Make your brand a hero by breaking a record for a good cause
In 2019, we saw more and more brands implementing purpose led campaigns, as the importance of being socially aware reached new heights.
In fact, ethical spending last year came in at a huge £41 million - a four-fold rise over the last two decades.
Whilst consumer purchasing decisions were once driven by product benefits, price and brand perception, the 2020s bring new challenges for marketeers.
Consumers are now assessing brands with a more critical eye and evaluating additional ethical dimensions - and if it does not match their beliefs and support their principles, then it will be rejected.
Almost two thirds of consumers (59 percent) now expect brands to make a stand on climate and environmental issues – so for organisations, having a strong purpose and CSR led strategy in place has never been so important.
Neil Foster, Vice President of Consultancy at Guinness World Records comments:
Well laid CSR plans are becoming vital for a brand’s survival – and for some businesses, this means transforming into ‘activists’ to support the beliefs of its audiences. Over the last four years we have seen this trend reflected in our record applications – the most selfies taken in 3 minutes was popular back in 2015, yet today we are seeing quite the reverse. Applications to break records for a good cause have soared by 110 percent, as more brands use record breaking as part of a long-term campaign to highlight CSR initiatives or purpose-led messages.
In 2019, the UAE celebrated the ‘Year of tolerance’, a symbolic occasion which pays tribute to the founding principles of the UAE – that its society must be tolerant to all people from all backgrounds.
To coincide with the event, Emirates Airline attempted to get at least one person from every nationality that lives in the UAE to join them for a Guinness World Records attempt - the most nationalities on an aircraft.
Coverage from the attempt reached 7.6 million users on social media and generated 27 million-page impressions globally.
In 2019, Green Giant secured a float as part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving parade in New York.
To help them stand out, whilst raising money for a good cause, a Guinness World Records title was attempted for the largest serving of green bean casserole.
The resulting dish, which weighed in at 637lb, was divided up and donated to City Meals on Wheels, a not for profit organisation which prepares meals for homebound elderly people.
The resulting campaign coverage appeared in a wealth of print media as well as on 100 broadcast TV segments, reaching over 100 million consumers.
Hero your employees by breaking a record for a good cause
Whilst CSR projects and purpose-led campaigns can bolster a brand’s reputation in the eyes of the public, they are also vital for driving workforce retention – after all, today’s talent want to be employed by organisations which make a positive impact on the immediate environment and the world as a whole.
According to research, three quarters of millennials are now willing to take a pay cut to work for a value-driven company, whilst a further 67 percent now expect their employer to actively join them in advocating for social issues.
And with political unrest and media ‘fake news’, increasing consumer skepticism, people are increasingly turning to their employer as a trusted source of information.
In fact, three quarters of employees trust the business that they work for more than any other – and this includes politicians and NGOs.
CEOs are clearly now expected to work with their employees to lead the way in promoting social good and shouldn’t let anything hold them back.
Foster continues:
‘The lines between personal and corporate beliefs are blurred and employees tend to increase their commitment to the company that they work for when good CSR practice is in place’.
In recent years, Guinness World Records has worked with many brands to create bespoke employee engagement campaigns which bring staff together. These campaigns can also be used for CSR purposes and are a great way to raise funds for charity initiatives whilst communicating purpose-led messaging to the wider workforce.
RB (Reckitt Benckiser) engaged their employees with a ‘for good’ initiative at its annual sales and marketing conference.
Eager to attempt a record which would motivate its team whilst at the same time give back to the community, 500 employees worked together to achieve the most backpacks stuffed with school supplies in one hour.
A total of 1,512 backpacks were filled with notebooks, calculators, pencils and pens before being donated to the Andre Agassi Foundation and the Boys and Girls Club of America, destined for disadvantaged children.
The staff at builders' merchant Jewson achieved a sense of pride and achievement during the festive season as they gave back to their community by breaking a Guinness World Records title.
The team achieved the record for the most people wrapping presents simultaneously, which took place at their two-day annual staff conference.
There was more to this record than a fun, team-building experience, as the presents wrapped by the employees were given to the local community as part of Jewson’s partnership with children’s charity Barnardo’s.
Our employee engagement events are a great way to promote lasting memories and unite everyone behind a common cause. Find out more or contact us for more information.
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