MSN to Launch Cause Marketing Portal

At London’s World Entrepreneurial Summit, the news was announced that MSN is building a new portal devoted to cause marketing. The soon-to-launch online community, a partnership with WhatOnEarthIsGoingOn, aims to match consumers with “like-minded brands” whose values align with their own.

“Nowadays, brands need to differentiate themselves through their values. Who you are as a brand is just as important to the consumer as what you make, or the services that you offer,” said David Alberts, Grey London’s former creative director and creator of WhatOnEarthIsGoingOn. This point was proved by a recent survey from Information Resources we cited the other day that showed half of American consumers taking “sustainability” into account when choosing a brand.

The site has a good deal of potential; nearly every big brand out there has a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) platform. And not only are we seeing more businesses being charitable , but more charities turning profits—effectively erasing the boundary between sectors. One company trying to earn our trust through our hearts is Google. They just announced that they are giving $30 million in grants and investments to non-profits and a private business through their philanthropic arm, Google.org (essentially a for-profit charity).

Are they doing it for love or money? Are they mutually exclusive? For Alberts, the answer is no. “We want brands to see a return on their investment, but why shouldn’t good messages be spread through good marketing? I love the fact that brands are doing well out of supporting good causes, and I think we should applaud that,” he said. But Gayle Troberman, head of branded entertainment at MSN, points out that while consumers may be passionate about certain topics, they are also raising an eyebrow. As a result, “Brands need to prove their authenticity,” she says, “and consumers trust brands that mean something to them.”

So will MSN’s new community help Google and other brands with a conscience push their philanthropic concerns and seem genuinely, well, concerned? What does it take for a brand to be “authentic”?

via Clickz

Related on PSFK: Brands with a Conscience