Corporate social responsibility
A social responsibility has become a theme trendy in the commercial world, with more and more brands investing in social causes, adapted products and active listening to the needs of current and future consumers.
The truth is that corporate social responsibility is increasingly being debated and brands are seeking to respond more directly to consumer needs.
Campaign Changing the Game from Microsoft
Microsoft has launched the Changing the Game (We All Win) for its Xbox Adaptive Controller project, which makes it easier for children with disabilities to interact with the Xbox video game console.
The campaign video is just one minute long and tells the story of some disabled children and their experience with the new Xbox feature. Watch it here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CM2QJO2IDFo
This brand activation campaign was developed by McCann New York and was the big winner in the Brand Experience & Activation category at Cannes Lions 2019.
The world of video games is becoming increasingly popular and it is here that many young people can make their dreams come true or have unique moments of fun. While most children would be able to enjoy one of these games, children with some kind of motor disability were limited in their ability to enjoy these experiences.
This is a sensitive topic and one that Microsoft has reflected on in order to develop an innovative project. One of the highlights of the campaign created by McCann was the organization of an inclusive tournament involving players with and without disabilities.
The trend towards corporate social responsibility
This new direction for brand communication dictates a trend that has been gaining ground. It's always positive to see that the advertising and marketing market is getting closer and closer to the surrounding communities and trying to meet their needs.
Socially-oriented campaigns, such as the Microsoft campaign mentioned above, featured heavily at the Cannes Lions 2019 festival, which reveals the growing trend in this aspect of targeted marketing.
Different opinions on Cannes
But is this a positive trend? Some say no.
Saurabh Varma, CEO of Publicis South Asia said that Cannes has become very “cause-y” and that there are more and more brands seeking to stand out by supporting social causes, sometimes trivializing sensitive issues.
These campaigns are beneficial for companies on a commercial level and Microsoft is proof of this as the adapted controllers featured in this campaign have been a hit with consumers.
Microsoft revealed that its main concern would be consumers' opinion of the brand and its corporate stance on social issues, and not simply increasing the number of sales.