# Tesco accused of exploiting charity slogan

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2009/07/29/tesco-accused-exploiting-charity-slogan/
- Published: 2009-07-29T09:29:36+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

Unicef Ireland and Tesco have become embroiled in a row over the use of the slogan“
Change for Good”.

 

Unicef Ireland has accused Tesco Ireland of capitalising on the name of one of its“
longest running and best-known campaigns,” in place since 1987. Unicef uses the 
slogan for its campaign with 10 international airlines on long-haul flights where
passengers donate foreign currency and in Ireland the campaign is run in conjunction
with Aer Lingus and has raised €6.8 million since 1997.

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Tesco has expressed surprise at Unicef and insisted “there is no question of misusing
their brand which is registered only for use by charities”.

 

Unicef Ireland’s executive director Melanie Verwoerd said however they had been 
getting calls non-stop from people asking them what the link was with Tesco.

 

“Change for Good” is trade marked Unicef for charity usage but is not trademarked
for commercial or retail use.

 

Ms Verwoerd said, however, “this is not a legal issue. It is a moral issue” and 
she called on the public “who have children’s welfare at heart, to consider carefully
who they support when making consumer choices”.

 

Tesco has used “Change for Good” as part of a summer advertising price reduction
campaign. A spokesman for the company said “our ‘Change for Good’ programme has 
proven very popular with consumers who have seen significant reductions in the price
of groceries as confirmed by the National Consumer Agency’s survey this week”.

 

There were discussions between the two sides about the slogan. Tesco said “there
was one short meeting and some e-mails were exchanged which we believed had resolved
the issue”.

 

Ms Verwoerd rejected this and said they had contacted Tesco in May and eventually,
she said, “they told us it would be a low-key, below the radar in-store campaign
but it is a major campaign”.

 

Tesco sources insist the supermarket was unaware of Unicef’s use of the slogan when
it started its campaign. Ms Vorwoerd said “I find that very hard to believe. Has
none of them flown transatlantic with Aer Lingus?”

 

www.unicef.ie

 

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