Cause Marketing

Research on Cause Marketing or Cause-Related marketing

Concepts on Cause Marketing or Cause-Related Marketing

What is Cause Marketing?

• A Type of Marketing
• Involving Cooperative Efforts for Mutual Benefit between
  • For-Profit Business
  • Non-profit Organisation
• Any Marketing effort for social and charitable causes
• Is not
  • Not Corporate Giving or Philanthropy (Tax-deductible)
  • Not Sponsorship
  • Not Road to Riches
  • Not impossible for small companies and causes

What are the Types and Forms of Cause Marketing?

Transactional Campaigns or Purchase/ Action-Triggered Donations

• A corporate donation triggered by a consumer action (e.g. sharing a message social media, making a purchase, etc.)

Point of Sale Campaigns

• Active Cause Marketing
  • A donation solicited by a company at the point of sale but made by the consumer (e.g. consumers are asked to round up their purchase or donate a dollar when they check out online or in-stores)
• Passive Cause Marketing
  • Having signage or electronic displays to do the asking

Message-Focused Promotional Campaigns

• Business resources are used to share a cause-focused message.
• For example a campaign that encourages behavior change (e.g. don't text and drive), drives awareness about an important cause (e.g. talking with elderly parents about driving) or encourages consumer action (e.g. signing a petition to save whales from captivity)

Licensing or Endorsement

• Company pays a fee to use a nonprofit's brand on its product
• There usually is a certification process before the company is allowed to use the logo

Employee Engagement

• Workforce is leveraged by being directly involved in projects

Digital Programmes

• Use of digital technologies, especially the web, social media and location-based services to target individuals toward action

What are Some examples of cause Marketing?

• Save Lids to Save Lives
• DICK's Sport Matters
• Product Red

Why is Cause Marketing Important?

For the Cause

• New source of Revenue
• Generates Awareness
• Opens new doors (Progressive and innovative approach to fundraising)
• Reach new Donors (Targets new younger generation of donors)

For the Business

• Builds favorability and drives sales: Positive image for the company. 1 in 5 consumers will pay more for a cause-related product
• Targets Key Consumer
• Attracts and Keeps Employees

Reference

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cause_marketing

Guides on Cause Marketing

Making Plans

Determining Cause Marketing Approach and Tactics

Determining Critical Success Factors

• Get Buy-in from your Boss
  • Persuasion is Incremental
  • Keep eye on benefits not features
  • Take Baby Steps
  • Share the Glory
• Commit Staff or Staff Time
  • Cause Marketers are made not Born
  • Be open to candidates from other industries
  • Hire slowly ,fire quickly
• Bring Entrepreneurial spirit to the team
• Analyse Existing Assets
  • Corporate Partners
  • Events
  • Message
  • Constituents
• Set realistic expectations for your campaign

Crafting a Strong Message

• Choose your Famous Last Words
• Message does not need to have the full mission of your organisation
• Keep things simple
  • Don't be intimidated your cause isn't houshold name. Pick the right partner or even.
  • Think like a consumer and ask if your cause would motivate you to support it
  • Don't feel guilty if your message doesn't reflect everything your cause does.

Moving from Transactional to Transformative Cause Marketing

• Branding is Key: Creates experiences, good feelings and visceral energy.
• Make it Slick, but not so Slick till it doesn't Stick.
• Think different
• Focuson the Social Good
• Keep Things Taught

Striking a Balance between Philanthropy, Marketing and Business

• Overemphasizing Philanthropy: Miss powerful opportunity consumerism can deliver
• Underweigh Philanthropy: Risk putting marketing first and turning consumers off
• Overemphasise marketing and business: Blind yourself to greater good

Finding the Right Partner

• Manage Partners through Circle Strategy
  • Innermost Circle - Causes and companies are people you know and already have relationship.
  • Middle Circle - Familiar but more distant connections. They may be aware of you but never supported you.
  • Outer Circle - Unknown to you and you to them
• Research the company
  • Does it support other causes
  • is the Company good business?
  • Does your cause and business share natural connection?
  • Are company's customers your supporters?
• Identifying the right Cause for your company
  • Choose a cause with a good reputation
  • Identify a cause with natural connection with product or mission of your company
  • Determine if donors fit demographic of your company customers and prospects

Leveraging and Capitalising on your Best Qualities

• Compare Partnering Options
• Preparing your Employees to success
  • Motivating
  • Training
  • Incentivising

Selling Cause Marketing Programmes

• Reaching Out to Prospects
  • Don't sell to the hard ones. Sell to the easy ones
  • Play your strongest card
  • It takes time to build a connection
• Step 1: Calling or e-mailing
  • A sale is not your goal. Arrange for a meeting
  • Make them beg for more.
  • Get them talking a lot
  • Get the lay of the land
  • Know when to shut up
• Step 2: Opening with an offer
  • Invite the prospect to an event as your guest
  • Send them an article of interest
  • Invite the to sign up for your email newsletter
  • Add value on an unrelated Issue
• Step 3: Position Cause marketing as win-win-win
  • A win for the company
    • Other forms of marketing increase your visibility. Cause marketing enhances your favorability
    • Cause Marketing gives you a competitive edge that goes beyond product and price
  • A win for the consumer
    • Consumers think cause marketing is acceptable and wish more products, services and retailers used would support causes.
  • A win for the cause
    • Cause

Promoting Your Plan

Implementing Your Programme

Expanding Your Plan

Outlines on Cause Marketing