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November 2006 Archives
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November 30, 2006
Oil for Peace in the Middle East
Posted by Shawn Stewart | Filed under: Cause Marketing
You probably thought the title of this entry was crazy--oil, peace, the Middle East?! Not so fast we're not crazy--this oil, doesn't come out the ground, it isn't black, and it's much more likely to be used in your kitchen than in your car. Allow us to introduce you to Peace Oil, the only extra virgin olive oil produced in the Carmel Mountains of Northern Israel by Jews, Arabs, Druze and Bedouin for the mutual benefit of their shared communities.
The idea is a great one; encourage commerce through joint participation in the development and manufacturing of a region specific product, the hopeful success of the product brings financial reward and in-turn inspires others to do likewise. Peace Oil is the initiative of The Charities Advisory Trust in the UK. The initiative is committed to helping build peace and reconciliation in the Middle East.
We recommend picking up a bottle, and we also recommend hummus to go with it. Mmm... good! (link via idUnited)
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November 28, 2006
Cause Marketing Raises Consciousness
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
CNN reports on cause marketing and gift giving in the video "Spend without guilt," which features Product Red and Cook for the Cure, a partnership between KitchenAid and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. Last year the Susan Komen Foundation raised more than $35 million from corporate partnerships.
"The best cause marketing campaigns are not just about raising money, they're about raising consciousness," says Tom Watson of Changing Our World, Inc. "So the really good ones get people excited about a cause." (link via Selfish Giving)
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November 27, 2006
MSNBC on Giving
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
Charity is a hot topic as MSNBC has followed the example of the New York Times and Slate in offering a special section devoted to causes and philanthropy: Give and Take. Some of the interesting articles include:
- Greatest Givers - A chart comparing philanthropic heavyweights like Rockefeller and Carnegie with recent big givers like Bill Gates and Warren Buffett.
- Donor Disenchantment - Only one in 10 Americans think charities are "honest and ethical" in the way they use donated funds.
- Why We Give - Exploring the reasons Americans donate, including a history of the charitable tax write-off.
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November 22, 2006
Get Well Brian
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Personality News
If you've missed our Account Executive Brian Zopf the past few weeks, so have we. He was attending a Franklin Covey leadership workshop in Santa Ana, Calif. when a dull stomach ache devolped into intense pain. Conference attendees found Brian doubled over in his hotel room and rushed him to the hopsital.
Brian's appendix ruptured and he had to have immediate surgery. He spent six days in the hospital and has been recuperating at a friend's house since. His staples were removed last week and we expect him back in the office on Monday, a full month since his appendix was removed.
We've missed you, Brian--it'll be good to have you back in the office more or less intact.
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The Philanthropy and Entrepreneurial Mashup
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
These days billionaires aren't hording their money and protecting their status on the lists of the world's richest people. Instead they're giving their money away, often applying strict business ideals to their donation--making it more venture philanthropy or social investment than pure charity.
Ten years ago the online magazine Slate started their own list--this time tracking the biggest charitable contributions. They recently gathered those big givers together at the Slate 60 Conference on Innovative Philanthropy, and it was clear that causes are more willing than ever to follow business ideals in order to make a difference. To celebrate the ten year mark, Slate has published a slew of articles on giving (much like the recent New York Times section):
- Grant Away - Why venture philanthropy is important, even if it sounds ridiculous.
- Market Magic - A stock market of sorts for the non-profit world that could turn donors into investors and reap more cash for cash-strapped non-profits.
- How to Give Away a Million Dollars - Lots of smart people speculate on how they would give away $1 million.
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November 21, 2006
World Vision
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Featured Nonprofit
"Let my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God."
That simple prayer was scrawled on the inside of World Vision founder Bob Pierce's Bible more than 50 years ago and it has fueled their mission since. That mission is to care for children and the communities they live in by tackling the roots of poverty.
World Vision started its first child sponsorship program in 1953, sponsoring children orphaned by the Korean War. They provide food, clothing and medical supplies in the face of disaster. They offer vocational training and micro-loans to help families break out of poverty. World Vision's work against HIV/AIDS began in 1990 helping AIDS orphans in Uganda and has continued across the globe since then.
