节日慈善：商家的另类公关秀

    “节日季是公司利用奉献精神，为来年聚集发展动力的绝佳时机。”

    然而，有时候，即使精心策划的活动也会遇到障碍，比如可口可乐公司（Coca-Cola）的遭遇。2012年，可口可乐公司与极地家园( Arctic Home)合作开展保护北极熊的活动。公司将它标志性的红色饮料罐改成了白色，承诺只要用户用手机扫描一件产品，公司便会向极地家园捐款。然而几周之后，改变饮料罐颜色的做法被迫叫停，因为消费者投诉这样的包装让人摸不着头脑。

    这家饮料业巨头承诺，在五年内捐赠200万美元，用于支持保护北极熊活动。据公司发言人劳伦•汤普森透露，今年的活动将借助公司两升装饮料瓶和个别饮料的包装来展开。她表示，到目前为止，可口可乐公司已经为北极熊募集了300万美元捐款，公司的活动计划将持续到2月15日。

    虽然向慈善基金捐款是出于公司战略考虑，但美国许多《财富》500强公司（Fortune 500）在这方面的投入却越来越少，而且这种趋势已经持续了多年。据《慈善纪事报》（Chronicle of Philanthropy）一年一度的“捐赠美国”（Giving USA）调查发现，大多数公司今年仅计划小幅增加向慈善机构捐款的金额。

    2012年，参加捐赠美国调查（去年夏天公布）的106家公司，捐款金额增加到53亿美元，但仅有16%表示，他们在2013年会增加捐款金额，尽管股市正在上涨，经济也在逐渐恢复。这些公司中，有超过70%计划捐款金额不变，6%表示会减少捐款金额。

    除了捐款，越来越多的公司选择捐赠产品。去年，制药业巨头辉瑞公司（Pfizer）捐赠的现金和商品总价值共计达到31亿美元，连续第四年位居榜首。

    用来宣传公司慈善事业的产品可以作为对消费者最显而易见的提醒。据营销调查显示，大多数消费者会忠实于支持慈善事业的品牌。据2008年Edelman Good Purpose 研究显示，约80%的消费者会选择支持与慈善事业有关的产品。

    综合计算现金、商品和服务，2013年，公司捐赠总体某种程度上呈增加趋势。许多公司倾向于将品牌产品放到消费者面前，因为他们相信这将提高产品的客户认知度。但更多公司会考虑如何使员工将更多时间投入到他们自己选择的慈善活动当中。

    贾非说：“公司可以用他们自己选择的、有意义的方式，来调动员工积极性。”（财富中文网）

    译者：刘进龙/汪皓   

    "The holidays are a great time for companies to harness their giving spirit and then build on that momentum for the rest of the year."

    Sometimes, even carefully planned giving can run into speed bumps, something Coca-Cola (KO) encountered during its 2012 campaign to support its Arctic Home commitment to preserve polar bears. The company changed the color of its iconic red cans to white and pledged to donate when customers used their cell phones to scan a product. But the change in can color was jettisoned after a few weeks when customers complained that the packaging was confusing.

    The drinks giant committed to support the polar bear campaign with $2 million over five years, and this season rolled out a campaign on its two-liter soda bottles and certain drink packs, according to Lauren Thompson, a company spokesperson. So far, the company has raised $3 million in donations for polar bears, and it plans to continue the effort until Feb. 15, she says.

    Despite efforts to strategically target charitable funds, many of the country's Fortune 500 companies are actually giving less to such causes, a trend that has continued for several years. An annual survey called Giving USA, by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, found that most companies planned only modest increases in cash gifts to charities this year.

    In 2012, donations were up, to $5.3 billion, for the 106 companies that responded to the Giving USA survey, which was released last summer, but only 16% said they would give more in 2013 even though the stock market is soaring and the economy is recovering. The bulk of companies, more than 70%, planned to give about the same, and 6% said they would donate lesser sums.

    Instead of cash, companies are increasingly donating products. Last year, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer (PFE) was the top company for the fourth year in a row in giving, which reached $3.1 billion when cash and goods were combined.

    Products that tout a company's charitable efforts serve as a visible reminder to consumers, the majority of which remain loyal to a brand that supports a cause, according to marketing studies. Almost 80% of consumers are likely to switch to a product associated with a good cause, according to a 2008 Edelman Good Purpose study.

    When cash, goods, and services are combined, overall company giving grew somewhat in 2013 with many companies favoring branded products in front of consumers based on the belief that it translates into broader customer awareness. But more companies are also taking into consideration how they can enable their employees to donate more of their time to charities of their choice.

    "This helps companies to engaging their employees in meaningful ways and ways they choose," says Jaffee.