Who’s Got Your Back in Cause Marketing?
Guest Post by Megan Strand
14. Jul, 2010 Categories: Blog by Megan InCouraged
If you’re a company or non-profit organization considering the implementation of a cause marketing campaign or initiative, who do you turn to for expert advice? Turns out you have a broad spectrum of options. I’ve asked some of the best and brightest in the cause marketing realm to comment about their place within the cause space and the trends to keep an eye on moving forward.
The Traditional Public Relations Agency
On one end of the spectrum is the traditional public relations agency. A few of these PR agencies have developed an expertise in-house within the field of cause marketing, such as Barkley, headquartered in Kansas City, MO. Mike Swenson, EVP/CMO, and Founder/President of Barkley PR explains the Barkley model:
We’ve been involved with causes for about 15 years now and to be honest, cause sort of found us. Our first entry into cause marketing was through the Lee “National Denim Day” we created in 1996 where, in exchange for a $5 donation to support the fight against Breast Cancer, employees could wear jeans to work on a designated Friday. The National Denim Day is still one of the largest single-day fundraisers for Breast Cancer annually, raising nearly $80 million since its inception.
About 7 years ago, we made a conscious decision to focus on cause as a specialty area for Barkley PR because it is, without a doubt, the most powerful way for an organization to define what they’re about. We knew that to be a national cause leader we needed to contribute to and expand the conversation so we teamed up with PRWeek to conduct an annual cause survey. The survey targets corporate marketing communications leaders, non-profit leaders and consumers around a different theme each year.
We believe that cause is about branding, awareness and giving back, a way for a company to tell their story a number of different ways. But cause marketing is a relatively new field and there’s certainly a danger of being sucked into a vortex and having your cause-related efforts lose their value. We’ve been active in this space almost from its inception and the beauty of Barkley is that we have the rest of the Barkley team around us to provide expertise in everything from social media to interactive.
Looking forward, Mike is particularly interested in the evolution of social media and causes:
I think we’re just seeing the beginning of how social media can impact causes. We need to continue to find ways to harness the power of passionate participants. This can be a scary dynamic for non-profit organizations. As we make it easier for more people to make smaller donations, there’s a fear that these micro-donations may prevent donors from giving bigger gifts. There are certainly both challenges and opportunities in using social media – but there’s really no better tool to build community and I think we’ll see it having a greater impact for causes.
The Boutique Cause Marketing Agency
Toward the other end of the spectrum is the smaller agency focusing exclusively on cause-related campaigns and/or cause branding. These smaller agencies are likely to have a core team in-house and send specialized work out to trusted sub-contractors. They may also have a sub-speciality within the cause marketing realm or work primarily within a particular sector, like retail point-of-sale programs or consumer products. Laura Ferry, founder of Good Company, runs such an agency and explains how and where they operate:
While we deal with all types of cause campaigns, we have a specialty in the licensing and development of consumer products around a cause or non-profit organization. There’s really a trend toward having a product that physically demonstrates the mission of your organization. For example, our client I-SAFE, a nonprofit focused on providing internet safety education to primary and secondary schools, recently launched a series of workbooks for parents and kids at retail locations.
As Cause Marketing continues to evolve, Laura wants to ensure integrity remains high.
We’re concerned about the trend we’re seeing today in viewing cause marketing as a tactic rather than a fully integrated strategic effort rooted in cause. In order for a campaign, branding effort or initiative to be authentic, it must be centered in the good work happening out there to support issues. Does your commitment to a cause go beyond the marketing aspect to involve your employees, business practices and stakeholders? If not, there is the risk of delivering a brand experience that isn’t truly authentic — and today’s super-smart consumer will know it. In our opinion, most companies need non-profit partners to connect to real, on-the-ground, grassroots driven cause work. Non-profits are the cause experts. It’s their business. And they are uniquely able to provide a connection to the amazing change-making experiences and stories consumers want to hear about.
