7 Cause Marketing Best Practices from Sushi Zushi’s Recent Misstep

- April 21, 2011 by Elizabeth Anderson, Social Experience Marketing Manager

Following the tragic events in Japan, thousands of brands jumped at the opportunity to assist relief organizations through a cause marketing strategy – helping others while also helping themselves. For the most part, these campaigns were successful at raising awareness and capitalizing on the desire of the public to give back. Unfortunately, in some high-profile instances, poorly executed cause marketing efforts backfired and created public relations nightmares for the well-meaning brands. We’ll take a look at an example of what went wrong with Texas-based restaurant chain Sushi Zushi’s cause marketing efforts, and some best practices that could have helped prevent their negative outcomes.

Cause marketing, which originated in the 1970s, has grown by leaps and bounds in recent years. Organizations such as Komen for the Cure, Livestrong and American Express have enjoyed great success by partnering with brands for mutually beneficial promotions. When executed well, it’s a win-win – but brands should know that when entering into a cause marketing strategy, the same strategic focus and attention to detail they use in their traditional advertising and marketing efforts is required.

Sushi Zushi’s Recent Misstep

Though they approached the Japan crisis with the best of intentions, Sushi Zushi recently experienced first-hand the potential pitfalls of a poorly executed cause marketing effort. A few days following the earthquake and tsunami, the chain kicked-off a promotion in which they donated a portion of the proceeds from the sale of two menu items to relief efforts in Japan. They used email, Facebook, Twitter and their website to get the word out. Almost immediately they were faced with negative feedback from customers. “Why just a portion of the proceeds, why not just donate the entire sale price of the items?” “Why were these two menu items selected, when they are the least expensive on the menu?” “Which aid organization are you donating to?” It was clear that their customers did not feel like they had all the information necessary to understand the charitable intentions behind the restaurant chains efforts.

Using Facebook and Twitter, a handful of extremely upset customers lashed out at Sushi Zushi, accusing them of capitalizing on the misfortune of others to line their pockets. The restaurant chain was clearly unprepared for this negative consumer reaction, and it showed in the way they handled the negative messages on their wall. Instead of responding with direct and thoughtful answers to the fans questions, they opted to delete many of the negative messages. Do we have to point out how big a no-no this is? By deleting the negative comments by fans, they weren’t controlling the issue – they were escalating it.

Eventually a hastily written statement from Sushi Zushi’s management was issued through Facebook and Twitter, clarifying their intentions and answering many of the issues that were raised by detractors. The following day, the chain released a second wave of emails and social media updates that offered a blanket apology and revised the promotion to include 100% of the sale price of the two menu items.

What could they have done to avoid this debacle?

Seven Best Practices for Cause Marketing

1. Clearly communicate the details of the promotion. Cause marketing campaigns are the most successful when the consumer understands the value of their purchase to the charitable organization. In this instance, Sushi Zushi should have articulated how much would be donated from each sale and highlighted the fact that they selected the two menu items because they are the most popular.

2. Be as transparent as possible. Cause marketing is inherently different than charitable giving, and while most consumers are familiar with this model of philanthropy, you can’t assume that they’ll understand the nature of your promotion. The restaurant chain should have more effectively communicated their intent to support relief efforts through donating a portion of their sales. Unfortunately, their messaging left several consumers feeling as if they were taking advantage of a horrible situation for the restaurant’s own gain.

3. Partner with a reputable organization. Sushi Zushi’s biggest error was in not directly mentioning the charitable group their donation would go to by name. Past instances of mismanaged donations have left a bad taste in many consumers’ mouths. By partnering with well-known and respected organizations, your cause marketing strategy will be more effective and be better accepted by customers. Another consideration brands should review is whether the cause or organization is an appropriate fit for their consumer base and brand strategy. Who uses your products, and what issues are they concerned about?

4. Don’t run from fallout. Hopefully through effective communication and clear messaging, your cause marketing strategy will be well received. In the event that customers or media outlets have questions or provide negative feedback, the worst thing a brand can do is try and run from the issue or control the story. The restaurant chain should have responded openly to each concern raised on their social media platforms. By deleting comments and waiting to issue canned statements, the chain appeared to be hiding something, when in fact their intentions were good.

In this instance, not all the feedback from customers was negative. Don’t let the loud voices of a few completely dictate your actions. If a very active and vocal group of followers connects to your activity and decides to sway it one way or another, you have to be prepared and understand the implications of changing your strategy for perhaps only a small minority representation.

5. Be aware of potential donor fatigue. The high-profile relief efforts and increased personal giving that come along with large-scale disasters are often followed by periods of decreased philanthropic activity. Donors and consumers can suffer from “donor fatigue” and be less apt to participate in a cause marketing promotion. If you’re planning a cause marketing partnership, be sure to take into consideration the time of year and proximity to recent events that saw heightened charitable giving, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

6. Pair cause marketing efforts with direct gifts. The most successful cause marketing campaigns are often accompanied by direct philanthropic giving by the sponsoring brand. By making a direct gift in conjunction with the cause marketing promotion, you are demonstrating to the consumer your commitment to the organization and challenging them to join you in supporting the issue or cause. 

7. Build social equity in advance. Social media has raised the stakes for cause marketing efforts. Outlets like Facebook and Twitter allow for instant feedback from your customers, so it’s vitally important that brands prepare for potential scrutiny by building a healthy social footprint prior to launching a cause marketing campaign. By fostering genuine engagement and developing relationships with key influencers, your brand ambassadors are there to support you if any negative issues arise.

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