• Cincinnati Enquirer, Friday, April 24, 2009 11:15 AM

Procter & Gamble's philanthropic efforts under the $100-million-a-year "Live, Learn and Thrive" program for children open up new markets for its products, create new generations of consumers and build loyalty to its brands in nations where diapers, detergent and razors are not common items, David Holthaus reports.

Working with Unicef, P&G donates the cost of one tetanus vaccination for newborns in Africa for every package of Pampers purchased in the U.S. and Western Europe. The number of deaths from the disease dropped 87,000 in one year. Along with saving lives, the program is a cornerstone of a strategy to position Pampers as a brand that cares about the health and welfare of babies and mothers.

P&G's Pur drinking water program, which has delivered 1.5 billion liters of safe drinking water to countries in crisis, has also served as an introduction of P&G to leaders of other countries where the company wants to expand. P&G brought Pur to Ethiopia two years ago, for example, and the company is now introducing some of its consumer products into the country.

The cause marketing programs also build morale among employees, says Greg Allgood, director of the Pur initiative. "We've measured it."

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