• by P.J. Bednarski  @pjbtweet, December 17, 2020

Procter & Gamble, which has stressed the importance of cause marketing for a few years, on Thursday announced a commitment to do “2,021 acts of good” over the next year, and used the moment to tout a new bunch of charitable contributions to aid COVID-19 relief efforts.

For P&G, the leading consumer packaged goods marketer, the numerical challenge seems to be a bit of packaging itself as it adds up the company’s involvement toward a target that matches the date on calendars.  Its “Lead with Love'' consumer campaign already boasts many pro-social efforts, from environmental conservation to relief help and public wellness initiatives.

The company highlighted its P&G Good Everyday, a  consumer rewards program introduced in May that awards consumers points each time they purchase one of 60 company brands, answer quizzes, or otherwise engage with products. Points bring specific benefits to one of several causes the company asks you to choose from, including P&G’s own Tide Loads of Hope, Children’s Safe Drinking Water and Dawn Helps Save Wildlife,

On Saturday night on NBC and Canada’s CTV, Procter & Gamble will present a new ad called “Emotions,” part of the “Lead with Love” campaign, featuring glimpses of babies and young children showing each of eight emotions. The ad concludes with assorted children expressing love, the “strongest one.” The ad will broadcast opposite the Global Citizen Prize award show, seen in nations around the world.

Cause-related marketing can backfire if consumers doubt a company’s commitment or sincerity. Reinforcing the company’s good intentions seemed to be behind P&G’s proclamation it wants to do good at least 2,021 times in 2021.

Over the last few years, Marc Pritchard, P&G’s chief brand officer, hasn’t missed many chances to urge other companies to get involved in the big issues of the day, from inequality to global warming.  “With advertising that reaches people worldwide, we are choosing to use our voice at P&G and the voices of our brands to spark conversations, open hearts and inspire people everywhere to take action and to lead with love,” he said.

The company announced a new round of contributions for COVID-19 relief it said was worth “tens of millions of dollars.” It noted  new contributions to nonprofit relief organizations including Feeding America, Save the Children and the United Way, and in-kind and monetary awards to communities and frontline health workers for PPE equipment and P&G goods.

In its year-end report Citizenship Report, P&G claimed to have provided more than 17 billion liters of clean drinking water to children around the world, and given disaster relief for 20 different calamities., from Australian bushfires to flooding in India.  It’s donated 40 million “period products” to women in third-world countries, and special small Pampers diapers to help mothers whose babies were born extremely prematurely.