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July 2007 Archives
July 25, 2007
Cause Marketing That's More Than Wallpaper
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
Recently we covered the results from a Cone Inc. survey about corporate good. In a nutshell, people like companies that do good (and we argued that it's about being good, not just doing good).
Now Business Week is suggesting that most cause marketing is wallpaper. Ouch. But they have a point. Few people can connect which corporations support which causes. The writer, David Kiley, is arguing that what the Cone survey really shows it that all people want is a vague understanding that companies are helping causes--and that sets the cause marketing bar awfully low.
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July 19, 2007
Doing Good isn't Always Easy: Starting a Library
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Inspiration
The Freakonomics blog has a nice little piece pondering a curious what if: What if libraries didn't exist today? Would a rich person like Bill Gates be able to start libraries all across the country much like Andrew Carnegie did (in 1919 there were 3,500 libraries in the U.S., nearly half of them funded by Carnegie)?
At first it seems like a silly question--who doesn't love libraries? Why would we stop such an act of charity and good will. But what would today's publishers say?
Given the current state of debate about intellectual property, can you imagine modern publishers being willing to sell one copy of a book and then have the owner let an unlimited number of strangers borrow it?
It seems if we did it all over again today, libraries might not happen. It's a good reminder that charity and generosity and life-changing ideas can be scary and dangerous and a lot easier to do today than tomorrow when the problems are worse and the resistance hardened. (You can help build libraries in developing countries by supporting Room to Read. Link via Good)
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July 17, 2007
Good is the New Black: Being vs. Doing
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
At least according to Carol Cone of Cone Inc., who says doing good is always in fashion:
No matter what cause a company stands behind, Ms. Cone maintains it's one thing that will never go out of style with consumers. "Good is the new black today," she said.
And while we had less than encouraging numbers about cause marketing earlier this month, it's clear that causes are still important:
- Two-thirds of people consider a company's business practices before deciding to do business with them.
- 87% would switch brands if one was associated with a cause.
- 92% value companies that promote social causes.
- 83% say corporations have a responsibility to support causes.
- 72% of employees wish their employers would include causes in the business plan.
So if good is in, why is cause marketing slipping?
Continue reading "Good is the New Black: Being vs. Doing"
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July 11, 2007
Corporate Philanthropy is Good for Business
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
"Simply put, a corporation can increase its bottom line by increasing its philanthropic involvement," says Chris Rosica, author of The Cause Marketing Handbook, in an article about the economics of corporate giving.
It's what we've been saying: Doing well by doing good. (link via Selfish Giving)
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July 9, 2007
Top 10 Ways to Fail at Cause Marketing
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
Last week we blogged about cause marketing numbers falling. It seems as more and more companies are trying cause marketing, customers are getting burned out. The problem is cause marketing has to be done right--authentically.
So we present our top 10 ways to fail at cause marketing, a list we sent out to our monthly Cause Marketing Minute e-mail newsletter--subscribe now.
1) Do it because everybody else is.
If every other company jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, would you? Just like any marketing approach, you have to do what works for your organization, not simply what everybody else is doing.
2) Pick a cause with no connection to your company.
There needs to be a clear connection between your company and the cause you're supporting. A bookstore supporting literacy, a home improvement store supporting low income housing, a health food product supporting fitness. (Some exceptions exist like Product Red. The very nature of its hip and energetic persona attracts a ton of star power so that the connection between clothing, cell phones, iPods and shoes and HIV/AIDs, malaria and tuberculosis can work together in concert.)
3) Forget to tell the story of your cause.
The best part of cause marketing is that it does something good. If you're not telling the story of the good your customers are enabling, then you're failing. This could come in blog entries, press releases, photos, videos, whatever. But you need to tell that story and clearly connect how purchasing your widgets equals a life saved across the world (see #2) then get that story out there. Our Personality Storyguide™ is just the thing!
4) Be fake.
Your company needs to have an authentic concern for your cause and be on the path to genuine corporate responsibility. Otherwise it's fake--and your customers can tell. If you don't have passion for what you're supporting, don't do it. Imagine if the evening news covered your cause marketing effort and you had to fake your way through an on-camera interview--you'll crash and burn.
5) Be somebody you're not.
Not only can being fake (see #4) get in the way, being somebody you're not can be just as ridiculous. Being someone you're not is like switching personalities altogether, but you still have the same DNA. KFC tried this back when they tried to re-brand themselves as "Kitchen Fresh Chicken" to appeal to more health-savvy consumers. It blew up in their face and they went back to being who they were--good 'ol fried chicken. The second step in our Storyguide process, the Personality Profile™, can help get this straight.
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July 5, 2007
Solution to Cause Marketing Burnout? Be Authentic
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Cause Marketing
From Bono to American Idol everybody wants to support a cause. That recent surge in cause marketing means it's getting harder to stand out from the crowd. It also means customers are getting tired and overwhelmed.
A recent study by industry pioneer Carol Cone of Cone Inc. as reported in Business Week found that cause marketing numbers are dropping:
- Bought a product in the previous 12 months after learning of the maker's commitment to a cause: 36% in 2007, down from 43% in 2004.
- Willingly paid more for a product that supports a cause: 14% in 2007, down from 28% in 2004.
- Told a family member or friend about a product or company committed to a cause: 30% in 2007, down from 43% in 2004.
So is cause marketing on the way out? Not hardly. But as with any marketing, you can't do it half-heartedly and expect great results. We've always said that the only way to do cause marketing is authentically--not because it's the in thing. And it just so happens that authenticity is one of the cornerstones of our Personality Storyguide™ process. (link via Selfish Giving via Marketing for Good)
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Cause Marketing vs. Corporate Responsibility
Posted by Brian Zopf | Filed under: Philosophy
Perhaps I shouldn't pit them against one another, but I wanted to give you a clear title you could sink your teeth into. In reality, the two terms above are often complimentary, albeit distinct.
Whenever I meet someone new--whether a prospective client or someone just interested in cause marketing--I've noticed that there tends to be some confusion in the differences between corporate responsibility and cause marketing. So I thought ... "I'll blog about it!"
I should say, first, that at Personality™, we're faithful subscribers to the Cause Marketing Forum and that the information in this entry is from one of their excellent tele-classes (available to members only).
According to Carol Cone of Cone, Inc.--one of the founding gurus of the category--the following are a few of the key differences between cause marketing (or "cause branding") and corporate responsibility. More than an exercise in semantics, understanding the difference between the two definitions will help you properly delineate company strategies and set priorities.
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July 2, 2007
Career Gear
Posted by Kevin D. Hendricks | Filed under: Featured Nonprofit
They say the clothes make the man. While that's not necessarily true, the clothes can make a big difference when you're trying to get a job. Especially if you need that job to put clothes on your back and are lacking the expected business attire.
That's where the nonprofit Career Gear comes in, providing men with business clothes for interviews and helping bridge the gap between career training programs and gainful employment. Disadvantaged men coming from the streets, jail or whatever the circumstance already have the deck stacked against them. Walking into an interview in yesterday's T-shirt doesn't help. So Career Gear helps them suit up, land that all-important job, and then keep that job with further training and advancement skills.
They give men the confidence to re-enter the workforce and stay there.
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