CUTCO Cutlery has recently announced that it will continue supporting the American Heart Association’s Go Red For Women® movement in 2011. An avid supporter of the program, CUTCO donated more than $474,000 to Go Red For Women since February 2007, with more than $200,000 last year.
The commitment continues in 2010, till February 28, 2011. In this time span, CUTCO hopes to donate a minimum of $100,000 to the cause through a $75,000 corporate donation, plus continued contributions of 10 percent of the sales of four-piece red table knife sets and red kitchen shears.
This is a brilliant PR move by America’s largest producer of cutlery: a marketing campaign with a human touch, that should inspire purchasers and competitors alike. Go Red For Women® is only one of the movements in need of help. Companies can choose to donate part of their sales to any such charity, as part of their corporate philanthropy programs. Remember that strategic corporate philanthropy has tremendous brand benefits, raising awareness not only for the cause, but for the philanthropist as well.
For CUTCO, engaging customers in such a campaign ads a lot to the purpose. Most CUTCO buyers are women, who enjoy having these products in their kitchens. The cutlery sold for the Go Red For Women® campaign has a special red design, which is also the color of the movement. By selling red cutlery, CUTCO is raising awareness for the fight against heart disease in women as well.
The question however is: is CUTCO doing things right? In the age of social media, is a press release enough to power the campaign? Is a website landing page enough? Or should CUTCO launch a more in depth social media campaign and ask for support from its customers? For example, although it has a poor follower base on Twitter, CUTCO Cutlery could launch a Twitter campaign – it would not be the first time when charity goes viral. What do you think? How should CUTCO continue its RED campaign?