The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

20-- The Canadien Champion, Fniday, Decomber 4, 1998 Social marketing said to be going business trn According to Mark Sarner, corporate involve- ment wth social issues has progressed beyond a mere trend and is now accepted as a form of marketing by imost businesses. In fact it is a-growtb sector, with Mr. Samer predicting major shifts in corporate behaviour over the next several years. "Corporate thinking is really changîng regard- ing social marketing and there are major shifts in this area which should take about three to five years to shake out," Mr. Samner said. "As government is takdng less responsibility for social and community programs Canadians are expecting business to take a more active role," he said. Mr. Samer, president of the social marketing agency Manifest Communications, recently explained the concept to a business breakfast hosted by Halton Chair Joyce Savoline. Essentially, social marketing is a calculated pro- gram of tying social responsibiity to corporate image. Mr. Sarner used The Body Shop as an exani- ple, saying they had built their entire corporate position around social responsibility. Ini fact Ise Body Sbop placed high on a sur- I vey of companies known for their social market- ing, despite the fact that they are not a big media advertiser. He pointed t0 Mc)orsaIds as anoher example of a company involved in social marketing. McDonalds' promotes itself through its sponsor- ship of Ronald McDonald Houses - housing near hospitals for familles of sick childoen. He also cited a survey which identified Bell Canada, Molsons, Esso, The Royal Bank, Coca Cola and Labatts as major users of social mar- keting strategies. More and more partnerships between business and community groups are occurring. In these partnerships, monetary contributions are not always the most tangible assistance business ren- ders, according to Mr. Sarner. He suggested social agencies understand the goals of corporations they approacis for help 80 they can tie a marketing plan to thse social inter- est targeted by the business. The fact that social marketing is widely accepted bas been borne out by an extensive sur- vey, Mr. Samer sald. More than 80 per cent of businesses surveyed sald social marketing is not a fad and will be more important in the future than it is currently. "There are dual motives of social good and company good, Mr. Sarner said. He noted that wtren aisked il business or (lie eoinnrrurrty bers fited more, respondents were cvenly split, whilc 35 per cent refused to choose between the two. Fully 87 per cent of companies involved in the survey sad social marketing is appropriate and 69 per cent said they are currently involved or are planning involvement in such programs. Mr. Samer said that several survey questions also illustrated significant gaps between what companies feel their role is and what they are actually doing. He sad this is an indication there are shifts in corporate thinking which have not yet been fully realized in society. "We've become a world that is mostly gener- ic," he said. "The involvement in social issues can have a positive impact on consumer atti- tudes. People want to choose which organization they will support." Mr. Sarner said in 1995 about 25 per cent of people reported boycotting products because they were unhappy with the company that pro- duced them. There is a belief axnong companies that social marketing can influence brand image, brand loy- alty, rcgulatory issues and employee morale, he said. of' social marketing, and, frankly thcy should be," Mr. Sarner said. He explained that there is a potential for unethical use of the concept. In addition there is a potential for a public backlash in opinion of a particular program. Most companies use their public affairs and sales departments to promote their social con- cems, which are usually environment, education, social service or health related, he said. Luc Lauwers, president of IKEA Canada, spoke about bis company's social considera- tions. He said social marketing is more than sim- ply generating good news stories in the local press. Mr. Lauwers said employee involvement in IKEA social programs is key to their success. Their ideas and support mean that not always does IKEA look to influence the greatest number of customers with a given involvement. He pointed out that IKEA's long-time overal corporate strategy springs from a mindset of "building better lives for the majority of people." TO BE BIGGER IS NOT ENOUGH. TO BE BEMER IS EVERYTHINO. That is why Bank of Montreal and Royal Bank have proposcd to mcrgc. It is our belief that by combining our talents and energies and financial resources, we will deliver to you and ro this country, a higher standard of banking. Along with the proposed merger corne questions. That is why we have prepared for you this detailed book about the merger. This book, "Two Banks. One Pledge.", is inrended to answer as many of your questions as possible. It is the intent of this book to clearly outline what is in this merger for you. We encourage you to read it. We encourage you to tell us what you think. We are sincerely determined to bring you better, more personal, more responsive banking. You have our pledge on that. Marthew W. Barretr Chirrman and Chief F xecuiie Offkcer Bank of Montreal John E. Cleghorn Chairman and Cief Executive Officrr Royal Bank To obtain your free copy of "Two Banks. One Pledge.", call toll-free 1-877-842-2565 or visit our web site at www.proposedmerger.com -- ,-.~,-- w