"Why are politicians and rock stars leading CSR campaigns when we [advertising people] are the ones with ideas?" asks Mike Schalit, chief creative officer of Net#work BBDO South Africa.
Sporting jeans, T-shirt and a goatee, Schalit looks like a rock star himself, and with his prescription for "goodvertising", agency people may find him worthy of cult status too.
In South Africa, with all the attendant problems of a developing nation, he has learned to use creativity for good and encourages everyone to practice it with sincerity. Not lip-service CSR, but creativity that brings about lasting, sustainable change.
"Instead of an ad telling people you want to make a difference, just do it," he advises.
It’s counsel that his clients at Nedbank, a financial institution with a very elitist target market, took a full year to appreciate. But the result was well worth the wait. The Nedbank solar panel billboard literally gave power to the people, by providing electric power to a remote township.
"It’s not about the cuteness of an idea but the generosity of the brand."
But in a recession, is generosity a sound strategy? Schalit believes so.
"There is a way for generous brands, where if you give something back, you’ll get something back. It makes sense in today’s world, where people want more meaning, want to connect with brand. This is a real way of doing it."
That’s by making the campaign sustainable.
"Come up with a business idea, not just a charity, and you can make it sustainable."
He cites another Nedbank project, where poor womenfolk were hired to take discarded plastic and weave it into a massive billboard. Not only did it use recycled materials, it provided income for the women.
It added to Nedbank’s bottomline as well. Once an elitist bank that reached only investment bankers, it bought into Schalit’s vision. Four years later, it has won a number of marketing effectiveness awards.
Of course, selling an innovative CSR campaign is only half the battle; getting it produced within a limited budget is another.
"We have to be ingenious."
By keeping things fun, as he did with the an ad that cheekily asked women to touch themselves–for monthly breast self examination–he intrigued newspapers and news TV programs into writing about it, and giving him free mileage.
"Come up with an ad in a fun way, and media will be on your side, even if the cause is a serious one."
He does recognize that with CSR, scam–CSR ads, made with the sole intent to win awards–is a real issue. He advises agencies to take the same energy they use in making "cheeky" scammy ads and channel it into one amazing big idea–like the crime initiative, where a number of South African agencies will do CSR projects year-round, concentrating on the issue of crime.
He believes award shows can also help, "by discouraging a cute little ad that won’t solve anything" and by supporting ideas that save lives, like the Tap Project by Droga Five.
Whatever the cause or the issue, advertisers and ad agencies should get into CSR for the right reason.
"Sometimes, you win an award; sometimes you don’t," he says. "But when it’s done with sincerity"–he points to his heart–"the reward is in here."