World Vision is one of the largest Christian relief and development organizations in the world, working on six continents and in more than 100 countries.
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November 20, 2006
Oxfam vs. Starbucks
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Business
Development charity Oxfam accuses coffee giant Starbucks of cheating Ethiopian coffee growers. It's a complex little fair trade debate, but what's really sad is seeing a charity and a business fight. Can't we all just get along?
Starbucks puts up a good defense, arguing that the Ethiopian coffee growers need a better solution. Basically, it's more complicated than Oxfam makes it out to be. The reasoned argument, backed up by Starbucks' good corporate citizen reputation, puts Oxfam in an awkward position.
And so yeah, can't we all just get along? Rather than picking fights with corporations, causes need to find ways to work together. Starbucks is certainly no stranger to charity, so why the smear campaign? Working with Starbucks to better understand their side of the story seems like a safer plan. And if Oxfam and Starbucks couldn't come to terms, Oxfam could always find another coffee retailer to partner with and effectively make their voice heard.
Especially after the recent elections it should be clear that a positive message will accomplish more than slinging mud.
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Putting Usability Skills to Work for a Good Cause
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Technology
Marketing guru Seth Godin points us to the UK-based SimpleUsability, which is offering its usability expertise to a different organization every month for free. If you're an eco-friendly, fair trade or sustainable business that needs to maximize its online conversion, you might consider applying.
According to Godin they're doing it "just because they can and because it feels right." Just another example of business and cause coming together.
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Amanda Paganini Joins the Team
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Personality News
In July we welcomed Amanda Paganini to the Personality™ team as our new Senior Designer. She works with the rest of the Creative Team to keep us looking cool. She's a genuine artist with interests in painting, illustration and photography. Take a look at Amanda's bio for more facts and insight about our Senior Designer.
Welcome to the team, Amanda.
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November 15, 2006
New York Times Giving Section
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Research
Yesterday we mentioned a New York Times article covering the prevalence of cause marketing campaigns, but it seems the New York Times has an entire section dedicated to giving, philanthropy and causes.
You can check out a number of cause-related articles, including:
- What's Wrong With Profit? - An article profiling several "philanthropreneurs," folks with money who are pairing their philanthropy with entrepreneurial efforts (like Jeff Skoll and Participant Productions).
- Bono, Trying to Throw His Arms Around the World - A profile of the U2 frontman Bono and his reinvention of the idea of celebrity charity. (Be sure to check out the snazzy info-graphic detailing all of Bono's do-gooding)
- So Many Causes, So Little Time - The poor Hollywood types have too many charity dinners, balls and auctions to attend, and some speculate that the charity fundraiser will soon die out.
- For Those Who Aid Others, ‘Tourist’ Doesn’t Tell the Whole Story - This year 50,000-75,000 Americans will take part in a short-term overseas volunteer project. It's vacation with a cause.
- Younger Generations Lend a Hand In Their Own Way - A focus on the volunteerism of teens and college students, who often have little cash to spare and instead donate with their time (fits nicely with our recent entry Youth With a Cause which offers numbers to back up the trend).
- For an 11-Year-Old, Learning By Doing Good - A report on a father-son triple-header volunteer experience.
- Flexible Hours, Using Your PC and Never Leaving Home - The increasing trend of volunteering online.
- A Charity with an Unusual Interest in the Bottomline - A profile of one of our featured causes, the Acumen Fund.
- Putting Your Money Where Your Heart Lies - "People say in socially responsible investing that you can do well by doing good. Sometimes it’s better to do a little less well to do a little more good."
The section has even more stories than we listed, so dive in and check it out.
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November 14, 2006
Retailers Embracing Causes
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
A Kenneth Cole jacket at Saks Fifth Avenue that supports the homeless. An Elton John candle at Bath & Body Works that fights AIDS. Baskets at Macy's hand-woven by survivors of the Rwandan genocide. And of course the Red campaign with Red branded products from Apple, Gap and more, all fighting AIDS. All examples from a New York Times article exploring the rash of philanthropic consumerism. Bottom line? Causes and corporations are joining together like never before.
As a result, retail executives and philanthropy experts said, charity is no longer an option--it is a requirement for stores. "It is a cost of doing business today," said John Morris, a stock analyst at Wachovia Securities who tracks retailers.
