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Exploiting the Japanese quake, tsunami and now radiation victims for advertising purposes is routine.
Disaster marketing can be effective, inexpensive advertising.
Don’t be shocked. If you’re shocked, you’re naïve. If you say you’re shocked, I’ll take it in the same vein as hearing veteran gambler Captain Renault say at Rick’s: “I am shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!"
There’s always a disaster going on somewhere. Corporations, especially including Texas entities, build these disasters as opportunities to put their brands and logos into the public’s awareness.
Usually, the public has to do something that the company hopes will create a memory of their product or service. It can be simple as texting a number, tweeting a hashtag with the company’s name, or buying a product or service. Or it can be a formal announcement that Company X has donated X amount of money or services to the afflicted.
The Japan Crisis is just the latest in a long established marketing practice. Just look at these press releases from Texas companies:
- Spark Energy Donates To Earthquake Relief Effort Through Social Media
- MoneyGram International Responds to Japan Earthquake and Pacific Tsunami
- AMR Corp Partners With American Red Cross to Support Relief Efforts In Japan
- eDoorways Creates Japan Relief Channel to Assist With Global Relief Efforts
- Ubershare.com and 120 SXSW Companies Raising Awareness for Japan Relief
Disaster marketing, which is a type of cause marketing, means that a commercial business advertising itself by raising money to go to victims in a disaster.
In short, the company that drives money toward a cause hopes that the publicity will drive its sales, or help its relationship with an existed or desired customer.
Some call it shameless self-promotion. Some call it praying loudly public. And some say the money and/or supplies and/services are welcome whatever the source because of the desperate situation.
The complaints are almost always the same:
- Why give money to Japanese relief when there are needy people within a block or blocks?
- Giving money to disaster relief organizations always drops donations to local charities.
- Bad Taste
Granted, the complaints have merit. Granted, some companies do believe their own copy and feel good about themselves.
So what? Japan hurts. I doubt the victims care whether the motives are pure when they receive help.
Advertising always is about self-promotion. Who are you to cast the first stone of what is publicity worthy and what is not. |
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