Role of NGO partnerships rises up marketing agenda

Marks & Spencer's partnership with Oxfam has been voted the "most admired" corporate/NGO partnership by peers, in the annual C&E Advisory barometer. The retailer was followed in joint second place by the Procter & Gamble partnership between its Pampers brand and UNICEF and Macmillan's partnership with Boots. The report - the result of a September poll of 130 NGOs and companies - found that both corporate brands and NGOs believe that the role of cross-sector partnerships will become more important in the next three years, but both sides say organisations must look beyond financial support and establish how to best resonate with consumers. In the past year, there has been a 14 per cent rise in "marketing-led" partnerships, particularly cause-related marketing, says the report.