**When I sat down to write about this topic, I thought this would be a quick little post. It turns out this stuff is more complicated than I anticipated so I’m breaking it into a series of 3 separate posts. The final post will have a little geeky gift from me to you.** Every time [...]
Embedded Philanthropy: The Future of Giving
Involving consumers and employees in corporate philanthropic efforts has grown significantly in scope and breadth in recent years. Cause marketing and cause branding have become a marketer’s tactic-du-jour touted everywhere (including this blog) as the best way to engage not only the attention but also the hearts and minds of consumers and employees alike. While [...]
Don’t Let Cause Go Green
**************************************************************************************************** Funny. But true. I worry about causes going down the path that “Green” took. What once stood for environmental stewardship now stands for…well, who knows what it stands for. The term has been so muddled and prostituted by marketers. Green Gone Wrong We’ve all seen ridiculous campaigns masquerading as “green”. Greenwashing has overtaken the [...]
Your Cause: Destination or Continuum?
Can your cause be “solved”? Are you working on an issue that has a definitive solution toward which you direct your sails on a daily basis? Is your wildest dream to work yourself out of a job? Is your cause a destination? Cause-As-Continuum Odds are the answers to these questions are “no”. Whether you’re a [...]
Cause Marketing Smackdown
Ok, I’ll admit. I’m biased. When I first read about 7-Eleven’s “Cup with a Cause” program as a part of a 6-week promotional campaign, I thought, “puh-LEASE”. The popular convenience store partnered up with ConAgra (no comment) to sponsor World Wrestling Entertainment’s “SummerSlam” event (whatever that is). I was fully prepared to write it off [...]
Stories Matter. What’s Yours?
In a recent post, I offered an expanded definition of currency that includes social currency…the way you interact with the people that touch your organization. How do we know when we’re dealing with social currency? Stories. The telling of our collective stories. It’s a Basic Human Need Stories of how our products or programs have [...]
Cold, Hard Currency for Your Cause
Depending on whose definition you cite, cause marketing typically involves (and campaign success is often measured by) an exchange of currency. We’re talking cold hard cash…moolah…dollars. Increases in sales for a point-of-sale retailer, funds raised or donated to a non-profit organization. You know the drill. The bottom line. As consumer expectations continue to evolve, it’s [...]
What Will it Take For Your Project to Bear Fruit?
Beginning anything new from scratch, be it a new business venture, cause marketing campaign, strategic partnership or other major project is exciting. And a little daunting. In certain situations, it can feel like you’re betting the farm. Except it’s not a farm yet. Not really. More like an empty garden plot upon which you envision [...]
The Choice Between Cause and Brand
Let’s assume for a moment, that the recent article, “Charity Brawl: Nonprofits Aren’t So Generous When A Name’s at Stake” was about a for-profit company. The article, appearing in the Wall Street Journal this week, outlines the trend toward legal action by large non-profit organizations against other organizations to protect their brand from “…dilution, tarnishment, [...]
Name That Cause Marketing Organization
Here’s a cause marketing trivia question for you: Who’s been doing cause marketing campaigns for 20 years and cranks out an astounding 60-70 campaigns per year? Here’s a hint. They’re not an agency, though they broker cause marketing partnerships all day long. They’re not a non-profit organization, though their hopper is full of amazing causes [...]
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