This document discusses how companies can do well financially while also doing good for social causes through cause marketing partnerships. It notes that consumers and companies are increasingly focused on social issues. Effective cause marketing aligns with a company's values and mission, is authentic and transparent. It should have clear goals for both the brand and cause. Frameworks like matching donations or social campaigns can inspire consumer action. Choosing the right non-profit partner is important. Done well, cause marketing can benefit companies, social causes, and engage consumers.
43. Engagement Solutions for Good Enable Donations to 1.2M Charities Reward Your Audience with Charity Add Charity to Your Social Strategy Get Consumer & Employee Insights
Excited to be here because NOW is the time to have this conversation.
Billions spent trying to understand consumers every yearTrillions spent trying to influence them
The job of marketing is getting really hard.
We are being ignored
And it’s only going to get worse.
Thirty percent of the U.S. adult population - some 70 million consumers - are values-aspirational, practical purchasers who are constantly looking to align their actions with their ideals; yet tight budgets and time constraints require them to make practical trade-offs every day… They mirror the overall US population in terms of income, race and geography, yet they trend slightly more youthful, educated and female. They are dedicated “box turners” who don’t necessarily trust the marketing message on the front of the box, but look to the list of ingredients, NGO certifications or third-party proof behind product promises.
Causes need help
People are generous. They want to do good things, they are hardwired to be altruistic. When they help others, it makes them happy. There’s a burgeoning body of evidence to this effect: a wealth of neurological studies, behavioral economics research and social psychology research that shows this to be the case.
A study of 27 national brands from Princeton University and The Relational Capital Group recently found that consumers build loyalty to brands in the same way that they do other people, instinctively judging and building commitment to them based on their warmth and competence. In addition, two specific elements of brand warmth, “is honest and trustworthy” and “acts in the customer’s best interests,” were far more effective at building brand loyalty than all other competence elements combined. In short, when a company seeks to contribute not only to shareholders but also a broader purpose, consumers begin to experience a greater bond with that brand.
It allows consumers to participate and feel a sense of relationship with brandsThe participation comes in the form of contributing to a collective, greater good That social impact promotes consumer loyalty and goodwillCompanies drive results on the bottom line – but also social good
Online is a great place for this to happen
Mosquito squad and malaria no more vs. trident gum and save the children
Breast Cancer Fund and Luna Bars
Both your company and the cause partnerneed to be very upfront about the nature of your partnership. The Pound for Pound Challengexx (apartnership among NBC’s The Biggest Loserxxi, Feeding Americaxxii, General Millsxxiii, Subwayxxiv, 24 HourFitnessxxv and Kroger Co.xxvi) is a great illustration of cause marketing transparency: for every pound auser pledges to lose, 14¢ is donated
Actor Will Farrell teamed up with Cancer for College, a scholarship program for cancer patients, to sell a new line of amusing sunscreens featuring wacky names (Sexy Hot Tan, Sunstroke and Forbidden Fruit) and funny pictures of Will
Common Objections to Cause Marketing Projects (and How to Handle Them)Managers who are skittish often demonstrate their reticence by throwing out objections. Here are someof the more common ones and methods to handle them. If they reference past failures, show them successes in the form of case studies. Remember,you’re asking for dollars to achieve best practices. If they believe you need to execute a contest, publish on Facebook or Twitter, and that’s not whatyou’re recommending, focus on the stakeholder (e.g. donor, customer, advocate), not the tool. It’sall about where your community is. Find them before you meet with executives, and understandwhat they care about. Bring evidence with you. “Our community doesn’t care” is a common objection, particularly for any stakeholder group over30 years old. Show them real stakeholder conversations over a significant period of time – withoutthe organization. Another method is to use market research countering those misconceptions. Control. Some managers still don’t want to engage in negative comments with theircustomers. There may be little you can do about this, but show that people are already talkingnegatively about them and tangible evidence that direct engagement actually reduces negativityand builds relationships. Invented here syndrome. If an idea comes from an in-house department, executives are sometimesskeptical. That’s when you hand them market research or eBooks or even experiencedconsultants. Let them tell your executives the facts and set them straight (so to speak).
Clear link between core product and cause marketing campaigns = Authentic (10% of profits donated)Have A Cow campaign teaches about organic farming and gives customers a view inside the companyIt also makes organics and sustainability fun via games, farm videos and animal stories
Inspired by a story that turned a small kind gesture into more than $100,000 in donations to alocal food bank, Yahoo! focused on how good grows, the notion that small acts can result in bigchanges, especially when you leverage your social network. The 2009 You In? campaign challengedYahoo!’s 600 million users to create a ripple of happiness triggered by their single act of kindness. Thecall to action was to update their online status, on Yahoo! and beyond, to share what they were doing tospread joy and then inspire others to join them by asking “You In?”. This simple question served as thecampaign’s mantra, a friendly challenge to its community to do good, and a compelling tie-in to Yahoo!’s“It’s You!” brand marketing campaign
Expert judges select 20 finalists + crowdsourced voting chooses 5 winnersSaves nonprofits not selected as finalists from having to rev up their social networks to get votesAll finalists get media attention, just by being selected and associated with Tom’s of Maine brand/campaignIf you plan a voting campaign for charity, be sure to consider and address these issues and be ready todefend your methodology. Tom’s of Maine proactively addressed this issue in the format for its 50 States for Goodlcampaign. While there is a public voting component to the contest, the finalistcharities selected to receive votes were chosen by a panel of independent judges with charity sectorexpertise. Judging was based on the charity project’s use of community volunteers, achievability, andpositive impact on the community. This hybrid approach ensures that several charities receive mediaattention just by being chosen as finalists, that numerous other charities won’t spend valuableresources on a public contest they likely won’t win and that the winning charities will put the grantfunds to meaningful use.
Time for corporate social responsibility in its most pure form – altruismHave a plan and mobilize quickly (most donations pour in within first few days while crisis makes headlines)Understand how your customers and employees want to respond (donations vs. volunteering – special skills?)Provide a clear call to action (donate to trusted charities providing relief) and make it easy to helpCommunicate appropriately – no spam, be clear about why you are communicating with them about disaster, respect opt-outsTell your story – get the halo effect!
Important to have disaster plan in placeCAP1 mobilized within 12 hours of disaster to update Giving Site homepage and put a crisis alert banner on the CapitalOne.com homepageTarget audience was Capital One cardholders (rewards or cash donations)Capital One facilitated about $1million in donations for both Haiti and JapanLessons from disaster campaigns:Make is super easy for customers to take actionFocus the campaign on what is necessary to achieve the desired outcome – don’t get sidetracked from goal of driving donations to charityEncourage employees to get involved – their enthusiasm will bring the campaign to life
Time for corporate social responsibility in its most pure form – altruismHave a plan and mobilize quickly (most donations pour in within first few days while crisis makes headlines)Understand how your customers and employees want to respond (donations vs. volunteering – special skills?)Provide a clear call to action (donate to trusted charities providing relief) and make it easy to helpCommunicate appropriately – no spam, be clear about why you are communicating with them about disaster, respect opt-outsTell your story – get the halo effect!