New York’s Madison Avenue, the hub of advertising and media, is contemplating a response to the tsunami disaster that does not smack of pure commercialism.

Advertisers, agencies and media companies are looking for ways to show that they care for the catastrophe without appearing to be capitalizing on it, The New York Times said. Cause-related marketing has grown in popularity as consumers increasingly patronize companies they believe contribute to worthwhile causes. However, there is a catch in this sort of subtle marketing on the back of a good cause. It must seem genuinely altruistic rather than promoting a company in the name of a cause.

There have been instances where the advertisers spent as much or more on creating slick ad campaigns for causes than on actual donations. One of the most cited examples is that of cigarette makers Phillip Morris which ran a $100 million campaign from 2000 saying it had donated money to flood victims and battered women. The company’s advertising that it had helped such causes did not seem to work since consumers perceived it to be self-promotional.

That could be the reason why many companies are not advertising what they doing for the tsunami victims.

(Compiled from news dispatches by M. Chooki)