Power of purpose: Why FMCG brands should undertake social activism without conditions

India is perhaps unique in terms of marketing because a portion of all marketing budgets have to be allocated to CSR activities. Brands across various categories activate these budgets to fulfil certain aspects of their brand KPIs through these activities. There is nothing wrong with this, as something good comes out of these initiatives.

Until recently, most companies focused on activities such as beach cleaning, making streets trash-free and supporting ‘last-mile’ stakeholders. However, in today’s more digitised world, CSR activities have become more ‘phygital’ in nature, where the virtual world leads to an impact on the real world.

Recently, we witnessed a big FMCG brand entering the metaverse by recreating a mighty river. Gamers were invited to ‘clean’ it up and the brand commits to doing so in the real world as well. Many brands have previously promised to take up or supervise social activities based on consumer actions. When these activities are directly linked to sales, the brand's efforts to fulfil these promises are proportional to the money generated from sales. However, when a brand does not directly link such activities to sales and instead ‘gamifies’ them, it sends a different message altogether. It implies, "I can do this, but I will only do it if you like my page or win this contest." Now, consider the following statement: "I can do this, but only if you purchase from me as I need funds to undertake this activity."

As demonstrated, the latter statement sounds grounded, and the intent is clear. The former approach shows that the brand is capable of doing something and has allocated resources for it, but it will only act if the consumer complies with certain conditions. This portrayal does not bode well for the brand, as it appears selfish. Although the company's capacity to raise funds for the activity is evident since there is no direct link to sales, the intent remains invisible.

This is why I firmly believe that brands should not ‘gamify’ any social activities (not limited to social media) if it is not directly linked to raising funds for the cause. Gamifying serious activities only trivialises the purpose and highlights the brand’s lack of genuine care for the cause. Therefore brands should undertake projects (those not directly linked to sales) without any conditions.

It is acceptable for corporations and brands to talk about their CSR activities to showcase a positive image of their brand. However, there is a fine line between desiring results from the activity, which could lead to improved brand image and sales, awards, policy compliance, etc., and genuinely intending to take part in the activation without any focus on the final outcome. Most ethical practitioners argue that charity should be done anonymously, which is what the top level of Maslow's pyramid should ideally cover. However, as marketers, we seem to have already crossed that stage. Nonetheless, let us refrain from making social activation frivolous.

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