by Nedra Weinreich | Mar 5, 2007 | Blog, Cause Marketing
I’m a bit late to the party on the (RED) campaign backlash (see Rohit Bhargava, Ann Handley (and her commenters), Trent Stamp, Drew Neisser and Katya Andresen) but have been watching the proceedings with interest.
Rather than rehash what others have already said, both pro and con, in response to the BuyLessCrap.org campaign (tagline: “Shopping is not a solution. Buy (Less). Give More.”), I’ll just add what I have not seen being said yet.
As someone who is a pretty minimal consumer, this approach resonates with me. Do we really need to promote consumerism as the solution to what is essentially a political problem? While I can see both sides to the issue, I have always been somewhat uncomfortable with using a cause marketing approach to issues that can be better addressed with a social marketing or political advocacy approach – i.e., issues that require individual or social change.
From a nonprofit’s point of view, of course, the opportunity to raise funds through cause marketing partnerships makes a lot of sense. However, looking from a wider lens, many issues are not going to be solved just by throwing more money at them. AIDS and poverty in Africa are entangled with issues of political dictatorship and endemic corruption.
One common praise of the (RED) campaign is that, even if it only donates a fraction of the money spent to promote it, at least it raises awareness of the issue. But how many people do not already know that AIDS is a problem in Africa? And what good is that awareness if it does not lead to some sort of action?
I wrote about this with optimism back in October, but at this point, it’s clear that this campaign has missed a huge opportunity to turn awareness into action by not leveraging its connection to Bono’s ONE campaign, which does address political and social change. The (RED) campaign could be so easily and effectively tied into a social movement that starts with the purchase of a branded product, but does not end there. Regardless of the actual size of the pool of money flowing in as a result of the campaign, the larger focus should be on growing the pool of people adding their voices for change and giving them a way to express themselves. Social media tools could be used in innovative ways and Bono’s involvement provides exciting opportunities to tie music into the campaign as well.
If they start to think big, beyond a single purchase of a product, the results could be inc(RED)ible. Otherwise, I’m afraid the campaign is (LESS) than inspiring.
Technorati Tags: red, buylesscrap, one, bono, campaign, nonprofit, cause marketing
by Nedra Weinreich | Feb 21, 2007 | Blog, Cause Marketing
Yesterday during my weekly hour of “me time,” when I have my cello lesson and then grab a cappuccino at the Starbucks down the street, a rack of books standing by the register caught my eye. They were “A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier” by Ishmael Beah. Along with the books were a stack of bookmark-sized folded “Reading Guides” with information and discussion questions about the book. The book is about the experiences of a former boy soldier in Sierra Leone, Africa; he is now in his mid-twenties, and lucky enough to have been swept into the Starbucks marketing machine.
Ishmael will be speaking and signing books at Starbucks locations in 11 major cities (though not Los Angeles for some reason). Starbucks is also organizing discussions about the book at various locations on March 7th, along with an ongoing online discussion and live chat with the author on March 13th. The company will donate $2 from the sale of each book to support UNICEF programs for children affected by armed conflict, with a minimum contribution of $100,000.
To be honest, I have not noticed whether Starbucks has done this extensive a promotion of a book before, though I know they have branched into music and movie promotions. With these activities plus their sales of Ethos Water that contribute toward “helping children around the world get clean water,” Starbucks is trying to position itself as the coffee seller with a social conscience, rather than the megaconglomerate that’s taking over the world, street corner by street corner. Seems to be working – Starbucks was number nine on the list of 100 Best Corporate Citizens developed by Business Ethics magazine and number five on Fortune’s list of America’s Most Admired Companies.
Love them or hate them, Starbucks has made itself into a force that has the power to impact the public conversation and influence its customers’ thinking on social issues.
