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One of the most heralded aspects of the World Wide Web's proliferation is how anyone can now share their message around the world at virtually no cost.  Reaching across borders, cultures, and ideologies, the Internet has become the ideal soapbox through which to exercise free speech.

For some corporations, this has become somewhat of a liability: boycotts against companies are now easier to organize; messages from opposing organizations can be more clearly defined and disseminated; and control over which messages are reaching the general public about an organization drops substantially.

The upside is that there's no reason for companies not to embrace the Web in a similar vein as home-grown activists in order to promote their own causes.  Setting up stand-alone web sites that clearly define issues affecting both companies and their respective customers is proving to be a rather successful strategy.  Even better, web sites are excellent platforms through which to get visitors involved by offering and managing a fully planned Call to Action.  For example:

Cox Communications vs. the Sports Networks - www.makethemplayfair.com
Cox Communications, the cable TV giant, alleged that various sports networks were exacting too great a fee for their programming.  Cox's argument, more or less, was that this ultimately impacted a large audience of non-sports viewing subscribers.  After all, they were the ones, suggested Cox, who had to pay a higher price for cable service for programming they didn't watch since all costs are ultimately passed along to the consumer.

The result: According to Cox, the site's visitors e-mailed around 25,000 angry messages to the sports networks.  The cable company ultimately reached a satisfactory settlement.  The web site has now been replaced with a copy of the press release sharing the news and web links to related media coverage.

Beer Brewers and Distributors Lobby for Repeal of the Beer Tax - www.rollbackthebeertax.com
This web site argues that an antiquated luxury tax, which today only covers beer, is hurting consumers and creating an overall negative economic impact.  Web surfers landing at the site are urged to contact their Congressional representative and make their voice heard as pending legislation is voted on to repeal the tax.

Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers Pushes to Save Leasing - www.saveleasing.com
saveleasing.com educates the public about how current laws in some states are making leasing companies liable for the automobile accidents of lease-ees.  The anticipated trend: fewer companies will offer auto leases due to the increased risk, affecting consumers by dropping one avenue of automobile ownership.  The simple web site orchestrates a template e-mail letter for visitors to use to voice their opinion on the matter to their state representatives.

Kmart Morale Campaign - www.kmartforever.com
Now off the web, this site was designed to bolster employee and shareholder morale during its bankruptcy proceedings.  (See an archived copy of the web site at http://web.archive.org/web/20030525022242/http://www.kmartforever.com/)

Starting Your Own Campaign is as Simple as 1-2-3.

Building a site for your own corporate cause doesn't have to be overly complex--most sites can get their message across in fewer than a dozen web pages.  Here's what you can do to get started:

1. Build a site.  GetActive Software (www.getactive.com) is probably the most complete solution out there, making the site development process practically turnkey, meaning that you more or less fill in the blanks and then get going.  John Edwards, PBS, and Hill & Knowlton are all clients.  Another route is to simply recruit your current web staff to build a small, dedicated web site.  When all else fails, hire a web developer--most can put together a professional, 5-6 page web site for you for around $1,000-$2,000.

2. Advertise the site.  Newspaper and TV ads are popular choices, as are banner ads.  The latter are especially effective in that it's very easy to target your message to the specific audience you want to reach.  For instance, if you are lobbying for FDA approval to import a drug that fights Alzheimer's, it would make plenty of sense to advertise on such sites as the American Health Assistance Foundation (www.ahaf.org) and WebMD (www.webmd.com).

You can even hire outside agencies to post to message boards across the Internet covering your topic of interest in order to educate readers to the presence and purpose of your site.

3. Ensure There's a Call to Action.  Education and advocacy go only so far on their own--to see real change, there needs to be a grassroots-level response to the matter you're publicizing.  This could include a letter writing campaign; request for donations and/or testimonials; online polling; and more.  Whomever you're targeting with your campaign (lawmakers, special interest groups, etc...) should feel the heat directly from those whom you've mobilized.  It's only when this group begins to perceive a growing attitudinal shift among the general public concerning your cause that you'll most likely see the change you're seeking.