Existing Assets used for Brand Boosts

Everyone can agree that hard work goes a long way towards achieving success. Simply doing the right thing also does wonders for the public persona of individuals or companies – and doing the right thing often doesn’t require hard work. 

Nothing seems to topple perceptions of corporate greed than stories of companies using existing assets to help others. In this post, I want to share a few examples of companies putting aside their sales goals to do the right thing.

Anheuser-Busch | Water in Crisis 

The severe flooding in Houston brought about by Hurricane Harvey has created the ultimate irony: water all around but not one drop is potable. Anheuser-Busch paused their normal production at a facility in Georgia to create thousands of cans of water to distribute in Houston.

Anheuser-Busch sends more than 500K cans of water to victims of #Harvey: https://t.co/7q6WTDlD53 Details on Channel 2 this AM. pic.twitter.com/ja7AdlEovv

— WSB-TV (@wsbtv) August 28, 2017

The media has (rightfully) praised the brewer for doing the right thing but this is actually a common practice for Anheuser-Busch. They provided similar assistance during the peak of the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. 

Was it hard for Anheuser-Busch to do the right thing in these cases? Probably not – they already had the supply of water for their normal production and the specialized cans didn’t require a lot of graphic design or ink. At most, transporting the cans of water would be the pain point but in dire situations, I imagine there are groups or individuals willing to take on that burden.

Panera Bread | Day-End Dough-Nation 

Across the country, Panera Bread serves hundreds of thousands of customers each day. But, that’s often not enough as many of their locations have baked goods remaining unsold on a daily basis. These leftovers could be sold the following day but at the risk of violating health codes or serving food that is lower than Panera’s standards. Instead, Panera partners with area shelters and charities to provide this unsold food to those that need it most.

Is it hard for Panera Bread to do the right thing? Again, probably not. The alternative to this program is hauling all of this food to a dumpster. People from all walks of life can appreciate efforts to reduce waste and the above video shows that there are plenty of groups willing to take (and transport) this food. 

By the way, click here to register your group for a Day-End Dough-Nation. 

Sports Apparel of Losing Teams | Donations to 3rd World Countries 

These days, as soon as the final whistle blows on major sporting events, the victors are quickly clad in the official champion’s gear. From hats to t-shirts, this gear features the logos of the winning team. Details such as these can’t be simply whipped up in an instant, right? Well, apparel companies plan for both outcomes for the games. But the losing team’s versions never see the light of day – at least not in the USA. 

Here’s a video that explains what happens to the loser’s gear:

I don’t know how the destination of the loser’s gear is determined but, the apparel companies that follow the practice are definitely doing the right thing. Is this difficult to accomplish? I’d say “no” again. The items feature date and location-sensitive printing and, let’s face it, no fan of the losing team wants to wear a “false” shirt. The people that come into possession of these clothes probably have no tie-in to the teams and value them more for what they are – quality clothing. 

Here’s an article that details just how tricky the agreements between apparel companies and sports leagues can be. 

Doesn't it seem that when companies do the right thing, they also receive a favorable Brand boost? In today’s world, we can sure use more stories of companies putting financial gain aside in order to help others. Are you aware of similar examples? If so, let me know in the comments section or tell me on Twitter! 

Thanks for reading! 

{Top image: Courtesy}