With the holidays quickly approaching, the giving and receiving of gifts are at the top of everyone’s mind. According to Investopedia, Americans are projected to spend an average of $998 on holiday gifts this year, making it one of the busiest shopping seasons of the year. To encourage consumers to purchase their products, companies create unique holiday advertising and marketing campaigns featuring their brand and their products. Some companies, however, take their campaigns to the next level by embracing the giving spirit of the holidays. Corporate Social Responsibility or “CSR” is when businesses engage in philanthropic work by giving back to socially ethical causes and people in need. Knowing that the companies you are buying gifts from this year are helping others is a great feeling, incentivizing you to purchase from socially responsible companies. If you are like me and enjoy shopping from brands that give back, read about some of my favorite holiday campaigns and what companies are making a difference.
Hasbro and Toys for Tots
Since 1947, Toys for Tots has been collecting toy donations to give to kids and families in need during the holiday season. This year the need for toy donations have skyrocketed due to the financial struggles caused by the pandemic. However, the number of toy donations has dropped by nearly 40% compared to previous years. To help kids in need receive a thoughtful gift on Christmas morning, the toy company Hasbro has donated an estimated 1 million toys since the beginning of 2020 to Toys for Tots. However, due to the drop in the rate of donations nationwide, Hasbro has just donated an additional 200,000 toys around the country. To ensure everyone who wants a toy gets one, U.S. Marines and Toys for Tots volunteers will be working around the clock sorting toys throughout the holiday season.
Salvation Army
The Salvation Army, a Christian based organization, is one of the largest contributors to those in need during the holiday season. The organization serves nearly 23 million people annually from 130 different countries around the globe. This year the organization is expecting nearly a 50% decrease in donations to their iconic “Red Kettle” fundraisers due to the current economic environment and less foot-traffic caused by COVID-19. To help raise more money to help those in need this holiday season, the Salvation Army hosted a virtual concert called the “Rock the Kettle to Help Rescue Christmas” event that featured many prominent musicians. The company has another campaign called the “Walmart Angel Tree” initiative where Walmart shoppers pick an angel off the tree with a child’s name and gift wish written on it and then purchase that gift for the Salvation Army to donate to the family.
Feed the Children: No Hunger Holidays
Due to COVID-19, 1-in-4 children are food insecure in the United States. To help combat this issue, especially during the holidays, Feed the Children and its “No Hunger Holidays” campaign aims to provide meals to families who are struggling to provide for their family. Feed the Children offers “12 Ways to Give” during the month of December, encouraging people to donate money, sponsor children in need, and encourage others to get involved with Feed the Children. This campaign also encourages people to spend some of their holiday season volunteering to distribute food to those in need and getting people involved with the program.
REI: #OptOutside
Recreation equipment and outdoors company, REI, began their #OptOutside campaign in 2015. This holiday campaign differs from many other campaigns, as the #OptOutside campaign aims to reduce carbon emissions and raise awareness about sustainability and environmental impacts worldwide. On Black Friday, one of the biggest shopping days of the year, REI closes all of its in-person stores and shuts down their website to prevent customers from shopping. Instead, REI wants customers to instead spend that time outside to benefit the environment, mental health, and raise awareness for environmental causes. The initiative also encourages customers to use this day as the starting point of a 52 week challenge of reducing their own environmental impact. REI has partnered with several non-profits and National Parks to help grow this initiative. This year, this campaign has become even more important, as the pandemic has forced many people to spend more time indoors.
Bonus Campaign: West Jet
In 2013, a Canadian airline called “West Jet” went viral for their “Christmas Miracle” campaign. Prior to boarding their flight, Santa asked each of the 250 passengers what they wanted for Christmas. Little did the passengers know that their wishes were about to come through. Once the passengers boarded, the West Jet employees went shopping and bought every gift that was asked for, wrapped them, and brought them to the airport where the flight was about to land. The gifts were distributed on the baggage claim and the families were filled with joy and surprise. Ever since their first campaign, West Jet has continued their seasonal giving each year. This year, West Jet felt that giving back was more important than ever. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the company has donated over 1.3 million items to help those who are struggling. To continue this trend, it decided to donate its inventory such as amenity blankets and kits, food, PPE, hand sanitizer, and other supplies to health care workers and struggling communities throughout Canada. In a time of great need West Jet stepped up (despite the decline in the travel industry) and did what they could to help those struggling most through this pandemic.
While each company is supporting a different cause this holiday season, they are all hoping to make a positive impact on people and the environment we live in. 2020 has been a challenging year for many people, making these campaigns even more important. Be on the look out for more companies giving back this year, and be sure to get involved and give back to those in need!
Vocabulary list:
Projected (adj): estimated outcome or forecast
Philanthropic (adj): seeking to help others
Incentivizing (v): providing someone with something that will motivate them to do something
Amenity (n): a useful feature
Skyrocketed (v): increase rapidly
Sustainability (n): the ability to be maintained at a certain level (ex. the environment)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Hailey Womer is a third-year student at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York pursuing a dual major in Public Relations and Political Science. With interests in communications, public diplomacy, and politics & government, she hopes to use communication to grow the passions of the public and advocate for others. In her free time, you can find her editing social media content, engrossed in the fashion trends of the season, catching up on the latest political buzz, or on a philanthropic mission to make the world just a little bit brighter!