The CSR bandwagon in the UAE

The incredible thing about CSR is that it is so in sync with Islamic teachings; the need to act as part of a community, and to spread some of your gains for the good of others. As Muslims we are taught to be sensitive to those less fortunate than us, and in my family we were
always hammered with the doctrine that we should 'never compare ourselves to those better than us, but always to those less fortunate.'

Why then are companies in this part of the world having such a hard time with CSR? Partly because even the leading advertising agencies in the
UAE and the Gulf are lukewarm in promoting CSR, mainly because it requires time to craft the proposition and align the participants-and
yet delivers precious little in financial payback. (After all what agency wants to be accused of milking a public service venture?)

But an even more compelling reason is that CSR is sometimes mistaken for 'Zakat,' which is a mandatory alms-giving in which a Muslim is
encouraged to donate quietly. The belief simply, is that the more you trumpet your generosity the less credit points you earn with the Almighty. And that is why a friend of mine--an executive in a large property company recommended to his boss that they help rebuild a war torn housing block, and was told by his boss to donate US $ 50,000 instead. Why? The boss thought it far nobler to keep a lower profile...

I had a riveting conversation on this very topic with Tim Sebastian, 'hard talker,' friend, (excuse the name dropping here) and a very strong
proponent of CSR. He agrees that companies in this region should do it regardless of Zakat, 'to lead by example-- so other companies do the same thing.' Some companies profess to "only do Zakat" but this is sometimes a cover for companies who are too stingy to do either.'

I have first hand experience of this. BrandMoxie (the agency I oversee) as part of its CSR, it prints and distributes calendar-posters at the
beginning of each year. The poster shares '40 Ways to Save the Planet.' When we approach companies they balk at even a measly contribution
because it lacks a direct sales conversion link. Makes you wonder...

So the real solution may be to separate Zakat from CSR by placing the former in the spiritual redemption arena and the latter in the corporate
PR toolkit. That means that while CSR would still take on an altruistic dimension, the brand building quid pro quo would be intact.

CSR makes really makes sense commercially. Because of our increasingly fractured advertising landscape and the dilution of media audiences, sometimes the most potent tool a company has is the power of its brand. You can leverage positive public perception into commercial success and long term customer loyalty. So come on board, companies, get involved in CSR, and you will see that you sometimes need to give a little to receive more.