Photo Credit: Spencer Batchelder
Technorati Tags: starbucks, marketing
by Nedra Weinreich | Jan 17, 2007 | Blog, Cause Marketing
As much as I like the approach that Heifer International takes in helping donors to understand concretely what their donations pay for, others feel that the organization is being dishonest. The fine print states that the funds do not actually go toward buying a specific animal for a specific family, but are allocated as the organization sees fit. I don’t have a problem with this, since I assume that the prices in the donation include administrative costs, and the money within the organization is fungible. As long as they are buying animals for people who need them, I don’t really care whether they actually gave the flock of chicks I donated or instead applied the same funds toward a sheep for someone who needed that more.
Think Personality relates the story of Philip Greenspun, who wanted to donate a water buffalo but also wanted to make sure that it was more than a symbolic contribution. Robert Thompson, an American violinist living in a small town in Yunnan, China, read Philip’s blog about this. He left a comment saying that he went out to the fields and asked local farmers whether a water buffalo would be a good gift (they wholeheartedly endorsed the idea). Robert offered to purchase a buffalo on Philip’s behalf and find a suitable family to give it to, and they made arrangements for him to do so.
Robert made an amazing video of the process of finding and purchasing the water buffalo and delivering it to the needy family. The touching scenes of the elderly matriarchs of the family of four generations being overcome with emotion at the gift, the scenery of the Chinese countryside, and Robert’s soundtrack (an instrumental version of, fittingly enough, “How to Save a Life”) are all reasons to watch this video. See if you can choke back that lump in your throat at the end.
It’s a heartwarming story of how blogs can connect people, how one person can make a huge difference in a family’s life, and how you don’t need to give to a charity to give charity.
Technorati Tags: heifer international, fundraising, marketing, blogging
by Nedra Weinreich | Jan 2, 2007 | Blog, Cause Marketing, Social Marketing
Last week was my dad’s birthday. I had gone up and down the aisles at Target to try to get ideas, wracked my brain, and still could not figure out what to buy for the man who has everything. There was nothing he needed, and anything he might want and didn’t already have was probably out of my price range anyways.
So I decided to make a donation in his honor. But to which of the many worthy causes out there? I wanted to pick an organization I hadn’t donated to before, and one that would make a real difference in someone’s life. I had a vague memory of having seen Beth Kanter riding a cow in a virtual representation of a gift catalog that I thought was for Heifer International (but now that I look at it, it’s actually for World Vision). I liked the idea of donating toward something tangible like an animal, so I went to Heifer International’s website, where they have a selection of animals you can choose to go to a family who will raise them and earn a livelihood from them. I selected a flock of chicks and a flock of geese for him, downloaded a card, and was pleased with myself for the original idea.
A couple of nights after I had given my dad the card that explained the gift, which he seemed to like, we had dinner at his house. I overheard my stepsister say something to him about the flock of chicks and flock of ducks.
“It was geese,” I called from the next room.
“No, it was ducks,” Michelle said.
“No, we gave him a flock of chicks and a flock of geese,” I said. Why would she be so insistent about it, when I knew perfectly well what we had given him?
Michelle hesitated, with a strange look on her face. “WE gave him a flock of chicks and a flock of ducks.”
We looked at each other as the realization dawned on us that we had given him almost exactly the same gift. “Heifer International?” I asked, a smile growing on my face. Hilarity ensued, and we both laughed so hard we couldn’t breathe.
My dad hadn’t said anything to either of us about the gifts that he had received, because he figured one of us must have mentioned it to the other, who made the faux pas of using the same gift idea, and didn’t want to embarrass us. Michelle had read about Heifer in Rachael Ray’s magazine and liked the idea. We had never talked about it until that night.
If the two of us independently came up with this gift, I have a feeling that Heifer International did quite well this holiday season. The reason I think their gift catalog is so appealing is because the results of the donations are made so concrete. Rather than giving money that goes to an organization’s very intangible general fund, no matter how good a cause it is, people like to be able to picture what they are funding.
