- April 23, 2015
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A Winning Corporate Social Responsibility Initiative from Cambria Health Solutions
If you want to build a strong brand in your market, start by developing the employee culture inside. This outside-in approach is an award-winning strategy for Cambia Health Solutions, a family of companies focused on health and wellness.
Its annual Cambia Employee Giving Campaign is one visible way the health care company builds a competitive advantage, as well as a culture of philanthropy among its 5,500-some employees.
In addition to using corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a tactic in this integrated marketing strategy, Cambia also engaged its public relations professionals, developed campaign-specific marketing collateral and promotional items, and produced a video to whip up enthusiasm among employees.
(For ideas on how to replicate this campaign, read “Hey Marketers, Presentation Folders Are Your Friend,” “Offer Branded Promotional Products as Employee Perks” and “Video Tips Any Business Can Use.”)
The Challenge: Raise $1+ Million for Nonprofits
No doubt, the Cambia crew is competitive. For its annual CSR initiative, the company set two goals: engage more employees than the previous year and raise more than $1 million.
To determine what their buzz-building tactics would be to achieve these goals, the team dug deep into research, hoping to glean some inspiration. They conducted primary research through interviews and secondary research by going back to the Cambia archives.
The Strategy: Give like a Rock Star
Leaving nothing to chance, Cambia chose several tactics to accomplish its goals, including print, electronic, influencer marketing, and face-to-face communications customized for management and front-line employees. To give the lineup a little more firepower and digital savviness, Cambia also produced a video parody of the now-defunct VHI series, “Behind the Music.”
But as integrated marketers know, the tactics only get your message out. You have to tell a captivating story first to engender any engagement.
And that Cambia did. The health care giant created a rallying cry to unify all activities: Give like a Rock Star.
The Discovery: Job Titles Mean Nothing
“Too often, we may equate PR with external communications and media relations,” says Debra J. Flickinger, Community Investment Manager with Cambia Health Solutions. “Indeed, PR is about assessing your audience and delivering the right messages via the right channels at the right time toward achieving your objectives. We use the classic principles of PR to engage an internal audience: our employees. That means in addition to taking inventory of communication tools to develop the strategy, we assess our audiences for a given philanthropic campaign so we may apply the right tools to deliver our messages and calls to action.”
The Result: Cambia Activates Employees and Betters the World
- Sixty-four percent of all employees participated, contributing at least $1
- Employees pledged a total of $1.32 million
- 1,200-some nonprofits nationwide will share in more than $1.9 million (the total after the Cambia Health Foundation match)
Plus, Cambia won Silver in “Best Charitable Giving/Fundraising Campaign” at the 2014 Bulldog Corporate Social Responsibility Awards, as chronicled in the Daily ’Dog.
What could integrated marketers learn from this story? Flickinger counted three takeaways:
- Identify objectives and develop a strategy that maximizes communication channels
- Apply principles of public relations and marketing to develop the right communication approach for the right audiences
- Provide persuasive calls-to-action that drive toward your objectives
To gain other ideas on how to run a successful CSR program, check out “Corporate Social Responsibility in B2B.”
