Liz Claiborne: Finding the Right Cause That Fits

by Jane Rendel
Manager, Cause-Marketing Alliances
Liz Claiborne, Inc. 

When Liz Claiborne first began thinking about a cause marketing program in the spring of 1991, we were 15 years old and were looking for something to reinvigorate the brand—something that would both strengthen the bond between Liz Claiborne and its consumers and enhance the corporate reputation. 

In collaboration with our public relations firm and partner, Patrice Tanoak & Company, we began researching program possibilities and were struck by the findings of a 1989 poll that showed 89% of adults say that a company's reputation often determines which products they will buy. (conducted by opinion research corporation for Fortune magazine) 

We felt that a sincere, long-term, cause-related marketing campaign would add to Liz Claiborne's corporate reputation and provide a variety of opportunities for Liz Claiborne's consumers and employees to interact with the brand. 

In developing our program, we established the following criteria for identifying an appropriate issue for the company: 

• specific to women, that is it had to address issues of particular concern to women—Liz Claiborne's core constituency; 
• an issue in which the company could establish a proprietary stake—the cause had to be one that people would come to identify almost exclusively with Liz Claiborne; 
• it had to address a newsworthy issue capable of garnering coverage for Liz Claiborne in a broad range of media outlets, including fashion publications—a critical media segment which tends to under represent apparel marketers with broad market appeal; 
• and Liz Claiborne's support for the cause had to involve communities at the grass roots level to generate consumer good will. 

As part of our research, we conducted an audit of many potential issues with which the company could align: 

• Environmentalism 
• Breast cancer (crowded with corporate supporters) 
• Volunteerism 
• Various illnesses and disorders 
• And one that intrigued us and scared us at the same time—domestic violence

Domestic violence fit all the criteria we had established: 

• it was perceived to be an issue of particular interest to women;
• no other major corporation was involved so Liz Claiborne inc. Could establish a proprietary stake;
• it certainly would be newsworthy if a multi- billion dollar women's fashion apparel company aligned itself with such a controversial issue; and
• it could have many grassroots components via partnerships with local shelters and advocacy groups. 

Yet we still had some trepidation. To allay any lingering doubts about the strength and validity of a domestic violence awareness campaign, we commissioned a national survey which revealed that: 

• 93% of American women believe that domestic violence is a problem in America. 
  (96% among our consumers). 
• 86% of American women said they would have a positive opinion of a company conducting an awareness campaign about the issue (91% among Liz Claiborne consumers). 
• We were also bowled over by the grim statistics and the realization that domestic violence affects every strata of society—there are no financial borders, no ethnic boundaries and few age groups are excluded. 

It was apparent very quickly that this issue compromises the quality of all of our lives. 

Program Description
Our program began with a strategy of building awareness of domestic violence and included many initiatives over the years, such as: 

• Public service announcements on television, radio and billboards, including one in Times Square that reaches the millions of daily passersby and the more than 20 million tourists that visit that area annually. 
• We developed and distributed more than a half a million free educational materials, posters and brochures to social service organizations nationwide. 
• We conducted surveys of CEOs, college students, as well as of the general public comparing men's and women's attitudes towards the issue. 
• We hosted an annual charity shopping day at all Liz Claiborne and Elisabeth stores nationwide. 
• We sold specially designed fundraising items. 
• We also did numerous mailings to business leaders, government officials, celebrities and the medical and legal communities in an effort to create awareness among influential individuals. 

Charity Partners 
Obviously Liz Claiborne is not an expert on domestic violence—but from the very beginning, we have worked with experts—partnering with local domestic violence prevention agencies in each of our store markets and with the family violence prevention fund—the pre-eminent national advocacy and education group. 

Over the years, we chose our charity partners carefully because they are the voice of authority that Liz Claiborne's corporate reputation is linked with. Over the years, we have learned the importance of finding partners who understand the time sensitivities and nuances of a corporate partnership. 

However, one should take responsibility to understand that the charity partner is often an under-financed group with a great deal of credibility and knowledge, but not necessarily the staff or capacity to get things done as quickly as one would want. Sensitivity and diplomacy are key ingredients in these relationships. 

Each year Women's Work, a public awareness and cause related marketing program addressing a range of women's issues, evolves in response to society's perception of abuse. And, because it is a cause-related public relations program, each year we develop a newsworthy campaign that reaches different audiences with targeted anti-abuse messages that positions Liz Claiborne as an innovative, forward-thinking company. 

In the first few years of the program 1991-1993, the company commissioned emerging and well-known American artists to collaborate with its local charity partners to create images that were displayed on billboards and bus shelters throughout San Francisco, Boston and Miami. Since the billboards would increase awareness and demand for counseling, we had to be sure those services would be available, so Liz Claiborne provided funding in each market for local hotline numbers. 

