Questions On Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility

Communicating Corporate Social Responsibility Ashley Allen Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism University of Southern California Paper submitted as partial fulfillment of requirements for CMGT 540: Uses of Communication Research Fall 2014 Introduction Since the beginning of time marketing has existed to explain and promote products to consumers in an effort to persuade purchase decisions and increase sales. Traditionally, it has been a one-way form of communication, with companies providing messages to consumers without any opportunity for consumer response. These messages started as billboards, newspaper and magazine advertisements, but as technology evolved new opportunities arose.†¦show more content†¦Soon consumers also began to understand the power of being able to quickly and efficiently reach people (â€Å"Power at Last†, 2005). Dissatisfied customers began their own powerful messages, creating complex problems for the companies they target, attacking them for not caring about employees, the environment, or in basic human rights (â€Å"Power at Last†, 2005) (Thellusson, 2003). And these efforts are powerful. Some examples include; an online petition demanding PepsiCo to remove â€Å"brominated veget able oil†, a harmful ingredient avoided in many countries, from Gatorade and (O Brien, 2013) a social media campaign aimed at Burger King, requesting that the company agree to obtain all pork and egg products come from cage-free vendors by 2017 (successful)(O’Brien, 2013). The ability of the internet to provide information has created the ‘information age’, filled with extremely informed consumers who are using their power to push for healthier, safer, socially aware businesses that are honest and ‘good’ (â€Å"Power at Last†, 2005). As consumer power has grown, businesses across the globe have come to the realization that they must become more ‘customer-centric’. It also required businesses to consider how they could integrate a two-way communication form that allowed consumers to interact with and become part of the brand. Meaning, they must