The Technologists
Somewhere in the same universe, though probably not on the same continuum, are agencies like StudioGood who focus on cause but don’t consider themselves to be a cause marketing agency, per se. Chris Noble, Principal at StudioGood explains:
StudioGood is a technology company. While many agencies focus on the programmatic piece and the value proposition for consumers, we focus on the cause integration piece and how to leverage existing and emerging technology platforms for the greatest impact. We were initially introduced to cause-related campaigns because we worked with celebrities and celebrities brought causes. What we found was a growing market for cause-related events and campaigns where technology wasn’t being used particularly well. We knew we could change that dynamic and we have. Cause-related events like Twestival choose us because they trust us to fully integrate into social media platforms like FourSquare, Twitter and Facebook. The first thing we ask is, “What can the technology do as a tactic?” and then figure out how best to integrate the technology into the needs of the brand or the cause.
We work a lot with larger, traditional PR firms and agencies who trust us as a partner in executing cause-related campaigns. We’re interested in raising the most amount of money possible for any given campaign and in making our clients (the agencies) look good. Since we’re not in it to earn new client accounts, it’s a good partnership. It’s working out well for the charities too: last year, we raised over $4M for good causes and this year we expect to double that.
For StudioGood, technology mastery is the name of the game, which includes building and maintaining relationships in the digital world. We know who’s coming up with new technologies that will change the way we interact online and we’re right there figuring out the best ways to use those technologies for good.
Chris offers the following as he turns to look at the future of cause marketing:
With the rise of cause-focused contests and companies forming their own corporate foundations, the non-profit organization has to get back into the cause-marketing game. We’re seeing cause-branded products that aren’t necessarily linked to a non-profit organization. I think the way to get back in there as a non-profit is to approach the brands yourself. All non-profit organizations should have a 2-3 page sponsorship document they should present to any brand that will listen. This way, the brand saves the time of having to think about how to integrate cause into their marketing- the non-profit has provided that strategy. This field will only continue to grow. And make no mistake about it, if you’re selling a product, you need to be thinking about cause.
Questions to Ponder
So where on the continuum makes sense for your company or organization? It depends. Here are a few items to consider:
- Strategy vs. Tactic – What is the missing element of the cause campaign or effort you want to implement? Is cause central to what you do on a daily basis or do you need strategic advice to ensure authenticity? Do you need ideas on the most effective types of cause-focused campaign for maximum awareness and impact?
- Goals – What are the goals for your cause-related undertaking? Are you looking to raise awareness, boost sales, improve employee retention or morale?
- Partnership – Do you have an existing partnership in place with a cause-focused non-profit organization or do you need an intermediary to recommend a suitable match? This is tougher than it looks and more critical than you may think.
- Campaign vs. Initiative – Will your involvement in cause-related efforts be a long-term initiative or a cause-branding undertaking or more of an event-focused or one-time campaign? Are you looking for a strategic extension of your team or an elite execution team to up the ante?
What’s Your Opinion?
Where on the continuum do you see yourself, whether you’re an expert in the cause-related field or a company looking to enter into this space? What considerations would you add to this list that I’ve overlooked?
About our Guest Writer:
Megan Strand, owner of InCouraged Communications, is a project manager, creative marketer and proponent of authentic communication… passionate about spotlighting, connecting and supporting businesses that are doing well by doing good. Keep up with all her latest insights by following her on Twitter – @meganstrand
If you would like to share your insight and commentary, please contact Good Company with your ideas or drop us an email laura.ferry@goodcomarketing.com
Megan:
You and your colleagues raise really good points about cause marketing as a tactic rather than an overarching business strategy. In order for cause marketing to be successful, it needs to be part of the DNA of a business and fully supported by senior leaders, key stakeholders, employees and consumers. That’s why companies and brands like Lee Jeans, American Express, Pepsi, Dove, Countrytime, SunChips, Timberland, SONIC and others are successful in their citizenry efforts. These companies not only buy into it, their efforts are authentic, engaging, and relevant to their consumers.