This does not just apply to nonprofit fundraising. In social marketing programs, in which we are trying to persuade people to take action to improve their health (a vague notion until you don’t have it) or to “save the world,” we need to think about how to make the product concrete. So, for example, a program to prevent osteoporosis needs to go beyond selling “healthy bones.” Of course, that’s something everyone would want. But the idea of healthy bones doesn’t connect with most people’s lives. But talk to a senior about maintaining her independence by avoiding the dreaded hip fracture, and that will resonate.
“Save energy” is a vague generality, but talking about turning off the light in a room as you leave it, or about buying and installing compact fluorescent lightbulbs to replace your regular bulbs, provides a concrete, easy to understand action.
Try to create a picture in people’s minds of what the action or product will look like in their lives. Ground your descriptions in the senses to make the product come alive. Whether you are “selling” a flock of chicks or trying to get chicks to use your Flock, keep it real and concrete to be successful.
Oh, and a belated blog-borne happy birthday, Daddy. 🙂
Technorati Tags: marketing, nonprofit, heifer international, social marketing, fundraising
by Nedra Weinreich | Dec 8, 2006 | Blog, Cause Marketing
Katya’s post this morning about Network for Good’s new charity badge widget inspired me to create one for the nonprofit that’s nearest and dearest to my heart, the American Anti-Slavery Group. If you check out the right side of this blog, you’ll see what the badge looks like.
These charity badges allow you to upload photos and write the text, link to a video and fundraise for a nonprofit — either your own or one you care about. If you don’t have a blog or website, you can put it in your e-mail signature. It all goes through Network for Good, so you can feel confident that the donations will get to where they are supposed to go. And you can track in real time how much you have raised, so your donors get immediate feedback that they are making a difference.
The reason why I think these will be so successful is that they are personalized. It’s not just another random plea for charity, but a direct request from someone you know, who can give their specific reasons for supporting the cause. This is similar to the idea behind Buttons of Hope, which employs the slightly lower tech medium of buttons that you can wear to personalize and inspire fundraising.
The one problem I had with the widget is that it kept cutting off my text in the middle without letting me know exactly how many characters I could use, so I had to use trial and error to get it to fit.
So, here’s my more extended plug for the American Anti-Slavery Group, a group I’ve been involved with for a while. Did you know that, by conservative estimates, over 27 million children, women and men around the world are enslaved? They are essentially “owned” by another person. AASG provides direct aid to free slaves and help them reclaim their lives, conducts advocacy, and educates the public about the fact that slavery is not history. What better gift could you give someone than the gift of freedom? If you’re trying to figure out what to get for the person on your list who has everything, think about making a donation in their honor to help a person who has nothing. Give it a click and then make your own badge for your favorite nonprofit.
Technorati Tags: nonprofit, fundraising, charity badge, slavery
by Nedra Weinreich | Dec 6, 2006 | Blog, Cause Marketing, Communication
I just received a fundraising letter that blew me away with its opening line. It says:
Dear Friends,
In our world of “I’s” — ipods, ibooks, itunes, imacs… I wants — the Zimmer Children’s Museum and its outreach programs teach children I care…I value…I support…I lead…I give…
Someone hire that copywriter! Fundraising is not generally within my purview, so I’m not going to use this post to teach you how to do it. Luckily, Katya has a great post from a couple of weeks ago on exactly this — how to write an effective opening line for a fundraising letter. She says:
Remember, an A+ letter grabs you from the first line by speaking to your values and presenting you with a compelling reason to act that is relevant to those values.
Grade: A+
Technorati Tags: fundraising, nonprofit, marketing
Nedra helps nonprofits and public agencies create positive change on health and social issues through social marketing and transmedia storytelling strategies at Weinreich Communications since founding the company in 1995. She helps organizations make a difference for the populations they serve by strategically designing programs that draw on state-of-the-art behavior change techniques, digital media approaches and the power of stories. 
