How Advertising Agencies Can Engage in Corporate Social Responsibility

June 23, 2022

What is Corporate Social Responsibility?

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a form of business self-regulation which aims to contribute to societal goals of a philanthropic, activist, or charitable nature by engaging in or supporting volunteering or ethically oriented practices. 

Basically, CSR refers to the responsibility all businesses have to do good. There are 4 types of Corporate Social Responsibility:

  1. Environmental – Engaging in environmentally friendly practices and reducing your carbon footprint. 
  2. Ethical – Treating employees fairly and complying with labor laws. 
  3. Philanthropic – Donating money, products, or services (volunteering) to social causes, nonprofits, and the community. 
  4. Economic – Making financial decisions that not only will result in maximizing profits for the business, but also will positively impact the environment, people, and society.

 

Corporate Social Responsibility at Four15 Digital

One of the ways we engage in CSR here at Four15 is by holding Volunteer Day every quarter. Volunteer Day is a day when all employees spend work hours outside of the office volunteering at a local nonprofit organization. 

In Q2 this year, our team in Walnut Creek volunteered at their local food bank packaging fruits, which will be distributed to low-income students, senior citizens, and other neighbors in the community. Our team members in Long Beach, all avid animal-lovers, volunteered at their local animal shelter by reading to dogs and cats, which helps socialize the animals to prepare them for adoption. 

Another way Four15 Digital engages in philanthropy is by managing the Google Ads account of a 501c3 nonprofit organization for free! After all, paid advertising is what we do best. Four15 manages Google search ads for a nonprofit dedicated to empowering underprivileged women and girls in Thailand, by providing free training, mentoring, and career guidance. 

 

Ways Advertising Agencies can Engage in CSR

  • Establish a Volunteer Day of your own! Schedule a day for your team to volunteer at a local nonprofit together, or allow your team members to spend the day volunteering at a nonprofit of their choice. 
  • Ask your clients how they practice Corporate Social Responsibility. Encourage your clients to develop a CSR program, if they do not already have one.
  • Manage Google ads for a nonprofit organization! Nonprofit organizations can apply for a Google Grant, which grants up to $10K per month for Google Search ads. Providing your services as professional advertisers can significantly help a nonprofit organization drive awareness, attract donations, and recruit volunteers through Google ads.
  • An obvious one: Reduce, reuse, and recycle. Recycle bottles, cans, and any other recyclable materials, and go paperless! This is easy to do as the marketing world has already become very digital. 100% of any paperwork at Four15 is digital.