We marketers can make people queue for things they’ve never seen. We can make them buy stuff they hate. We can put governments in power.
Imagine if we focused some of our power on things that we actually cared about – or things that actually need our help. There’s a big difference between the two.
So often, charitable efforts are a box-ticking exercise or a self-righteous opportunity to enjoy some creative freedom while appearing to have a soul.
This is fine of course, because any help is good help. But if we marketers really want to use our talents for some social good, we need only look out the office window. If you’re an inner-city agency, there will be young people on your doorstep who need a break – the ones living in the community you work in, who see the opportunities you benefit from, but which seem untouchable to them.
Many agencies do give opportunities to young people, but it would be better if it wasn’t a programme focused on supporting the core agency values. The only value that’s relevant is: it’s not about us.
Let’s just do something really simple: take a kid on for a few weeks in our ridiculously privileged work environment – it might just give them the motivation to avoid the draw of crime and despondency. Let them drink our fancy coffee, sit on our ironic sofas and scribble on our “thought wall”. Let them see that their future doesn’t have to be in a uniform, on shift patterns or at Her Majesty’s pleasure. Let them see that commitment and creativity can provide the sort of career and life that they didn’t know existed.
I only came to this realisation myself a few months ago, so I’m certainly not holier than thou. Doing something without commercial or promotional gain isn’t how we were made, but I assure you the personal benefit outweighs the PR.
Ben Gallop is chief executive of Brand & Deliver
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