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Deceitful marketing is an unfortunate reality in today’s competitive landscape. One of its modern expressions is a practice known as causewashing. We dug into this growing practice, traced its history, and developed guidelines for identifying it. This led us to a deeper understanding of how it can damage a brand’s reputation, and how you can communicate your authentic support of a cause—an important marketing differentiator. In this article, we’ll cover the dangers of causewashing, how to identify whether or not you’re participating in it unknowingly, and how to make your authentic cause stand out amongst the growing sea of causes.
Chances are you’ve heard the term “Greenwashing.” Greenwashing is a false claim where companies use seemingly environmentally friendly practices to improve their image when they’re actually harming the environment and/or their activities are primarily intended to benefit their bottom line. Some organizations spend more on advertising their green benefits than they do on reducing their environmental impact.
The term “greenwash” was coined by environmentalist Jay Westerveld in 1986. He became curious about a tent card in his hotel room encouraging him to hang up his towel until he needed it to be washed. The card suggested that this would reduce water use and therefore benefit the environment. After looking into this practice in the hotel industry, he concluded that the true motivation was increasing hotel profits through using less water.
One of the most well-known acts of greenwashing was performed in 1990 by DuPont. They worked with worldwide advertising agency BBDO to produce a commercial that showed animals applauding, leaping, and flying to the strains of Beethoven’s Ode to Joy. Voiceover informs the viewer that Dupont ordered safer, double-hulled oil tankers in order to “...safeguard the environment.” This from a company that, according to Fair.org, the EPA listed as the number one emitter of toxins in 1994.
It’s clear to see that this greenwashing effort was aimed at improving DuPont’s environmental reputation while it continued its pattern of environmental destruction. As Jamie Murray, director of DuPont’s Corporate Brands, put it, “It increased DuPont’s favorability as a good citizen–we moved the needle.” Their hope, of course, was that this perception would encourage people to buy their products, ignore their environmental impact, and increase profits.
Over 25 years after DuPont’s clapping video, profit-driven brands have shifted with the times, supporting causes and practicing cause-marketing as a way to attract new customers and tap into the millennial market. Spotting these activities takes a little detective work.
Here are some telltale signs that a company is practicing causewashing:
While it seems that some corporations think we’re stupid, the truth is that people, especially people who grew up with the internet, are well-informed and accustomed to doing online research. Organizations that believe they can cause-wash without being called out for it are mistaken. Instead, they alienate a large group of savvy consumers who view authentic social responsibility and a strong social mission as a key ingredient in their purchasing decisions. These people see through false claims of social and environmental responsibility. This is why we’re passionate about working with people who have a purpose and a mission baked into their DNA from the start. We talk more about these brands in our article, How We Define Social Purpose Brands.
If your marketing efforts hint at causewashing, today’s press will eat you alive. Case in point: Audi’s brilliantly executed 2017 Super Bowl ad. Forbes breaks down how this effort backfired in the article, Why Audi’s Super Bowl Ad Failed. The ad features a tenacious girl whose father fears that even with her many achievements she will still be viewed as less valuable than her male colleagues. It’s a strong message for closing the gender gap.
The Forbes article reveals the realities at Audi: Their six-person executive team is all men. Only 16% of their supervisory board is female—4% lower than average for Fortune 500 companies. Many YouTube viewers give the ad a thumbs down and comments run heavily negative. Per Forbes, “Some of that [negative reaction] comes from a perception of a manufacturer and seller of products trying to grab an issue and align with it for their own gain,” says Julie Hennessy, a marketing professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.
When you compare the ad’s message to the reality at the company, it feels disingenuous and smacks of causewashing.
If every organization has a social cause, then what does it matter which company you purchase from? While many people are willing to do a little research, it can feel overwhelming or become exhausting to dig deeply into every company. It makes non-savvy consumers throw up their hands and give up on brand loyalty, either assuming that everyone’s doing good or that everyone’s causewashing, so it doesn’t matter.
There are some essential principles that social purpose brands need to follow to help people understand that they're genuine and worthy of garnering customer sales and loyalty.
We are encouraged by the growing number of social purpose brands. At the same time, we urge caution in appearing to be an ‘Us Too’ brand that adopts causes just to please its market. Causewashing campaigns are subtle, sophisticated, and deceptive marketing ploys, but they can backfire. If you want your brand to stand out against the sea of cause-washers, you need to develop and execute a strong strategic plan designed to distinguish your brand as the real deal.