We rallied local businesses to the cause by hosting CEO breakfasts, where Liz Claiborne's CEO invited top executives to a discussion on how domestic violence impacts the bottom line and why they should get involved. By doing that, we were positioning the corporation as a model for public-private partnerships and encouraging other companies to follow that lead. 

In 1994, we commissioned artist Annette Lemieux to create an image that was used on fundraising products. That year, we also commissioned a survey to probe corporate leaders on their awareness of the problem. One hundred companies were selected at random from the Fortune 1000. The results are telling:

• 57% of the business leaders polled consider domestic violence a major social problem;
• 33% say domestic violence affects their balance sheet;
• a startling 40% are personally aware of employees in their company who have been affected by domestic violence;
• yet, only 12% of those surveyed say that corporations should play a major role in addressing the issue; and
• 96% of the 100 senior executives polled felt domestic violence should be addressed primarily by the family. 

With more than half of the women in American working outside the home there is no question that domestic violence is a workplace concern. The question we seek to answer is how to stop it. 

These results were merchandised to media nationwide and received significant coverage for Liz Claiborne, particularly in the business press. Our CEO survey is often quoted as an indicator of the scope of the problem and the apathy of corporate America, and with statistics like these it is no wonder. 

It was about this time that Nicole Brown Simpson was murdered, forever changing the domestic violence issue. While our strategy had initially been one of awareness-building, it now evolved to embrace messages of education and prevention. 

In 1995, we sponsored a pilot program of campus workshops called "relationships in the real world," in an effort to reach young men and women as they begin to make critical life decisions about relationships. Using our now familiar public-private model, we partnered with local domestic violence prevention organizations in St. Louis, Seattle and Minneapolis to develop programs applicable for this age group. 

We also commissioned another survey from Roper Starch, polling college students on their attitudes towards domestic violence. The results of this survey, which were also distributed to the media, were as striking as those from the CEO survey. 

• 75% of college students consider domestic violence a major problem in our society—only violent crime and aids rank higher.
• 6 out of 10 report they personally know friends, relatives or someone else close to them who have been affected by domestic violence. 
• Of those surveyed, 97% believe the family should be in the forefront of addressing this problem. 
• However, probably in contrast to previous generations, 89% do not think it is solely a family matter. Many think that domestic violence service organizations, the court system and police have meaningful roles to play, too. 

The sheer number of college students—tomorrow's leaders—who realize the enormity of this issue, encourages hope for the future. 

1996 is the year we inaugurated the tagline "love is not abuse is not love"—and this image illustrates how we translated it to the fundraising items we created. But more than a new tagline, 1996 was a major turning point for the program as we broke new ground by repositioning domestic violence as a men's issue. 

We partnered with Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society and the College Football Association, to create a series of television public service announcements that appeared at college football games and on network and cable affiliates nationwide, including MTV, VH-1 and PBS. The PSAs were directed to men about breaking the code of silence surrounding relationship violence and going beyond simply raising awareness of abuse by proactively discouraging men from participating in relationship violence or tolerating it in others. A key to focusing men's attention on this issue was the use of high-profile college football student athletes as role models and icons of masculinity. 

Moving on to 1997, our fundraising products—the shirt on our then signature model Niki Taylor and a sterling silver bracelet—again featured the message "love is not abuse is not love." That year we continued talking to men via a series of radio public service announcements featuring male musicians representing different musical genres: All-4-One, Backstreet Boys, Clint Black, Coolio, Kenny Loggins, Richard Marx, and Travis Tritt.

As before, these high-profile male musicians delivered a message directly to men about breaking the code of silence surrounding domestic violence, applying peer pressure to abusers, and getting bystanders to speak out on the issue. 

Over the years we learned that the friendlier the image, the better the response all around. What better to exemplify this than the image and fundraising objects from 1998. That year, we also collaborated with Dr. Richard Gallagher, director of the parenting institute of New York University's Child Study Center, to create a handbook for parents to help them discuss dating with their pre-adolescent children. 

The handbook: 

• offered parents straightforward advice on how to have open, honest conversations with their kids; 
• provided definitions of healthy and unhealthy relationships; and
• included tools to help start the dialogue and gauge kids levels of understanding of this issue. 

The handbook was intended to forge a path to primary prevention of relationship abuse. To date, we have printed and distributed nearly 150,000 of these handbooks and are in need of more. 

Building on the success of the previous year, in 1999, we collaborated with the family violence prevention fund on "A Woman's Handbook: A Practical Guide to Discussing Relationship Abuse." The handbook offered useful advice on how to broach the subject of domestic violence with a friend, family member, or coworker. It included tools such as: 

• signs of an unhealthy relationship; 
• specific language to begin those difficult and delicate conversations with someone you suspect is facing a problem; and
• suggested safety recommendations to share with victims. 

