day_apple_turned_the_web_i.html?cm_mmc=npv-_-DAILY_ALERT-_-AWEBER-_-DATE
Haha Werner...that was great! To be honest, that's the first thing I thought of as well!
With regards to the posting for Sony, I actually this type of publicity is fantastic...again going back to the notion of "Sony = Good"...however it may come.
It's definitely comforting to know that a brand like Sony is thinking about more than just their own pocketbooks (though, doing this type of gesture may certainly improve their pocketbooks) - it is still good to see that large-successful companies are thinking on a larger scale than just their own financials. I would definitely be more open to buying products from a company who acts in this manner. I also think it's a good thing for large companies like Sony to set a good example for the rest of the industry to follow.
I think this idea is brilliant. While it seems simplistic in nature, I believe this campaign is a great way to both recycle and create positive publicity for a global brand. That being said, I'm not sure I would purchase a pair of the jeans myself, but I certainly think that the extent of the sales thus far is more than enough proof to label the idea a success.
I do believe that it is important for companies to participate in this alternative form of advertising. Whether it is strictly in line with a corporate social responsibility strategy or a way to get customers to think about their brand differently, I believe its an important aspect of a successful brand marketing strategy.
Unfortunately, I think that Sony might have traveled too far away from their industry or general category with this particular campaign. Personally, I don't equate a pair of recycled jeans to Sony's brand at all... But thinking more about it, maybe this is their ultimate strategy? Having consumers think of their brand in a completely different way. I'm not sure what the answer to the question is but I do believe that alternative forms of advertising are important in our society that is over saturated with consumer brands.
The wave of CSR campaigns has proven, like many other students have already stated, that in order to be competitive in today's market, the consumer must get more from their brands than just a product. I might be in the minority here, but I am generally unconcerned with how a corporation operates (provided, of course, that it within the law). In most instances, I simply want the product or service that was advertised. However, if the majority of buyers are demanding this type of activity to enhance the value of their purchase, then the CSR arms race will continue.
I will say that there have always been philanthropic interests regarding business. For example, Carnegie built the library in many of our home towns (including mine). What I am noticing today is that charitable giving is not enough. The publicity of that charitable contribution is as important as the giving itself. Given the nature of our more connected world, this appears to be the only way to get the message out. I am interested to see how effective these initiatives really are, but in the long run, anything that considers a broader group of stakeholders without compromising core competencies is a net positive.
Sony's campaign was original, interesting, and effective. Even though the campaign may not have anything to do with the Sony brand itself, I'm happy to see the company step up, do something good, and send a powerful message. It's important for big firms to realize that they are unique players in the world economy and that the world needs their creative vision and participation. I agree that it's important to remain focused on core competencies, but sometimes doing crazy things like making jeans and then creating a buzz about it is important as well. These types of ventures will almost certainly always be on a very small scale for most companies, but in the long run it may provide valuable market information that could encourage smaller firms to specialize in exactly the kinds of promotions these large firms will pioneer.
Sony's campaign is so responsible and innovative. I do believe it will bring very positive effect to Sony.
First reason is CSR is a very hot and widely-concerned topic right now. Sony takes the chance to assume its corporate social responsibility to make a positive change. Sony will gain respect from stake holders.
Second reason is the campain is so innovative. The most amazing thing is all jeans were hung back to the original place. This contrast between old posters and unique Jeans will give passerby a very strong impact and leave very very deep impression. All these will assure the campain can achieve good results.
The campaign is innovative and different, yes. It also draws attention to Sony (I mean, you can't miss the jeans on the building, and I assume you also couldn't miss a pair of the jeans walking down the street). But unless you know about the campaign, are you going to think that the jeans are made from recycled billboards and that Sony is behind it? While taking credit publicly for being socially responsible isn't necessary, I guess I just sort of assume that that's what corporations want. Unless Sony has ripped down billboards and made jeans with "Sony" all over them, I'm not sure how, when this campaign is over, it will draw any more attention to them or make people think of them more positively.
Brilliant brand marketing strategy by Sony. By this campaign, Sony successfully positioned itself as an emphatic brand.
Post a Comment