In a sudden change of corporate spending plans, nearly $1 million originally allocated towards a 2005 Keen Footwear advertising campaign have been set aside for contributions to a variety of non-profit organizations that are important to the company and its employees, the company announced today.
While driving up the California coast, KEEN CEO Angel Martinez was moved as he listened to radio coverage of the tsunami devastation throughout Asia. It was then that he came up with the dramatic suggestion to pull the company’s forthcoming advertising campaign, including scrapping creative and retracting most of its media buy, in order to provide additional support to non-profit organizations. Without debate or hesitation, everyone in the company quickly rallied behind the idea and signed off on the decision.
“When we were young adults, we always said that when it was our turn to be in charge, wed do things differently than previous generations. We will be more responsible citizens of the planet, more tolerant of other cultures and ideas, and will exercise our power as individuals,” said Angel Martinez, CEO. “Even though KEEN is still in its infancy as a footwear company, it’s never too soon to step exactly in the direction of the future we want to build.”
“We were going to spend more than a million dollars in advertising and now were redirecting those monies,” said recently-promoted KEEN president Jim Van Dine. “It was that sudden and that simple. The tsunami disaster reminded us of a promise we made to ourselves when we launched this company less than two years ago: to form a company that reflected our personal values. That includes having an active social conscience. Now more than ever is the time to keep that promise.”
While a considerable amount has already been donated to the tsunami relief through AmeriCares, KEEN’s charitable contributions in 2005 will total close to one million dollars and lay the groundwork for the creation of a foundation, which will keep alive KEEN’s vision to be a business that always acts charitably.
