Marketing Miscue Chapter Four- Crazy for You

Vermont Teddy Bear Company

1. Did Vermont Teddy Bear Company violate the requirements of corporate social responsibility? Why or Why not?

Corporate social responsibility is a company’s apprehension for society. This is a golden rule; companies who show good judgment with a product or service over the long run increase the likelihood of success. This is not with out critics, that focus on the market will right all woes. Or companies should not have this type of responsibility or in other words free markets should prevail.

Vermont Teddy Bear had a catchy idea with a restrained bear. Love can be a crazy thing, just read Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. However, for much of the United States mental health has a negative stigmatism. Yes, the idea violated some social norms and the CEO Elisabeth Robert should have thought about giving some profits to charity. By giving some of the profits to charity, the company would have shown some social responsibility and perhaps silenced some critics.

2.Was the controversy a positive or negative for the company? For Robert?

Vermont’s motto is ‘freedom and unity’ and the Vermont Teddy Bear Company pushed it to the furry limit. The Crazy for You’ bear did sell out and was a success for the company. However, the company failed in public relations. The company did have a way out of the controversy by donating some of the profits to charity and did not.

The outcome for the company was a mixed bag. Yes, in the short term the company has been profitable. It has put a mark on the CEO which had a stellar performance until the incident. However, the public litmus test with the ‘Crazy for You’ bears is on EBay and they are fetching a premium.