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L'Occitane Sees the Good
Posted by Brad Abare | Filed under: Business
November is American Diabetes Month. Because vision is so closely related to diabetes, it provides the perfect backdrop for a company and a cause that are proving it's OK to get close.
L'Occitane has been creating body care, skincare and fragrance products for over 30 years. They are also known for their active role in the blind community because nearly all of their packaging includes braille. In 1996, founder Oliveier Baussan noticed a blind woman sampling perfumes. A decade later, L'Occitane is a leading advocate for the visually impaired.
There is an estimated 10 million visually impaired people living in the United States. That's not a big market for L'Occitane and, according to Business 2.0, some experts suggest it costs 4 to 6 cents for braille to be added to each L'Occitane package. So why do they do this?
Reading through L'Occitane's philosophy, it is easy to be endeared to this company. From running a summer perfume school for visually impaired teenagers near company headquarters in France, to donating proceeds to charities for the blind, it appears L'Occitane is simply L'caring.
It's refreshing to see a company care enough about a cause to even risk a little profit in the process. Call me an incurable idealist, but I think this is the way it should be. Will L'Occitane reap the rewards of good publicity and goodwill? Who cares. It's the cause that wins. And the cause should win every time.
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The Marriage of Head and Heart: Personality™ Refocuses as a Cause Marketing Agency
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Press Releases
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Brian Zopf
213-201-1800 x220
Brian[at]thinkpersonality.com
LOS ANGELES – It takes a certain amount of passion to start a company in a spare bedroom. But those are the roots of Personality™, a Los Angeles-based marketing firm with clients including Twentieth Century Fox that started as a specialty design company back in 1998. With that passion at heart, it's no surprise that the company is transforming itself into a cause marketing agency, combining their practical approach to branding, marketing and design with their passion to support social causes.
"We believe we can change the world--it's what gets us up in the morning," says president and founder Brad Abare, who started his first company at the age of 14 and was recently quoted in Advertising Age. "But that heart full of idealism still needs to do practical things like pay the bills. What we do is bring together the idealism with the practical--it's a marriage of the head and heart."
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November 13, 2006
Online Video Lessons for Non-Profits
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Technology
Doing video on the web isn't as simple as repurposing what you create for broadcast media and posting it online. The web is a medium all its own, and you've got to play by the web's rules. Doing so can help causes make better use of online video and get more bang for their viral buck.
Continue reading "Online Video Lessons for Non-Profits"
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November 10, 2006
Using Flickr for Non-Profits
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Technology
We always talk about the power of story for causes, but images can be just as powerful (perhaps because a picture is worth a thousand words?). Just check out Kresta King Cutcher's Sisters of Rwanda (this one is my favorite) or Gisimba Memorial Center sets. Kresta King Cutcher talks with blogger Steve Bridger about using Flickr to tell stories:
"Flickr is an effortless and virtually free venue for NGOs to constructively share their message and mission. Through experience, I know that a photograph supported by a well-written story really can inspire a viewer to become a donor."
It's not just for NGOs either. Any cause that can generate arresting imagery should consider using Flickr. Even if you don't have access to jaw-dropping photos, candid shots can still tell your story. A cause could post their own pictures and spread their story, like the American Cancer Society's North Texas Region, Salvation Army in Canada or To Write Love On Her Arms. Or tap into your supporters and start a group, like Oxfam GB. Groups work even better for specific events, like Oxfam's Climb Kilimanjaro 2006, the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life or Invisible Children's Global Night Commute. Groups let you tap into the power of social networking and let your supporters share some of the work.
Photographs sitting in a locked file aren't helping to spread the word about your cause. Make your pictures available and let them tell your organization's story. (link via Pienso)
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November 9, 2006
Paint the Pavement
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Featured Nonprofit
Sometimes all the attention goes to causes that happen around the world, such as poverty in Africa or illiteracy in Asia. But sometimes worthwhile causes can happen down the street.
Paint the Pavement is a local project in St. Paul, Minn. that wants to create community by painting the pavement. So far two intersections have been painted in the Midway neighborhood west of downtown St. Paul. But more than a colorful art project, the initiatives are uniting neighbors and slowing traffic to make for safer communities. The idea is to reclaim public spaces and give people a reason and a place to gather.
