Corporate Social Responsibility

Timberland Sweats For a Change

by Bob Burton — November 17, 2009 - 12:33am

Back in September 2007 Jeffrey Swartz, the CEO of the outdoor wear company Timberland, explained on a conference call said that he didn't want the company's latest corporate social responsibility (CSR) report to come across as "corporate cologne." Swartz said that he wanted to "seduce consumers to care." Jeffrey Ballinger, a labor rights and anti-sweatshops advocate, took up the challenge and began

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Corporate Crime Reporter, November 13, 2009

Junk Food Industry Applies Tobacco's PR Strategies

by Anne Landman — August 11, 2009 - 11:57am

The $70 billion Australian junk food industry is now applying PR strategies originally developed by the tobacco industry in a bid to avoid government regulation. Australia's federal government is readying a report about reducing obesity, which could lead to higher taxes on unhealthy foods and a ban on junk food advertising.

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The Age (Australia), August 9, 2009

The Hand That Gives Also Takes Away

by Bob Burton — July 26, 2009 - 11:13pm

The Australian logging company Gunns is reviewing its corporate sponsorships as it struggles to deal with a dramatic slump in sales of woodchips to Japanese customers. In an interview, the company's new chief executive, Greg L'Estrange, flagged that the company would be cutting back its sponsorships. "We haven't finished our discussions but certainly you would say our appetite for some of these areas has diminished. Life is a two-way street.

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The Examiner (Launceston, Australia), July 24, 2009

Developer's Casino in a Velvet Glove

by Bob Burton — February 2, 2009 - 1:12am

J. Scott Trubey reports that documents, obtained under Georgia's freedom of information laws, revealed that Fleishman-Hillard (F-H) had been hired by Georgia Lottery to sell the concept of the state's first casino to legislators, business leaders and the public. Underground Atlanta, a shopping complex, was mentioned as a possible site for the introduction of a casino.

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Atlanta Business Chronicle, January 30, 2009

Thank You for Using Our [Fill in Name of Dangerous Product Here]

by Anne Landman — January 21, 2009 - 2:09pm

The Australian alcohol industry is taking a leaf from the tobacco industry and has promised to voluntarily devote ten percent of its advertising space to promoting web sites that discourage binge drinking, particularly among youth.

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The Sydney Morning Herald, January 21, 2009

Big Oil's Charm Offensive

by John Stauber — October 28, 2008 - 6:58am

"The world's best-known oil companies are pouring on the charm as they get ready this week to parade another round of fat profits before a public that is feeling suddenly poorer. The spotlight will shine on Exxon on Thursday and Chevron on Friday. Such advertising makes sense after a summer with oil at nearly $150 a barrel and a fall likely to bring renewed scrutiny of their investments and tax breaks.

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Los Angeles Times, October 27, 2008

Will Marketers Say: Save the Planet, Buy Less Stuff?

by Diane Farsetta — September 24, 2008 - 5:07pm

"The ultimate selling proposition might just be saving the planet," said International Advertising Association (IAA) executive director Michael Lee.

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AdWeek, September 22, 2008

PR Driving "Carbon Neutral" Greenwashing

by Bob Burton — September 16, 2008 - 5:10am

The Advertising Standards Authority of Ireland (ASAI) is alarmed about the extent of corporate greenwashing. The authority's chief executive, Frank Goodman, explained, "You are not allowed to say your product is good for the environment unless you can prove this.

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The Sunday Times (UK), September 14, 2008

Absolving Your Sins and CYA: Corporations Embrace Voluntary Codes of Conduct

by Anne Landman — September 4, 2008 - 2:08pm

Topics: Corporate Social Responsibility, Children, Public Relations, Tobacco

"We do not want children to smoke," British American Tobacco (BAT) declares on its website. But the company that describes itself as the "world's most international tobacco group" routinely violates its own voluntary international marketing and advertising standards, according to a July 1, 2008 BBC-TV This World investigation. BAT was caught in Malawi, Mauritius and Nigeria using marketing tactics that are well-known to appeal to youth: advertising and selling single cigarettes, and sponsoring non-age-restricted, product-branded musical entertainment. (See also "Playing with Children's Lives: Big Tobacco in Malawi.")

Edelman Likes It Hot

by Bob Burton — August 1, 2008 - 1:26am

Topics: Activism, Corporate Social Responsibility, Issue Management, Global Warming, International

Over the next week, campaigners from around the United Kingdom will converge on the site of a proposed expansion of the coal-fired Kingsnorth Power Station and participate in civil disobedience protests. The company behind the proposal, E.ON UK, a subsidiary of the German energy company E.ON, is so worried by the prospect of the planned civil disobedience campaign that it has hired the PR firm Edelman, to see if it can help ensure that the company's proposal retains government support.