portfolio > csr-led brand building
A tool to build corporate brand, and to engage opinion leaders & employees
Companies Act, 2013 has made expenditure on CSR mandatory for a certain size of companies. 2% of the average net profit of the past three years now needs to be spent by such companies on activities which do not directly pertain to their business goals. This has sparked off a debate between what is mandated by the Government of India, and what is globally seen as a best practice – that for CSR to be sustainable and effective, it should be aligned with a company’s goals.
Learnings from the pre-mandatory days
Resonance worked with India’s leading broadcaster, STAR India, for a number of years, specifically on creating a strategic framework for a CSR programme, and creating communication around it. When CSR was yet to acquire a buzzword status, we had already identified certain best practices for effective CSR:
For STAR, we worked on multiple initiatives - Public service announcements, In-programme messaging, Academic alliances, Cultural initiatives, Payroll & volunteer programme, and Relief & rehabilitation initiatives.
From corporates to NGOs, cause marketing to employee engagement
We have worked with diverse organisations such as Ricoh, BMR Advisors, Mawana Foods, Centre for Science & Environment, Centre for Media Studies, on a host of issues, by leveraging causes with the same rigour and customer-centricity that any marketer would apply to a ‘commercial’ brand. We have rich insights into how to envision and implement a CSR programme – right from which cause to support, what processes to put in place, what kind of internal and external alliances to forge, how to do branding and communication around the association, and more.
Learnings from the pre-mandatory days
Resonance worked with India’s leading broadcaster, STAR India, for a number of years, specifically on creating a strategic framework for a CSR programme, and creating communication around it. When CSR was yet to acquire a buzzword status, we had already identified certain best practices for effective CSR:
- One must go beyond compliance requirements, beyond what the law mandates
- Companies should support CSR in areas which gain from their core competencies
- CSR strategy must be based on forging and leveraging relationships with various sections of the society – NGOs, industry bodies, academia, media, opinion leaders, the government
- Merely writing a cheque is not a good idea; active involvement and championing the cause is essential
- It should be a consistent, long-term commitment; one-offs lack both on-ground impact and perception enhancement benefits
For STAR, we worked on multiple initiatives - Public service announcements, In-programme messaging, Academic alliances, Cultural initiatives, Payroll & volunteer programme, and Relief & rehabilitation initiatives.
From corporates to NGOs, cause marketing to employee engagement
We have worked with diverse organisations such as Ricoh, BMR Advisors, Mawana Foods, Centre for Science & Environment, Centre for Media Studies, on a host of issues, by leveraging causes with the same rigour and customer-centricity that any marketer would apply to a ‘commercial’ brand. We have rich insights into how to envision and implement a CSR programme – right from which cause to support, what processes to put in place, what kind of internal and external alliances to forge, how to do branding and communication around the association, and more.
