At my company, we believe in the power of interconnected conversations and the potential of the Internet to encourage them. Any brand that uses Social Media is tapping into that wellspring of promotion, but this is only half of the capability of Web 2.0/4.0 The other comes from collaboration, such as with cross-promoted cause marketing.
Being an activist and, I’m told, a rather ‘eccentric philanthropist,’ I’m always eager to promote cause-marketing initiatives. However, brands need to remember that we, as a people, aren’t stupid. We can sniff out insincere campaigning and green washing. Therefore, if you are a brand or marketing person thinking of helping a brand here are some Basics of Cause Marketing for Brand/Marketing Firms:
1. Again, please don’t lie. Don’t be insincere. Remember, we as a “People” aren’t stupid or insensitive and can sniff out nonsense in moments.
2. Choose a Cause/Non-Profit that has valid non-profit status (501(c)3) and no skeletons in the closet.
3. Make sure this initiative connects back to your brand and strengthens its message.
4. Contact the non-profit and make sure they are aware of your donation/campaign. Get in writing their permission.
5. Absolutely make sure you have sign-offs from your colleagues or board before you make any promises to the Non-Profit. Get in writing their permission.
6. Make sure in your letter to the Non-Profit that there is a cancellation clause in case any of the aforementioned skeletons come out of the aforementioned closet. Be prepared to cancel.
7. Before you publicly announce this initiative, get permission to first tell your internal team. This will help with internal pride and internal self-awareness, invaluable tools as you move this project forward.
8. Create a rollout plan either with your PR firm or Social Media team.
9. Have fun. Be proud. You are both helping each other: with the cause and the brand. And, hopefully, pleasing customers because of the connection and sincere conversation.
10. Help others learn from your best practices, and also your worst practices. My hope is our collective goals are to grow transparent and collaborative community(ies).
Recent examples of cause marketing I like are:
• Boy Meets Girl – Stacy Igel’s connection to YSC – Young Survival Coalition makes sense. She has created a chic fashion brand for young people and as a person she sincerely cares about causes, and sadly has recently lost a very young friend to this dreadful illness.
• Ben and Jerry’s – Ben and Jerry’s has had a pronounced history of joining their brand with social justice, including gay rights. They partnered with Freedom to Marry by temporarily changing their “Chubby Hubby” flavor to “Hubby Hubby.” Together, they encouraged conversation and raised money for a very worthwhile cause, without altering the voice of their brand.
• Sweethearts – Sweethearts partnered with the Operation USO Care Package program, but instead of selling their usual hearts of tidings of romantic love, they were red, white, and blue hearts expressing gratitude to American soldiers. It was still a brand encouraging affection with candy, only it was a different kind of affection and a different style of candy.
I continue to thrive on learning more about cause marketing from my own endeavors, but also learning from other people’s experiences and trepidations about it. Nothing helps along comprehension quite like the interconnected conversations we are seeing with Social Media.
Be well, give back and receive with gratitude.
-c
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Hey Clare,
I think this is all great advice for companies, especially because so many of them who have reputations of being heartless have jumped on the “corporate social responsibility” bandwagon.
Your examples are neat too.
-Ashley
Great post, since cause marketing is becoming more and more popular. I feel this is a topic that should definitely be taught in colleges, as it can be extremely beneficial for both participating parties. Another great example of this is Yoplait and its “Save Life to Save Lives”. They seem to be very dedicated to this project, and dedication when partaking in cause marketing I feel is an important factor. I would definitely say, on a personal level, I am more inclined to buy a product if it is linked to a cause (for the right reasons).
Great post Clare!
Clare–great post. Disabled American Veterans has been doing cause marketing well for a few years. As you know Harley is a partner of theirs. I love this detailed post and love the practical examples. Being very clear on what the partnership does for both sides is mission critical. Keeping focus on what you are trying to do as a brand is so important. Finding causes that resonate with your audience, starts with understanding who your audience is and what is important to them. Most people LOVE buying something when it’s tied to a cause that is important to them. As brands continue to fight private labels at the store level, sometimes a differentiator such % of sales go to breast cancer is huge. That’s why Susan B Koeman foundation has been so smart, as well as the brands who have partnered with them. For large co’s such as P&G who already donate millions of dollars to causes, being more transparent with their philanthropy will only benefit them. You MUST commit to the partnership…a new customer acquired because of cause marketing can be lost just as easily if the cause is dropped. You certainly can’t be luke warm about who you support. And remember it’s a time commitment too when done right. Love seeing your brain out for all to see–keep it up! Don’t let ‘work-for-hire’ have all of you–share some with us!
Thank you Lori. I so appreciate you bringing up http://www.DAV.org First of all, your company has done such amazing work with Disabled American Veterans and I find myself often thinking about DAV simply because of the way you introduced me to the organization. Through an incredible event in Vegas, and humor and humility. Thank you. Thank you for all you do too. xoc
Good read Clare.
I volunteer for the San Francisco SPCA, an incredible organization that helps animals in the San Francisco and Bay Area.
One of things I remember their marketing department telling me when I did one of their big videography projects to highlight their veterinary services is them telling me that they preferred me to do it over some outside company or agency. Why? Because they knew that I understood the organization and knew how best to communicate its message. Another company would have to spend several weeks to truly know what the SFSPCA was about, and how to properly communicate that in its visuals.
So if a brand were to ever partner up wth the SFSPCA I would look out for many of the things you point out here. Like you said, we can sniff out nonsense in a second.
Seeing a brand or celebrity attaching their name to an unrelated cause makes it seem shallow. When they do it logically – like Boy Meets Girl, Ben and Jerry’s, Sweethearts, etc. – it’s a great moment of altruism in business, even if it is still profit driven.
I recently read this blog post about the form that truth takes in corporate America: http://cristiangonzales.tumblr.com/post/1454081565/why-brands-should-aim-for-true-not-truth
He makes a couple good points. How do we parse self-interest from altruism? And how much does it matter when it’s for a good cause?
Thanks for more useful guidance. I think brands often fail to see their customers as complete entities, meaning they don’t look past what the audience wants to buy. People care where their money is going and what it is used for. If buying a product simultaneously means aiding a noble cause, then the customer, brand, and cause all win. Who doesn’t love that?
Great post, Clare. Cause Marketing is something I’ve only just started to hear about in the last two years. I think there’s been a bigger push for brands to become more socially responsible. Although it’s definitely a good thing, some of the connection just don’t make any sense! Boy Meets Girl, Ben and Jerry’s, and Sweethearts sounds like better models to follow.
Thanks for sharing!
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