Contributing positively to our communities and the environment is fundamental to Ketchum. Corporate social responsibility, or CSR, represents a value that Ketchum has acted on since our founding in 1923 – a value that we can and should integrate social, ethical and environmental concerns into the business of public relations. Here are a few examples of our work around the globe
Room to Read
In 2008, Ketchum formed a partnership with Room to Read, a nonprofit that is a leader in providing educational opportunities to underprivileged children around the world.
Room to Read was established in 2000 based on the belief that education is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty in the developing world. Since then, the organization has supported more than 3 million children through the building of more than 700 schools and 7,000 libraries with 5 million books in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Laos, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Vietnam and Zambia.
Hopenhagen
In 2009, Ketchum was invited to serve as the public relations agency to lead pro bono media relations efforts for Hopenhagen, a movement driven by the International Advertising Association that empowered people to globally engage in the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP15) that took place from Dec. 7 to 18 in Copenhagen. The conference included delegates from 192 nations, who met to discuss a new international global climate treaty that will take effect when the first commitment period of the Kyoto Protocol expires in 2012. Recognizing the tremendous role that communications will play leading up to and during the conference, the United Nations engaged the global advertising and media industries through the International Advertising Association to develop a communications program to drive public awareness and generate action.
United Nations
Global Compact
Ketchum was the first public relations agency to join the United Nations Global Compact, an international initiative to promote responsible corporate citizenship so that business can be part of the solution to the challenges of globalization. Click here to read our latest Communication on Progress report.
“Win-Win Partnerships with U.N. Agencies” Conference
In December 2007, Ketchum sponsored a Public Relations Society of America half-day conference called “Win-Win Partnerships with U.N. Agencies” at U.N. headquarters. The conference was designed to help educate PR professionals on how the U.N. offers corporations an unparalleled opportunity to achieve social responsibility goals by helping the U.N. meet needs where demand is greatest around the globe.
World Economic Forum
Since 2004, Ketchum has provided services to promote the World Economic Forum Global Health Initiative, a public-private sector network designed to fight HIV-AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis in the developing world. One example of this work is the China Health Alliance, a groundbreaking initiative that brings together select companies, the Chinese government, U.N. agencies and nongovernmental organizations in a joint effort to curb the large-scale spread of tuberculosis and HIV in a country where 45% of the population carries a latent form of tuberculosis. Read more about Ketchum’s work with the Global Health Initiative.
New Orleans Relief
Habitat for Humanity
On a national scale, Ketchum offices around the world donate pro bono services to a broad range of local nonprofit organizations. Sometimes these efforts grow out of work with our clients. Our services for the Louisiana Recovery Authority Support Foundation to communicate post-Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts inspired Ketchum’s partner group to take part in a Habitat for Humanity house build in New Orleans’ Ninth Ward in 2006. Watch a video of the Habitat event.
Wilson Elementary School
In November 2007, Ketchum built on its Habitat project when its worldwide finance team met in New Orleans to donate a day to help restore Wilson Elementary School. The school is housed in a temporary location because the original campus is still badly damaged from Hurricane Katrina. Ketchum colleagues split into teams to paint, read to children, assist students with an art project, and help the school's library organize and shelf donated books.
24/7 Brainstorm
Since 2004, Ketchum has put its public relations expertise to work through its 24/7 brainstorm program. During a 24-hour period, Ketchum teams generate marketing and communication strategies for local nonprofits that don’t ordinarily have the resources to spend for such counsel. Ketchum employees attend at least one brainstorm session and match their expertise with each nonprofit’s need and interest. Ketchum also recruits guest brainstormers from the local business, academic and nonprofit community. The program has been held each year since 2004 in Ketchum’s Atlanta and Chicago offices.
+Unidos
Ketchum’s São Paulo office, Ketchum Estratégia, is a member of +Unidos, a CSR initiative spearheaded by the U.S. embassy in Brazil. The +Unidos initiative promotes best CSR practices in Brazil through a network of more than 50 member companies, which in 2006 invested approximately $250 million in more than 700 CSR projects across Brazil. Among the ways that Ketchum Estratégia participates in this initiative, the office helps raise awareness for the Brazilian Cancer Association, whose mission is to contribute to the prevention and early detection of cancer and reduce the suffering of the cancer patients. Ketchum Estratégia also donates its services to promote the Instituto Brasil Acessível (Accessible Brazil Institute), which builds rooms and houses for needy people. And Ketchum Estratégia lends its expertise to the ONG Alquimia, which has 32 monitors to care for children in slums and provide them a better quality of life.
Professional Advancement
Ketchum leaders also contribute their time and knowledge to advancing the PR profession through leadership in associations around the world. For example, Ketchum CEO Ray Kotcher was the 2009 Chair of the Council of Public Relations Firms, and in mid-2010 Ketchum London CEO David Gallagher stepped down as Chairman of the Public Relations Consultants Association. In addition, Paul Rand, CEO and President of Zócalo Group, a division of Ketchum and Omnicom Group that helps companies and brands create sustainable word-of-mouth and brand evangelists, is President of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA). What's more, Kenneth Chu, CEO of Ketchum Greater China, serves as Vice President of the Shanghai Public Relations Association, marking the first time a member of a PR agency has held this position, and Simeon Mellalieu, General Manager of Ketchum Hong Kong, was elected to the role of Chairman of the Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong in mid-2010.
These are just the highlights. At any given time, there is a Ketchum employee somewhere in the world donating her or his PR or marketing talents, collecting spare change or spare coats, or doing hands-on volunteer work – in other words, integrating the business of public relations with the concerns of society, ethics and the environment.
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