Partnering with Non-Profits for Brand Growth

Image: Crabtree & Evelyn Soap from Hilton Hotels

Corporate Challenge: Finding new ways to improve the planet.

Ironbound Strategy: Strategies that promote creating value for customers, employees, and society improves a brands presence and awareness, globally.

Ironbound Action: Virginia based Hilton Hotels sought to find a solution to soap wastage, in their global efforts to minimize their environmental footprint.  Instead of switching to soap dispensers like their competitors, Hilton partnered with Clean the World (a Florida based foundation) to melt down old soap bars and create new ones for the developing world.  Brands that partner with non-profits that affect positive global change, are able to instantly elevate their brand.  In the case of Hilton, they were able to elevate their brand using a currency they were quite literally throwing away.

​* Two million soap bars are discarded at hotels in the US every day. Soap prevents several leading causes of death among children under the age of 5, including pneumonia and common digestive tract illnesses.  Clean the World has been able to make over 50 million full-size soap bars, and distributed them to 127 countries in need.
 
** Hilton operates over 913,000 hotel rooms, at nearly 5,600 properties globally.  Last FY Hilton had $8.9B in revenue, up from $8.1B the year before.