An Issue Deserving of the World's Attention
MSLGROUP's Blog By: Jessica Bernard
With Super Bowl XLV just around the corner, many advertisers and marketers are eagerly anticipating the airing of what is undoubtedly their largest advertising spend of the year— their commercials. While the industry is laser-focused on this event, they likely aren’t thinking about the real social issue in the world happening right in front of them— sex trafficking. That’s right, advertisers and marketers who would never want their brands attached to such a risky issue, ironically are, as the Super Bowl is one of the biggest draws for sex traffickers.
We at MSLGROUP know that it’s no surprise that the causes with the greatest need for awareness and funding are often not the darlings of corporate cause programs. Yet, there are a few brave companies who are turning their support of risky causes into successful cause marketing initiatives. Case in point— The Body Shop.
Since its launch in 2009, The Body Shop’s Stop Sex Trafficking of Children and Young People has gathered support in more than 40 countries worldwide, including rallies and marches of hundreds of customers in New York and Toronto. The year 2009 also saw the launch of The Body Shop’s Soft Hands Kind Heart Hand Cream, for which proceeds went to support anti-trafficking organizations. With one hand cream sold globally every 30 seconds, this cause marketing product has already raised a staggering £1m for charity. Another indicator of the campaign’s success: nearly 4.5 million individuals have signed its petition, calling upon governments to implement strict anti-trafficking policies and legislation, and dedicate more resources to help victims of trafficking. The Body Shop aims to bring this petition to the United Nations in 2011.
ABOUT MSLGROUP MSLGROUP (mslgroup.com), the Publicis Groupe’s flagship specialty communications, PR and events network, is one of the world's top five PR and events networks. MSL’s offices span 22 countries and cover virtually every discipline required for clients to engage creatively with their audiences in real time. MSL offers clients insight-guided thinking and big, compelling ideas - followed by thorough execution. With the bottom line always the driving force, MSL ensures a return on engagement and a return on marketing investment.
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