On the back of the hard working crews of CFA (Country Fire Authority Victoria) and the victims of bushfires comes the corporate vultures ready to swipe down on the people in need and put on the greatest show on earth.
The 4 major banks have pledged 1 million dollars each to help build Victoria’s fire ravaged state that will only replace the Horsham Golf Club. As one pensioner lady said that it amount to 0.0024% of their profits/ She donated $200 which was 1.4% of her income. But the real spectacle is all the free adverting they get for their generous donation. Every 5 minutes on Twitter.com we here about the corporate donations. The radio and the internet is ablaze with the stories of corporate generosity. The donation is not a gesture of good will but a marketing strategy to gain media coverage and branding.
Channel 9 Telethon is purely for the same reason as it will attract ratings for the night and channel 9 will sell a bucket load of premium advertising for the spectacle. There corporate generosity is nil as it is the generosity of the public that pledge the donation while they put on their circus.
To stage a rock concert cost millions of dollars and the Idea of having a rock concert to donate money to the appeal is another media spectacle that not only build the branding of the performers but lines the pockets of promoters and ticket sellers. Its not about been a good corporate citizen but to get some gain from the disaster for their own corporate greed
The corporate citizen JB High Fi generosity is to match dollar for dollar their staff contributes to the Appeal. The spectacle here is they get some media coverage with an innovated idea of deciding how much to donate. If it was a genuine offer why have conditions. Open up you purse and give you mean bastards without any recognition or media coverage.
The other laugh is the newspapers web sites asking visitors to send in their photos. Why do they do this is because of new trend in the media not to employ photographers and journalist and to use the public to get their material. None of the photos in our Fairfax papers where that of their staff.
Myer will match dollar-for-dollar total customer contributions to the Appeal up to $500,000. The goal – to raise $1 million for the recovery effort. and they get 1000’s of customer making purchases while in the store, see their new stock range and create opportunities to do business with the donor while making a donation. If Myer are such a good corporate citizen why not just give out the $500,000 with now strings attached.
There's is also some rhetoric in the politicians as well. They will make TV appearances to announce the hand out to the Fire victims and to preach a bit of politics while they are there. Mr brumby will be on the TV for the telethon appeal along with Mr Rudd playing lip service to the public on how terrible it is but the underlying part is they are playing the best part of politics when they are giving away money to people in need.
The only real heroes in all this is the Red Cross,the Salvation Army and CFA Fire fighters who work tirelessly as volunteers and ask for no glory.
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Hey Chriso, totally agree with your sentiment. Marketing departments must be enjoying themselves right now.
ReplyDeleteHi Chriso - thanks for blogging your comments, taking photos and sharing other people's photos on your Wimmera Site...I haven't switched a TV on for days, so am out of the loop except for what I've read and seen on the internet.
ReplyDeleteSitting in Sydney where the conditions are nothing like what you've been suffering, it's so easy to just believe what major news producers and advertisers are saying.
I had never thought of the other side that you mentioned: the free publicity all the 'good' businesses are getting.
Sure, they are helping others...but at the same time, helping themselves too.
The real hero's are the volunteers, like you mentioned - Red Cross, Salvos, CFA - people who are helping others even though they have all lost friends, animals, houses too.
It would be better for the PM to divert that bonus he was going to hand out to everyone, to the bush fire victims and affected towns.
There have been a lot of houses, community buildings and businesses lost.
All that infrastructure is going to have to start all over again.
Boy, it's going to take years.
Thanks again for your posts and photos - it helps the uninformed public (like me) to get a more real view.
I read someone's blog today - a journalist who lost his friends, house, animals, cars - and was reduced to tears, literally, because he was so thankful that his family were all alive.
Burnt, but alive.
The conditions must have been awful.
Made me feel really guilty when I started hearing thunder this afternoon!
Hoping the rain we got tonight has moved south to you.
Take Care,
Tess :)
Hey Chris,
ReplyDeleteI guess the other option is the corporations not giving one cent to the needy and then getting blasted by people like you. Which would you prefer? Personally I'm happy that they're giving anything at all.
Every day businesses need to make money so they can pay their staff and keep the world turning - there's no getting around this - everybody needs money, so let's be happy when they're generous and help them even more to be generous by buying from those who are (and avoiding those who aren't!).
I agree with Sean B above - doesn't the "Greater Good" win out? Obviously there are business motives behind press releases about the companies donating money/profits/products etc. - they are businesses, that is what they do. Somehow though, I don't think the people that lost their houses will care who donated the money and for what purpose.
ReplyDeleteGuys my Point is that their donations should be given without conditions. There no different to a scalper who knock on your door for donations and then pockets the money for them selves.
ReplyDeleteCarl on the Today Show bragging he raised $31 million for the Red Cross this morning. In fact $31 million was raised by the Red Cross by the hard working volunteers and the generosity of the community. Why should he praise himself in the glory as some sort of hero. Because of his ratings that's all. It is important to get a critical analyses of what's going on here. I have not heard how much channel nine have given. Sorry there running a telethon to line their pockets on behalf of the victims.