Nancy Lubin, CEO & Chief Old Person at DoSomething.org, gave an honest, engaging and on point address at the Cause Marketing Forum this week. Below is a recap of her 7 good, 2 bad and 4 ugly realities of cause marketing today.
The Good
1. Cause marketing works and it seems it’s here to stay.
2. Smart cause marketing efforts are connecting the target markets of both nonprofits and brands. In fact, companies that really get cause marketing are no longer pursuing one-off programs (on the whim of the CEO, for example), but are using cause programs to enhance consumer and employee engagement. Lubin cited a joint campaign between Aeropostale and DoSomething.org – “Teens for Jeans” – that hit a sweet spot for the fashion brand’s target consumers (teens) by helping them make a difference in the fight against teen homelessness (in issue to which they can relate).
3. Many campaigns use a celebrity spokesperson in an effective way. For example, Feeding America didn’t seek out a celebrity partner with the highest fame factor, but rather selected a celebrity with a genuine passion for the issue of hunger in America. David Arquette became a true quarterback for the cause.
4. Data is cheap and readily available, making it easier to measure impact and results.
5. Brands and Causes have more owned media channels (FaceBook pages, Twitter accounts, YouTube channels, blogs etc…), so it’s easier to gain media impressions and find the right channel mix.
6. Social media and the explosion of owned media channels makes it easier for smaller causes to collaborate with brands and get widespread attention. Lubin mentioned the New York-based mental health organization To Write Love On Her Arms as an example of a smaller campaign that achieves strong awareness.
7. Causes are learning how to leverage other assets beyond money. Connecting with a hot brand and other assets like in-kind donations, celebrity endorsement or marketing savvy can all be part of a cause-brand partnership.
The Bad
1. Jurassic Park Syndrome (the dinosaurs (a.k.a corporate marketers) have learned how to turn the doorknob (i.e. create a cause campaign)). Corporate cause marketers are creating cause campaigns all by themselves and not in consultation with nonprofits. Campaigns are strengthened when partners each do what they do best: brands make great products and nonprofits create effective programs to solve social issues.
2. Crowdsourced Philanthropy. If the trend of voting campaigns for charity continues, cause marketers must incorporate third party validation for contest rules and winner selection. Some element of gaming will always exist in contests and brands (both nonprofit and corporate) need to protect themselves from potential backlash. Lubin recommends curated crowdsourced contests (think: American Express Members Project), as opposed to open (think: Chase Community Givng) or gated (think: Pepsi Refresh Project) contests because they allow the brand to narrow the universe of contest winners and protect against controversy.
The Ugly
1. Causes should never be used as camouflage or insurance for a brand (no greenwashing!)
2. Celebrities should think twice before starting their own foundations. There are many effective nonprofits in every cause area and celebrities best serve those causes by lending their voice, fame and attention to a nonprofit that knows how to affect change.
3. Be wary of agencies and consultancies that pop up claiming to be experts in cause marketing. It’s disheartening to see funds diverted from the cause to pay agency fees, especially when the agency is contributing more noise than expertise.
4. Campaigns that promise $1 per tweet or a matching grant per sign-up are ineffective. These types of campaigns are about amassing followers, not about connecting supporters with a cause. If the campaign followers don’t genuinely care about the brand or the cause, they don’t help you build community or further the campaign goals in the long run. Avoid these campaigns at all costs.
More insights from the 2011 Cause Marketing Forum available here: www.causemarketingforum.com/CMF11Dashboard
