As the number of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) reports and campaigns multiply in China, there seems to be a growing disconnect between a brand’s CSR branding and actual sustainability performance, hindering brands from reaching the full potential of their CSR strategies, according to the new report Bridging the China CSR Gap 2013 released by the global marketing consultancy R3 and the Chinese sustainability research company SynTao.

“To further explore the CSR impact gap, we partnered with leading Chinese sustainability consultancy SynTao to identify the differences in viewpoint held among stakeholders regarding brand CSR activities,” said Greg Paull, Principal of R3.

SynTao’s General Manager Dr. Guo Peiyuan added, “This report offers guidance to ultimately bridge the CSR gap and improve the overall CSR strategy impact of companies.”

While SynTao’s analysis centers on assessing corporate communications from the sustainability analyst point of view, R3’s analysis examines brands through the eyes of consumers on the receiving end of marketing campaigns. Combining SynTao’s expertise on sustainability performance with R3’s proprietary research on CSR campaigns and consumer perception, R3 and SynTao’s joint report details case studies from Lenovo, China Mobile, Samsung, Volkswagen, Coca-Cola, and Mengniu.

The combined analysis brought four different areas to light:

• Realize the greatest potential of your CSR strategy through holistic thinking
• Bridge the gap between sustainable rebranding and sustainability
• Go beyond minimum compliance to create a dialogue with relevant stakeholders
• Build a CSR strategy upon a solid foundation adaptable to Chinese stakeholders

By taking a holistic approach, R3 and SynTao’s joint report seeks to offer guidance and ultimately bridge the gap between performance and perception to help companies realize the greatest impact of their CSR strategies in a more effective manner.

To read the SynTao-R3 White Paper “Bridging the China CSR Gap”, click here.