The painting projects must be approved by the city, which requires all four corner-property owners and 80% of neighbors in the area to sign off on the project. The result is broad community support. The idea originated in Portland, Ore. with The City Repair Project which has worked on a number of intersection repairs.
"It sounds kind of hippie and goofy, but there really is a strong sense of human connection there," founder Andrea Erickson told the Pioneer Press. "One person's going to love it. One person's going to hate it. That's not as important as the fact that these neighbors came together."
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Josh Johnson Joins the Team
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Personality News
In August we welcomed Josh Johnson to the Personality™ team as our new Operations Manager. He keeps our little operation running by handling all the office details, including the oh-so-important work of billing, invoices and payroll. He's also our Human Resources man. Josh has a history as an arborist and loves to overcome his fears. Take a look at Josh's bio for more facts and insight about our Operations Manager.
Glad to have you on board, Josh.
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November 8, 2006
The Real Value of Branding for Non-Profits
Posted by Brett Hutchinson | Filed under: Whitepapers
When asked about the value of branding for non-profits one is usually confronted with several misconceptions, “Why worry about branding? We don’t want to be a big company. We don’t want to make money, we want to help people.” Or, “Branding is about image. We are more worried about doing the right thing.” Or, “We already have a logo we like.”
The Real Value of Branding for Non-Profits (PDF, 100 KB, 2 pages)
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November 6, 2006
Be Yourself to Make the Most of Social Networking
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Technology
So how can causes make the most of social networking? It's a tough question. Social networking can be a swamp--a massive time suck. It can also be an incredible goldmine. You may have noticed that we've jumped into the swamp known as MySpace. So how do we get the most out of it?
Simple: We stay true to ourself. At Personality™, we're motivated by causes. We want to see the world become a better place. So we've made our MySpace profile all about causes. We're not trying to pimp ourselves--we're trying to talk about causes. It fits for us, and hopefully that will make it work (time will tell).
Continue reading "Be Yourself to Make the Most of Social Networking"
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November 3, 2006
Youth with a Cause
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
The youth have spoken and they have a cause. A recent study surveyed 1,800 people between the ages of 13 and 25 and found that causes matter for young people.
Especially when it comes to where they shop and how they spend their money:
89% are likely or very likely to switch from one brand to another (price and quality being equal) if the second brand is associated with a good cause.
83% will trust a company more if it is socially/environmentally responsible.
74% are more likely to pay attention to a company's message when they see that the company has a deep commitment to a cause.
69% consider a company's social/environmental commitment when deciding where to shop.
66% will consider a company’s social/environmental commitment when deciding whether to recommend its products and services.
Continue reading "Youth with a Cause"
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November 2, 2006
How To Tell Your Cause's Story
Posted by Brett Hutchinson | Filed under: Whitepapers
Stories are powerful. People have been telling them for thousands of years for a reason. They connect with people, inspiring and motivating them to action. Put the power of story to work for your cause. Let's look at how to put together a simple story for your cause.
How To Tell Your Cause's Story (PDF, 124 KB, 4 pages)
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November 1, 2006
What's Your Cause?
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Personality News
We've officially joined the world of MySpace. You can check out the Personality™ profile and add us as your friend.
We know what you're thinking--but MySpace isn't just for the kids. We've said it before, but 87% of MySpace users are over 18. We're hoping to use MySpace as a place to champion causes. And we're starting by asking, "What's your cause?"
Causes are important and always most important to the people who have a passion for them. We want to hear from those people. We want to hear what causes they care about and why. We hope a few people can learn about causes they didn't even know existed and find ways to get involved and make a difference.
A lot of people want to slam MySpace for the potential dangers, but we see a lot of good potential, a lot of world-changing potential.
So what's your cause?
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Kari Gibbs Joins the Team
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Personality News
Last month Kari Gibbs joined the Personality™ team as our new Project Director. She'll be working with creative and account services to keep all of our projects on track. Kari has more than 12 years of marketing experience and a great story about rescuing a turtle she named Tea Time Turtle. Check out Kari's bio for more random facts and interesting stories.
Welcome to the team, Kari.
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