fbpx

What Corporate Social Responsibility Means for Animal Health Manufacturers

By EPiQ Animal Health | January 13th, 2020

In January 2019, 3-year-old Nora the polar bear broke her leg at the Hogle Zoo in Utah, and the veterinarians responsible for her care lacked the specialized tools necessary to mend the bone.

Thankfully, Johnson & Johnson Medical Device Company heard about their plight and chose to donate the essential equipment for the procedure. The manufacturer’s contribution of steel plates, surgical screws, and Ethicon sutures was an act that saved the beloved bear’s life.

Coincidentally, it was also an exemplary demonstration of corporate social responsibility (CSR). Full disclosure: We proudly partner with Ethicon to distribute their first-line range of sutures. But this isn’t about us, or them, or even Nora the polar bear. (We love you, Nora.)

It’s about the demands of today’s market and how CSR can help you meet them.

What Corporate Social Responsibility Means for Animal Health Manufacturers

Corporate social responsibility as a business model has become almost a requisite for large brands. The idea that private companies should contribute to the betterment of the world is shared close to unanimously among today’s consumers, and plenty of research shows that this belief heavily influences their buying decisions. The majority of consumers choose to buy from brands who are making a positive impact on the world.

In the animal health industry, CSR is almost a given. If you manufacture animal health products, you help animals. But communicating this takes more than simply making a great product. Connecting with your consumers on a value-based level requires dedicating time and resources to giving back, supporting animal-related causes, and furthering advances in the treatment of animals at large.

If you’ve been thinking about initiating or improving your CSR efforts, now is definitely the time to do it. There are many ways to incorporate CSR into your brand, and what’s written here is just the beginning. Get in touch with me if you want to talk more about how to approach your cause marketing.

How to Inhabit CSR

CSR is about more than allocating funds or proceeds. Both are good, but money doesn’t solve problems the way action does, and your customers want to see action. True corporate social responsibility means integrating positive social, ethical, and environmental policies into your business model in support of a cause or causes.

Causely cites that 64% of consumers want businesses to do more than simply give away money — they want to see a real social impact. To pick an example close to our hearts, think of Subaru’s “National Make a Dog’s Day” campaign. It didn’t have any tie to sales or any self-serving messaging — it just supported a cause. They could have made a donation to the ASPCA, but what they did was far more effective.

Your efforts can manifest in many forms, including increased sustainability, support for nonprofits, volunteer opportunities for employees, donations of products and services, and cause marketing campaigns. These are all great ways to build camaraderie amongst employees around a common cause everyone cares about, as well as show the community at large that you care.

The idea that doing good is good for your bottom line has been proven time and again. But for you, it means more than just a revenue bump or a successful marketing campaign. Doing good is the lifeblood of the work we do: We help animals.

Our Take on CSR

When we work with manufacturers, whether as a master distributor or simply as a strategic marketing consultant, CSR is often a topic of high priority. Since the animal health industry is inherently responsible for the care and protection of animals, it’s a rich field of opportunities for impactful cause marketing.

The welfare of animals is already a primary goal of your business — the next step is making a conscious and authentic effort to further that purpose. We help our manufacturer partners take that step with our collaborative approach to strategizing and growing brands.

Contact an EPiQ Animal Health representative to learn how we can help you grow your brand and improve your corporate social responsibility.


About the Author

EPiQ Animal Health
Marketing

Do Something EPiQ in Animal Health

Get in touch with us and learn how we can support your vision.
Contact Us