Photo credit: The Ocean Cleanup<\/pre>\nThere seems to be a buzz word off the lips of every young Malaysian entrepreneur these days. A new buzz word that will make your company on the top of the list to attract \u2018Gen Y\u2019 employees.<\/h3>\n
Social entrepreneurship.
\nCause-related marketing.<\/p>\nCompanies today are more socially conscious and it seems that if you were to attach a cause to your marketing strategy, the appeal to the youth community works in more powerful ways than if you were to attach a straightforward celebrity endorsement, although by no means are we suggesting endorsements don\u2019t work. Together, a celebrity with a cause offers double the impact.<\/p>\n
However, is it purely a marketing jargon, or is society truly seeking to do more for one another through \u2018social entrepreneurship\u2019?<\/p>\n
Here are some case studies to consider:<\/p>\n
Hollywood renowned on-screen actress Cate Blanchett has a cause, and that is to further theatre. So, she\u2019s been working with Sydney Theatre Company as their co-artistic director and they\u2019ve just launched together with Suncorp, limited $20 ticket seats to make theatre more accessible to the public. Great move for theatre-goers and bringing theatre closer to the people!<\/p>\n
Pakistan\u2019s former cricketeer and celebrity heart throb Imran Khan now bats for politics and has taken on a whole new direction in his campaign, themed \u2018change\u2019. He shall be leading his party after winning a seat in parliament to end corruption and effect reforms.<\/p>\n
James Dean, a dashing young Hollywood actor from the 1940s-50s made a statement with his movie \u2018Rebel without a cause\u2019. That movie drove home the message about youth and their need for freedom of expression. For over 70 years, that movie and the memory of James Dean gave the Baby Boomer generation a \u2019cause\u2019 for freedom of expression of the ‘self’.<\/p>\n
\nDREAM AS IF YOU\u2019LL LIVE FOREVER, LIVE AS IF YOU\u2019LL DIE TODAY.
\nJames Dean<\/em><\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\nIn today’s terms, that quote has been rehashed to just four letters – YOLO. Children of those same Baby Boomers revere dotcom icons like entrepreneurs Elon Musk of PayPal & Tesla, Oprah Winfrey or Jack Ma of Alibaba. Each led by their own unique purpose have become society’s Unicorn <\/em>and each entrepreneur’s success story personifies their personal journey to freedom nevertheless. Financial freedom that later allowed them to support causes via their own foundations.<\/p>\n
In Australia, a teenage school kid came up with a cause to champion! Buying a school bus for children from a school in Africa! He has successfully gotten his school friends to help him raise the funds to buy a bus so that it can shuttle the children to\/fro school and their small town in Africa. Commendable!<\/p>\n