With all the news, images and heartbreaking videos coming out of Oklahoma, it’s impossible not to be saddened by the devastation left behind after this week’s storms. It is times like these that it’s easy to get distracted by all of the sad news and forget to notice what else comes from natural disasters like this: compassion, support and a helping hand.
Often large national brands and corporations are criticized for being too big and uncaring, but in some cases that couldn’t be farther from the truth, and a great example is Procter & Gamble. P&G is one of the largest consumer goods companies in the world, and it has done a fantastic job creating cause-related marketing through a number of programs. TheTide Loads of Hope, Duracell Power Forward and P&G Relief Center programs help communities by providing basic, but absolutely necessary services during a time of need.
P&G states, “We all know in the wake of a disaster, many of the simple things like clean clothes, a shower and making a phone call to loved ones become difficult. In an effort to restore a sense of normalcy, P&G people and our brands join together to help relief workers and families whose homes, clothing and personal items have been impacted and help to renew a sense of hope in a difficult time.”
It’s hard to understand how comforting such small necessities can become during these times. Below are three of P&G’s most successful relief programs (mentioned above), and more information about what they provide to families and relief workers in need.
Tide Loads of Hope
Tide Loads of Hope started after Hurricane Katrina. Since its inception, Loads of Hope has travelled to 31 different cities (that’s 40,025 miles!) and has helped 27,128 families by washing 35,717 loads of laundry. P&G acknowledges that Loads of Hope has become the pillar of the Tide brand and is now the No. 1 source of traffic to the Tide website.
Duracell Power Forward
We live in a highly connected world, and after a natural disaster, there is both an immediate and ongoing need to stay connected so we know loved ones are safe. But, finding working power outlets in these times can be a challenge. Following in Tide’s lead, Duracell rolled out its Power Forward Community Center in 2010 and more recently, its Rapid Responder, as a way for people in disaster stricken areas to charge their devices and distribute batteries. A marketing executive for Duracell said, “This is what the brand is about – empowering people through devices; connecting their families.”
P&G Relief Center
Staying true to the notion that after a disaster the smallest forms of normalcy can feel comforting, P&G recently launched the P&G Relief Center. This provides those in need of showers or personal items a place to go. The brands that can be found at the Relief Center are: Always, Secret, Pantene, Olay, OralB, Crest, Ivory, Tide, Gain, Duracell, Old Spice, Head & Shoulders, Aussie, Pampers, Mr. Clean, Joy, Dawn, Febreeze, Swiffer, Iams and Eukanuba.
Efforts like P&G’s remind us that even in a world where sad news always seems to overtake our media outlets, there is still a lot of good happening out there. And, it’s not just people in the local communities, but large national brands as well.