In conjunction with the handbook, we produced a television PSA with voice-over by actress Susan Sarandon. The PSA prompted viewers to learn how to tell someone close to them that they have noticed the abuse she's suffering. The national domestic violence hotline listed at the end of the spot, gave viewers a way to get more information and order the handbook. To date we have distributed thousands of handbooks through the hotline. This is quite gratifying when you consider we paid for no air time and the spot was often relegated to the wee hours of the morning. 

For 2000, we are focusing on teen dating violence an aspect of this issue that is often overlooked. In fact, a survey we conducted this spring showed that 31% of teens ages 13-17 reported they or a friend experienced dating violence. That's why we worked with teens around the country to create a third handbook in our series "What You Need to Know About Dating Violence: A Teen's Handbook."

The handbook tells the fictional story of a high school couple in a troubled relationship. Interwoven throughout the book are special sections offering tips on how to identify a problem, guidance on how to handle it and resources available to help. 

Employees 
The company also works hard to promote an environment of support within the walls of Liz Claiborne—something that further reinforces the company's position as a corporate leader in domestic violence education and prevention. 

We have in place an ongoing employee assistance program that offers year-round, 24 hour, off-site, confidential assistance in coping with family matters, and drug, alcohol and financial crises. The national domestic violence hotline and our employee assistance program phone numbers are promoted throughout the company. 

We have partnered with local domestic violence charities to conduct a policy and protocol training session for human resources and security departments. The goal is to extend these sessions to all managers and supervisors. And, we take a number of steps to make sure employees who are in abusive situations and those around them feel safe in the workplace. For example, we will: 

• assign special parking spots offer escorts to cars or other points of transportation;
• offer guidance through relevant legal processes;
• educate victims about the resources available to them;
• allow time off so associates can seek safety and protection, attend court appearances, arrange for new housing or take care of such matters; and 
• arrange for flexible hours, short term leaves of absence and extended leaves with a guarantee in most cases of a position upon return. 

Above all, we seek to encourage employees who need help to get it. 

It's important to note that our program has always had full involvement from the very top of the organization, which we believe has been key to its success. In fact, our CEO just spoke at a domestic violence conference that targeted business late last month sponsored by Phillip Morris and the New York Women's Agenda. 

Results 
This gives you an idea of the scope of the Liz Claiborne women's work program. The program is ambitious, and our goals are far-ranging. We measure results in a variety of quantitative and qualitative ways.

• To date, the program has generated over one billion consumer impressions via publicity and PSA airings. Ad equivalency is over $11 million and pr equivalency totals $34 million. 
• National coverage has included: The Today Show, MTV News, Oprah, Sally Jesse Raphael, Live with Regis & Kathie Lee, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times. 
• Magazine coverage has included Vogue, Glamour, Self, Women's Day, Harper's Bazaar, Elle and others—all key publications for the brand. 
• Local market coverage included: Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Dallas Morning News, Boston Globe, Houston Chronicle, San Jose Mercury News, Today in New York, and other local network affiliate news programs. 
• We've donated nearly $700,000 in funds for local and national domestic violence organizations. 
• The program has received widespread recognition from "influential" with letters congratulating Liz Claiborne for taking such a strong stand on the issue of domestic violence. The program received awards from prominent organizations and Liz Claiborne representatives have been invited to speak on the issue at universities, judicial conferences, national and local fund-raisers, awards events and now marketing seminars like this one! 
• Liz Claiborne inc. Received recognition from the "ultimate influential" when its CEO was invited to the White House Rose Garden for a ceremony celebrating the passage of the 1996 Crime Bill in Congress and again to speak at a White House press conference with Vice President Al Gore on workplace violence. We also sit on the National Council on Violence Against Women co-chaired by Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala, and Attorney General Janet Reno. 
• We have received hundreds of letters of thanks and commendations from customers, domestic violence service providers, politicians, other CEOs, the police, doctors, lawyers and judges for their efforts on behalf of the domestic violence issue. 

The success of the women's work program has encouraged Liz Claiborne inc. To continue its commitment to cause-related marketing in 2001 and beyond. 

These results link directly back to our original objective—building brand loyalty, adding value and reinforcing corporate reputation. I should note, however, that we do not measure success by sales. This program is not about driving sales in the short-term—it is about building relationships for the long-term. 

Liz Claiborne is perceived as a responsible caring company. Consumers appreciate the program and feel that the company understands the issues that affect them. They feel better about spending their money on Liz Claiborne products. And it certainly has been a terrific way for the brand to differentiate itself in a very competitive retail marketplace. 

These benefits have accrued to Liz Claiborne because of their long-term commitment to a single issue, a willingness and flexibility to evolve with that issue and, frankly, the courage and foresight to embark on this course in the first place.

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