As corporate social responsibility becomes a key market differentiator for consumer packaged goods companies committed to sustainability, a slew of cause campaigns have emerged that cleverly employ packaging and product attributes to engage the consumer in greater environmental or social awareness.
One example is Purina Cat Chow, which has partnered with the Susan G. Koman for the Cure breast cancer organization in the Purina Cat Chow Connected for the Cause campaign. The program uses a dedicated Web site and limited-edition pink packaging to convey its message. Another example, Procter & Gamble’s Dawn dish detergent, employs endearing wildlife images on its bottles to promote its Everyday Wildlife Champions program.
Just in time for winter cold season, Sucrets® has now launched its Save the Polar ICE Caps! Challenge in collaboration with Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment’s Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs characters. Elements of the campaign include new Sucrets ICE single-serve frozen ice pops packaging decorated with Ice Age characters; a call to action for kids to draw and describe what they would do to save the polar ice caps from global warming; and a Web site with lots of links for environmental education.
"From big ideas like solar-powered cars and windmills, to simple ideas like energy-saving light bulbs and reusable shopping bags, we want kids to use their imaginations while thinking through a real-world issue affecting them today and undoubtedly in the future," says Mike Tukdarian, president, Insight Pharmaceuticals, the makers of Sucrets ICE. "Participating in the Save the Polar ICE Caps! Challenge is an opportunity for kids to learn more about the ways to slow down the environmental effects of global warming, and to win a chance to see these lessons come to life."
Contest entries will be displayed online, where five finalists will be chosen via public vote to take place in early 2010. The grand prize winner will receive a visit to their classroom by an animator from Fox's Blue Sky Studios, who will create a still-scene image of the winner's submission.
Says Joe Ames, executive director of Global Marketing Partnerships for Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, "This is another great example of how entertainment marketing can really make a brand stand out in a cluttered retail and advertising marketplace."
