The Body Shop

When I think cause marketing the first brand that comes to my mind is The Beauty Shop.

For as long as I remember I have always seen The Body Shop product labels supporting a cause.

I remember the lotions featuring the Fair trade logo, the body butter explaining the “Trade not Aid’’ philosophy whom objective was "creating trade to help people in the Third World utilize their resources to meet their own needs". It gave to the brand the image of a green, sustainable ecologically and socially responsible that appealed to me.

The first Body Shop’s cause-related campaign started as soon as 1986. At that time, the brand partnered with Greenpeace to save the whale. This social activism was the founder Anita Roddick’s decision and became the Beauty Shop’s trade mark. The stores feature sponsorship of local and international charity and community events. 

Even after L’Oreal bought the company and took over in 2006, the brand kept promoting this image. Body Shop advocates against animal testing, defend human rights (according to the Body Shop’s website: to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1998, The Body Shop launches a joint worldwide campaign with Amnesty International to highlight the plight of human rights defenders around the world, encouraging customers to 'Make Your Mark' for human rights. This successful campaign saw three million people sign up), support community fair trade and protect the planet.

Activate your self-esteem has been one of the most interesting uses of social media. Body Shop fought against the media portrayal of feminine beauty as being a dress size zero and generates a huge support and massive posting on the Body Shop Facebook page from women from all over the World. 

If doing good certainly helps for doing well, it may also put the company at risks if it fails to honor its promises. Here is a link to a campaign that accuses Body Shop of falling short on its promises: http://www.mcspotlight.org/beyond/companies/bodyshop.html