Everyone is still reeling from the pandemic and it wouldn’t be too much of an exaggeration to say that it changed everything. One of the more relevant changes for our subject today, however, is the shift in the way consumers think about their health.
COVID-19 opened the eyes of the world to the threats against our physical and emotional health and it disrupted the way that we lived day to day after months of self-inflicted isolation.
Of course, this shift in behavior comes with a couple of major implications for marketers. Especially in terms of how the brands of today have to approach the subject of health, which, according to recent analytics, is a subject that consumers will be increasingly sensitive about.
In response to the concerns of the public, marketers have already begun to put more emphasis on their philanthropic efforts. Not necessarily to gain new customers, but to satisfy the newly awakened sense of community that had bloomed in the midst of a rapidly changing economy.
To celebrate these new changes, we’ve compiled a list of a couple of stand-out brands that gave back during the pandemic.
1. United by Blue | Change Comes in Waves
Mission Statement: “Change Comes in Waves” is United by Blue’s declaration for change. They don’t hesitate to do the ‘dirty work’ to put a stop to ocean pollution, one of the biggest environmental issues of the time. And, they’ve been hosting community cleanups from the very beginning, which has already resulted in them having collected and removed over 3.5 million pounds of trash!
United by Blue is an environmentally conscious outdoor and lifestyle brand that was founded by Brian Lindon. They create long-lasting women’s and men’s apparel, as well as on-the-go accessories, and other home products out of sustainably sourced materials and with ethical manufacturing practices.
In the wake of the pandemic, United by Blue was quick to take action by teaming up with the Independence Blue Cross to offer Medicare Advantage members access to four weeks’ worth of grocery deliveries at no cost! In all, they reached out to over 7,700 seniors for this program to provide them with nutrient-rich foods and other household necessities with each delivery.
2. Vavoom Vodka | Stai Bella
Mission Statement: “Stai Bella”, which is “Stay Beautiful” in Italian is Vavoom Vodka’s message for empowerment. With it, they hope to push others to continue striving for their most beautiful ‘self’ — not necessarily because of vanity, but for the sake of constant personal improvement.
Next up on our list is Vavoom Vodka, founded by CEO Luke Battiloro! A premium, high-end Vodka brand that sells directly to consumers and exclusively online. With their high-quality product and their strong message, they made quite a splash in 2020!
Now, after our previously listed brand, it probably shocked you a bit to find out that an alcohol brand like Vavoom Vodka managed to make it on our list! But, that just goes to show the strong movement to give back as a community that we’re seeing these days.
One that is especially strong with Vavoom Vodka, which CEO Luke Battiloro has made sure is continually giving back through various channels. Like the Vavoom Fund or their I Choose to Live campaign, both of which are charitable components connected directly to Vavoom Vodka that Luke Battiloro had set up – the proceeds of which goes on to pay for cancer research and the everyday bills of patients fighting cancer!
3. The Body Shop | Fight for a Fairer, More Beautiful World
Mission Statement: “We exist to fight for a fairer, more beautiful world” is The Body Shop’s mission statement. Similar to Vavoom’s ‘Stai Bella’ but aimed for broader activism.
The Body Shop is the next brand on our list! It’s also one of the older brands that made it on, having had decades of experience selling Beauty products. According to The Body Shop, they produce only the most ethically-sourced and natural products — designed for sustainability and minimum waste in mind. Perfect for even the most environmentally conscious consumers.
During the pandemic, they reached out in support of their North American customers by kindly donating 30,000 units of their ready-for-order cleansing products as a way of helping those who may not have had access to the protection and preventative solutions that they needed to stay clear of the COVID-19 virus.
4. Bombas | Bee Better
Mission Statement: “Bee Better” is as much an upbeat call-to-action as it is a calling card for the quality that Bombas strives to provide to its customers.
Giving back to the community has always been one of Bombas’ biggest driving forces. More specifically, giving back to the homeless community, which is one of the biggest under-publicized social issues in the United States.
For one of their mission goals, they match every single item that is purchased from them with a donation to those in need (a mission that has already culminated in over 45 million products donated freely since their founding.)
Their mission goals were, of course, expanded during the pandemic, where they teamed up with one of their ‘Giving Partners’ by collecting much-needed protection supplies like protective masks, gloves, hand wipes, hand sanitizers, and soaps and giving them to homeless individuals as a way of supporting those who would have otherwise gone without protection.
5. Chewy | Chewy Gives Back
Mission Statement: “Chewy Gives Back” along with ‘Helping More People Bring Love Home’ are the taglines of Chewy’s mission as a brand. Their goal is to do what they can to help animal shelters and rescue centers get the quality care that they deserve.
Chewy, a pet supplies brand that’s sometimes referred to as ‘the Amazon’ for pet supplies, has never held back when it comes to philanthropic activities. In fact, according to their Shelters and Rescue page, they’ve already donated over $62 million worth of animal products to their cause, and that didn’t stop during the pandemic!
For 2020, they not only started off by personally donating over $27 million to animal welfare organizations, but they also launched Customer Gives Back initiatives that resulted in even more donations — especially towards the shelters and rescues affected by the economic impact brought about by the COVID-19 virus (and the major implications thereof.)
Final Thoughts | Give Back!
There’s much to celebrate now that the year 2021 is well on its way, but it’s still important that we look back, not just at the ‘bad’ but also, at the good of 2020. And one of the best ways of doing so is making sure not to forget the sense of community that we’ve built up during the economic crisis!