Coming in from the Cold: From Externalities to ‘CSR’
Consumers and advocacy groups with unprecedented access to media as both receivers and transmitters are asking more searching questions about the economic, environmental, and social impacts of modern society, which economists have traditionally termed “externalities”. A simple question mark over an organization’s negative impacts can quickly escalate into a reputation management challenge. Thus corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become increasingly important consideration for marketing communications practitioners.
This post touches on how organizations augment and/or mitigate “externalities” for which they are responsible, and argues the case for incorporating CSR messages in integrated marketing communications strategies in order to protect reputations, position brands, and promote products. The terms “communicator” and “marketing communications professional”, and “communications” and “marketing communications” are used interchangeably throughout, based on the principle that all communications to and with stakeholder groups and target markets should be managed according to a single integrated communications strategy.
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