Marketing with a Purpose: The Solar Electric Light Fund, Steel Pulse, Partners In Health - Hold On [4 Haiti]

In a downturn it’s tempting to cut corners on corporate social responsibility initiatives. And for consumers, it’s easy to be cynical about companies that don’t live up to their brand purpose. And in terms of sustainability, a business observer might note that BP and Monsanto are both competing (neck and neck) for the title of “most hated company.”  The seeds of deception are literally being sown as we sleep.

That’s why it’s refreshing to see purpose based marketing in action.  A good example comes to us from the non-profit world in Haiti.  I’m talking about Solar Healthcare - a project I’m happy to be involved in - with a tangible, laudable goal: to solar electrify hospitals and clinics in rural Haiti.

WATCH:

The Solar Electric Light Fund (SELF) and Partners In Health (PIH) announced that Grammy-winning reggae band Steel Pulse will donate all proceeds from their new song Hold on [4 Haiti] to the solar electrification of PIH clinics in Haiti. The song was written immediately after the devastating quake in Haiti. “At the time of the earthquake, Steel Pulse was in Jamaica, working on our new album,” says lead singer David “Dread” Hinds. “We felt the tremor. Two days later, we put down the track. Our challenge then was to find a way to get the song out to the public in a manner that would help the people of Haiti in a meaningful way. It took us a while to find the right organization to donate the song to - one that makes a difference on the ground.”

Now, the song is available as a digital download at holdon4haiti.org, with 100% of the proceeds going to Haiti.

So what is purpose based marketing anyway?

Jim Stengel, who spent seven years as the global marketing officer at Procter & Gamble explains that it is about “defining what a company does — beyond making money — and how it can make its customers’ lives better.”