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When is a CSR initiave really a responsible action and when is it a simple –or sometimes not so simple- marketing gambit? I would like to share some sterling examples of certain actions – theoretically CSR actions – that lie narrowly between what is responsible and what is convenient. An instance that struck my attention lately was the campaign on the anniversary of the Italian firm Bvlgari, which deals with luxury items such as jewellery, diamonds, watches & perfumes.

To celebrate their 125 anniversary, Bvlgari launched a campaign called “Save the Children Project”, aimed at raising 10 million euros for the NGO “Save the Children”, which will be assigned to its educational programs in Uganda. To this purpose, Bvlgari decided to summon a group of some 20 celebrities among whom were football stars Ronaldinho & Paolo Maldini, actor Ben Stiller and actress Isabella Rosellini, who were photographed wearing a special ring for the occasion. The ring, with the brand engraved on the outside and the phrase “Save the Children” in the inner side is worth 290 euros. For each ring sold, Bvlgari donates 50 euros, i.e. a 17.25% of the sales to the non-profit organization.

What else does Bvlgari do in this campaign to show its commitment? Their website displays an array of different celebrities photographed showing the ring, undoubtedly the true protagonist due to its priviledged position in the picture. They include captions about education, such as “Education is a right”, “Together we can rewrite the future of millions of children” and “Let’s give children a chance for a better future”. The expression in the celebrities’ faces is that of concern, intending to depict their commitment to the cause and their awarness of its importance. There is also a video of Ben Stiller in Uganda drawing on a wall with a piece of chalk among a group of African children. And that’s about it.

Now, when the time of analysis comes, several questions arise: Did the celebrities who appear in the campaign charge anything for their participation? If they did, how much? Apart from their photos, did they contribute with any part of their large fortune to complete the 10 million euros? How committed are they with the organization Save the Children, bearing in mind that Ben Stiller appears in the video wearing a cap of the non-profit organization Live Strong?

Isn’t perhaps Bvlgari aiming at using famous people who charge high cachès at a low or no cost at all with the excuse of a “charity” purpose? Ronaldinho’s image might cost thousands of euros to any company. How much does Bvlgari earn for every ring sold? If no ring is sold will Bvlgari contribute with the money anyway? Is buying a ring the way to Rewrite the Children’s future? Why couldn’t the consumer plainly give Save the Children the 290 euros? What added value has the ring got for the cause?

There are of course many other questions. As Bvlgari is a diamond dealer company – an outrageously base and inhuman industry, one wonders if it wouldn’t have been more reasonable to focus the efforts to ensure a production free of maffias, slaves and blood. In the same website, the ethical policy of the company concerning this subject is explained and it becomes clear that there still remains a lot to be done.

To my understanding, this is a sterling example of a trademark trying to obtain benefits, such as free publicity & a positive image, selling a ring and perhaps saving the money that hiring 21 celebrities might cost. It would be even worse if the celebrities had charged for their services. If this was the case, the costs might approach the 10 million euros intended to raise. Beyond that detail, it is clear that the celebrities participation is merely a marketing strategy. The words they use are empty, trite, naïve and even stupid. And one has the right to doubt their involvement in the problem. To verify this statement, it is enough to take a look at the gallery of celebrities and find the Barbie doll wearing the ring, as another trusted source for guidance. For Bvlgari, a product like a doll is responsible for enlightening public and society about the importance of education. In my opinion, anyone who pays attention to what the doll has to say should go back to school at once.

As it seems, unfortunately Bvlgari requested media attention through a campaign lacking real meaning and they achieved their goal. I myself learnt about all this through the papers, which published it on the cover page. Surely someone will tell me: “well, but at the end of the day, there will be 10 million euros destined to Uganda”, which is theoretically true. But, can such complex problems be solved, or even partly solved,  with 10 million euros, o is a deep analysis and serious involvement necessary to start working out a solution? It would have been interesting to see Bvlgari offer some other complementary initiatives for the campaign that attrack general interest. And it is  also interesting that we consumers, public and society in general learn how to identify the differences on behalf of each current cause.