Dove Global’s North American Vice President Firdaous El Honsali is urging companies to rethink how they evaluate the success of their socially-driven marketing campaigns. She criticized an overemphasis on publicity, which could potentially detract from genuine commitments to beneficial causes.
El Honsali emphasized that real success should be measured by the positive change these campaigns bring about, not the amount of exposure they get. She stated, authentic and respectful communication about the cause and understanding its significance should be at the heart of a company’s initiatives.
She also encouraged companies to internalize cause campaigns as part of their integral business policies and not just marketing strategies. This mindset shift, El Honsali believes, will foster a deeper and more enduring dedication to the causes they advocate.
El Honsali argued against using media coverage as a metric for campaign effectiveness. She remarked, “If your purpose is PR, you’re doing it wrong.” She believes the real value of a campaign lies in its impact, not its publicity. Launching numerous initiatives simply for the spotlight fails to demonstrate unwavering commitment, she explained.
She urged brands to critically assess their impact on individuals and the wider environment.
Genuine impact: Rethinking social-cause marketing
She provided examples of how encouraging young people’s involvement in sports or supporting forest conservation efforts can yield a positive influence. El Honsali also advised companies to continuously reflect on their actions, ensuring they contribute to societal and environmental betterment.
Speaking about leveraging real-world issues, El Honsali voiced the importance of aiming for tangible solutions rather than exploiting these for marketing advantage. She emphasized the necessity for companies to vocally support and engage authentically with these issues, resisting cynicism, and any attempts to just ramp up publicity.
El Honsali emphasized the need for long-term dedication from companies. She opined that prioritizing sustainable social impact over transient media attention is the true measure of success. She also suggested infusing social responsibility within corporate strategies to nurture genuine community improvement.
Discussing Dove’s purposeful marketing, El Honsali revealed how the brand tailors its campaigns to suit regional contexts and is exploring the potential of AI in the beauty industry. She confirmed that strict boundaries are maintained over the use of AI-generated content to ensure authenticity and consumer trust.
