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Corporate Social Responsibility communication strategies

by  Carolina Menéndez  ·  5 minute read
 · Tags:  Digital strategy, Community management

Do companies have a soul? It is imperative they show social and environmental awareness by mainstreaming of Corporate Social Responsibility policies, which help shape the identity of organisations. Given that companies' social channels seek to transmit it, Corporate Social Responsibility is fundamental to companies' online strategies.

Corporate Social Responsibility Policies: millennials have it clear

Corporate Social Responsibility was born as a concept decades ago and today it has spread in practice to the point where it is no longer an option but a necessity. Young people would not accept anything else: 66% of millennials worldwide believe that companies should prioritise the development of society, according to the eighth edition of the Global Millennials Survey 2019 prepared by the audit firm Deloitte, generated by the opinions of more than 13,400 millennials in 42 countries.

Multinationals such as IBM or Coca-Cola have promoted studies to deepen their social efforts. A report presented by Coca-Cola in Spain together with IE University shows that a company’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy is a key factor in determining its ability to attract talent among millennials and conditions their buying choices. According to the study led by IBM, 83% of the global millennial population prefers companies that contribute to society and care for the environment.

The study also reveals that 82% of Spanish consumers prefer companies that prioritise their employees, the community and the environment, rather than profit for shareholders or investors. Spain is the third most important country in terms of Corporate Social Responsibility.

Corporate Social Responsibility and sustainable development

Today, Corporate Social Responsibility policies go beyond compensating for the negative impact that companies may have on the territories in which they operate. By implementing Corporate Social Responsibility strategies, they become active players in a global challenge: sustainable development.

Structured around various pillars related to the company's value chain, Corporate Social Responsibility strategies are gaining in complexity, being expressed in function of the Sustainable Development Goals proclaimed by the United Nations, and divided into various facets (social, environmental, economic) and having a dual aspect: internal, in relation to the employees themselves and production processes, and external. They involve the management team and rely on employees as their best ambassadors of the brand. They are at the heart of the business and influence decision-making. They are the conscience of the company.

From startups to large companies, at Zinkdo we accompany our clients on their journey to  implement Corporate Social Responsibility policies. The weight online strategy receives varies depending on the communication objectives of each organisation.

Nearby examples of Corporate Social Responsibility

A good example of how a Corporate Social Responsibility strategy is broken down into different pillars is Avanzamos, Coca-Cola's sustainability plan for Western Europe:

From Zinkdo we contributed to the creation of the Rojo y en botella (Red and Bottled) blog of Coca-Cola European Partners in Spain, whose Society and Environment categories outline advances in the performance of the Corporate Social Responsibility strategy, always demonstrating the value contribution to the territory in which its production centres are located: from the promotion of diversity in internal and external spheres, to a commitment to the circular economy.

These same concerns are shared by BASF. A key representative of the chemical industry in Spain, last year it launched the Circular Economy Best Practice Awards. One of the winning projects in the first edition was Mares Circulares (Circular Seas), Coca-Cola's plan to clean up coasts, bottoms and aquatic environments in Spain.

With production plants in Tarragona and Guadalajara, BASF also wants to leave its mark locally by getting involved, for example, in sponsoring local festivals. Like Coca-Cola, BASF runs programmes in Spain to promote diversity and young talent, such as the Teens' and Kids' Lab chemistry workshops.

Corporate volunteering and employer branding

Attracting and retaining talent is one of the main objectives of Corporate Social Responsibility strategies; employees are not only one of its key audiences but also necessary actors in its implementation. Among BASF's corporate volunteering actions, it is worth noting the support provided by its employees to Nàstic de Tarragona during its participation in La Liga Genuine, a tournament for footballers with functional diversity organised by the Professional Football League (Liga de Fútbol Profesional).

In line with the objective of involving employees in the Avanzamos sustainability strategy, Coca-Cola in Spain has gone a step further by launching a plan that brings together all the corporate volunteering activities it organises: I love volunteering.

Another of Zinkdo's customers, the leading company in the field of in vitro diagnostics in haematology Sysmex Iberia also involves its employees in a Corporate Social Responsibility project called Sysmex Gives Back:

COVID-19: from Corporate Social Responsibility to Solidarity

As a medical technology company, Sysmex was also involved in the fight against COVID-19, with various actions such as the donation of technological devices to hospitals.

The Reig Jofre laboratory also worked on this front. The pharmaceutical industry is one of the essential activities that was not able to stop during the crisis and had to adapt its production to the requirements of essential medicines to face COVID-19. The company made great use of social media, which we manage at Zinkdo, to reflect the efforts of its teams and thank them for their dedication:

The cultural sector also responded unanimously, championing the wave of solidarity that COVID-19 brought with it. The Museu Picasso used its social channels, also managed by Zinkdo, to showcase its collections through the hashtag #MuseuPicassoVirtual and raise awareness of the need to stay at home:

It also participated in the Museum Quiz, an initiative of various museums in Barcelona to bring culture into people's homes in a fun way during long afternoons of confinement:

In times of coronavirus, the channels of Corporate Social Responsibility overflowed with solidarity. Sectors considered essential, such as pharmaceuticals, joined the fight against COVID-19. Others, such as culture, offered to share their content for free, seeing social media as their chance to survive. Experts in corporate law predicted that in the "new normal", business mergers would become more widespread: unity was strength and solidarity took centre stage.