Abstract

Partnerships between companies and non-profit causes are viewed as a key means to tackle many sustainable development challenges, and cause-related marketing (CRM) is a valuable if sometimes controversial way to align corporate and sustainability agendas. This case charts the launch and first year of the “ONE Water” brand, an ethical bottled water marketed in the United Kingdom. The money raised through sales of the product contributes to the funding of water development schemes in Africa via the Roundabout charity. The case follows the progress of the founder, Duncan Goose, and his efforts to launch an unknown brand from a new business (Global Ethics) into an already crowded and competitive market. It demonstrates that success can be derived from a combination of brave entrepreneurship, and innovative approaches to both developing relationships with others in the supply chain and to developing the marketing mix. Although the case is UK-based and reflects aspects of UK markets (such as the retailers involved or the Live8 event), the marketing of bottled water and the rise of ethical products is common across many industrialized economies and the issues raised by the case should be equally meaningful within many countries.

Learning Objective

1. Develop an understanding of cause-related marketing, and development of different categories of “ethical” products.
2. Analyze the challenges that social entrepreneurs seek to establish a new ethical brand face.
3. Introduction to the principles of social entrepreneurship and cause-related marketing.
4. Analyze the options, risks and opportunities that a sustainability-oriented firm or a social enterprise faces when considering strategic options related to diversification and market development.