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BEEr-ing Responsible
Posted by: | CommentsWe all see those friendly reminders at the end of alcohol commercial that remind consumers to “Drink Responsibly.” It is easy to tag that line at the end of your brands message, but Anheuser-Busch has gone above and beyond to inform and voice to consumers the importance of responsible drinking.
Anheuser-Busch, the largest brewing company in the United States, has launched a website defining their corporate social responsibility the website focuses on Underage Drinking, Drunk Driving, College Drinking,and Responsible Drinking.
www.beeresponsible.com
Each section of the website details Anheuser-Busch’s stance on the respective issues. The website also has alcohol related statistics and studies that have been previously conducted that can be used as an education tool for consumers.
Additionally, there is a tab on the website entitled Advertising that includes all of Anheuser-Busch’s advertisements that promote responsibility while consuming alcohol. Besides the advertisements the advertising section also includes the companies advertising policy. Anheuser- Busch makes a very firm statement on their website regarding their intentions through their advertisements.
“Our commitment to responsible advertising shows in the marketing messages and vehicles we create, the thorough review process in the development of brand advertising and the careful attention we pay to selecting appropriate programming for our commercials. In each case, we are committed to focusing on our consumers – adults of legal drinking age who choose to drink.”
This statement is followed by a code of standards that discusses the companies stance on advertising through each medium including college campuses, advertising and marketing, and television.
It is very impressive that a alcoholic beverage giant like Anheuser- Busch makes such a large effort to make their responsible consumptions desire visible to the public.
Should this type of information be required by all alcohol companies? If so do you think that Anheuser- Busch should make a greater effort in promoting this website.
Eating Out for a Change
Posted by: | CommentsI follow one of the executives of Firehouse Agency on Twitter, and recently he has been tweeting a lot about a cause called Eat Out for a Change. Basically it is an effort to boost our economy at an individual level by doing something very simple: eating out. Eating out does not always involve going to a super fancy and expensive place and getting a 5 course meal, restaurants know what the economy is like and they are luring people into their establishments with great deals on meals. Wendy’s has a burger combo for $2.99, Taco Bell has their .79, .89, and .99 items, Subway offers their $5 foot-longs and Chili’s is currently featuring a promotion where you can 2 people get a 3 course meal all for $20. The Firehouse Agency has created this commercial, video etc as a way to tell consumers to get out there and take advantage of these deals because it will not only benefit the economy, but also benefit the individual consumer.
One of the statistics in the video that stuck with me the most was that for every $1 consumers spend, we put $2 back into the economy. It is true that everyone is pinching pennies these days, but everyone still has to eat and spending $5 once a week on a sub from Subway, is not going to break the bank for those who have the means to do it. That one $5 sub will add $10 to the economy that was not there before.
The Firehouse Agency is taking a very socially responsible action, by advocating a cause like this that promotes the betterment of our society. What if every agency in the United States picked a good cause and went above and beyond to promote it? I think we would be on the way to a better world, and it would all be as a result of socially responsible advertising.
Responsibility…that’s their policy.
Posted by: | CommentsBack in 2006 Liberty Mutual, an insurance company, decided to define the face of their company and brand with the virtue of Responsibility. Hoping that it would give their brand a positive image as well as attract customers who believed themselves to act in a similar manner. They started this campaign with the release of commercial, with a “pay it forward” kind of message. The commercial became very popular, Liberty Mutual received volumes of emails, phone calls etc praising the positive message the commercial voiced. The commercial can be seen below.
With the release of this commercial Liberty Mutual began a mission to make consumers more responsible human beings, and not just for the sake of buying insurance either. The company developed a website called the Responsibility Project as a way to promote responsibility in our society today. The website contains forums, stories, and blogs about real-life situations and how responsible outcomes can come of them. The website also contains a short-film series that contains real-life situations in which people do, or do not act in a responsible manner.
In Liberty Mutual’s most recent television campaign, which can be explored on the Responsibility Project website, they began releasing commercials focused on the Marlowe Family who LM describes as “A typical American family exploring the tough issues that real people face when trying to do the right thing. “
What I found to be more affective in this campaign as a whole, is a topic we speak about quite often in class, RELEVANCE. A good amount of Americans can relate to the Marlowes, because they are either facing unemployment or other financial hardships. Through the use of the Marlowe Family, Liberty Mutual is making it clear that despite obstacles and setbacks we should always strive to “do the right thing,” because when we do that, we can live in the hope that good things will begin to happen to us. Beyond the Marlowe family, I feel that consumers will be more likely to act in a responsible manner when they can relate to people who they witness acting in a responsible manner, which is made possible through the Responsibility Project website.
Liberty Mutual has developed their entire brand image around relating to their customers through the use of everyday people experiencing everyday occurances. By doing this Liberty Mutal has not only made their comany more responsible, but perhaps consumers in our society as well.
