BulletProofBlog the blog on crisis communications

In tough economic times, corporate social responsibility often takes a back seat to corporate survival. But, as The New York Times reported last week, that is definitely not the case at the global pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline.

CEO Andrew Witty has made access to life-saving drugs in the poorest corners of the globe his company’s mission. In the process, he is changing the face of an industry once widely criticized for charging prohibitively high prices while millions in the developing world died of diseases that now barely raise an eyebrow in more affluent nations.

In a speech at the Harvard Medical School last year, Witty promised that Glaxo would discount drugs it sells in poor countries by more than 75 percent. In a move that likely shocked many in an industry known for its R&D secrecy, Glaxo also announced that it would publish on the Web a list of 13,500 chemicals that attack malaria, making the list it available to anyone doing research related to the disease. And if the malaria vaccine that Glaxo has been developing for more than 23 years passes clinical trials, Mr. Witty has promised that it will be sold in poor countries at a markup of only five percent.

This commitment to social responsibility and transparency is a breath of fresh air in an era of unprecedented – and in many cases, well justified – anger aimed at Corporate America. But the satisfaction that comes from helping the less fortunate and the obvious reputational benefits of doing so are not the only reasons that Witty’s strategy is a winning one.

Glaxo employees are cheering the initiative, because, as Witty puts it, “it makes them feel they are helping the world.” Experts such as Timothy Wells, the Chief Scientific Officer of the Medicines for Malaria Venture, see signs that Glaxo’s competitors will soon be scrambling to meet the standard that Witty has set. And let’s not forget that developing nations eventually become developed, meaning that Glaxo is getting in on the ground floor in some of the last untapped markets left on the face of the Earth.

As is often the case, Glaxo and Witty are finding that effective corporate social responsibility programs don’t just make for good communications strategy; they make for a stronger bottom line. Even in an era of economic turmoil, companies that follow Witty’s example will likely find more than just good feelings at the end of the rainbow.

David Bartlett is a Senior Vice President at Levick Strategic Communications, the nation’s top crisis communications firm. He is an experienced communications strategist and crisis manager, and a contributing author to Bulletproof Blog. Connect with Levick on Twitter: @Levick.