BG US Challenge and St. Jude Childen's Research Hospital Part 2

A Business to Business Cause-Related Marketing Campaign that Brings Money & ROI... Part II

Cause-related marketing isn't always about the consumer audience. Just as there are businesses that sell goods and services to other businesses (B2B), it is possible... though not always easy... to put together cause marketing campaigns where the cause transaction occurs between businesses (B2B Cause-Related Marketing©).

The smartly-branded Memphis-based St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, has just such a B2B Cause-Related Marketing campaign going on right now with the BG Corporate Challenge. And unlike the countless walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, eclair-eat-a-thons, etc., this one offers corporate participants real ROI.

Read the second half of my interview with Holly Thompson... the Liaison-Sports Marketing & Sponsor Development, and the person in charge of the BG US Challenge at St Jude... to see how. As a reminder, what follows are paraphrased answers from Holly, NOT actual quotes.

The event seems very physical. Does it give you any heartburn that only fit people are likely to participate?

The BG US Challenge measures teams mentally, physically and strategically. And
one of the things it forces teams to do is play to their strengths. If a team
has someone who can read, understand and memorize maps, the BG US Challenge
rewards the team when they build on such strengths.

It seems like there’s an x-a-thon for charity every weekend. How does the BG Corporate Challenge differ?

Teams come back from the BG US Challenge able to draw on and impart to internal
teams the lessons learned. It impacts the entire organization. There’s real
measurable ROI. Several companies have written case studies that demonstrate the
ROI.

St. Jude apparently fields several teams. What do those team members say about the experience?

We have two teams, the first is celebrity team comprised of All Stars from
reality shows like Survivor and the Amazing Race. They took first place last
year and represented the United States at the World Challenge last year. Our
second team is comprised of employees who are also former patients at St. Jude.
They are powerful reminders to the other teams of the mission and purpose of the
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

How does the intensity of the experience translate for St. Jude? That is, when participants are in the thick of the Challenge how does that reflect on (if at all) St. Jude?

Last year as one team crossed a finish line, which involved rigging a makeshift
stretcher, they were heard to say in effect; this is nothing compared to what the
kids at St. Jude go through every day!

What kind of presence do you have in front of participants?

All the teams wear a hospital-style bracelet with the name and condition of an
actual patient. We’re on all the signage at the event and all the marketing
materials and collateral in the lead up to the event including the ads in
Fortune. Last year the BG US Challenge aired on OLN and we got exposure there.
Since the Challenger World was purchase by IMG we expect the TV component will
be even greater this year.

Batting Your Eyelashes at Prescription Drug Cause Marketing

I’m a little chary about making sweeping pronouncements, but I believe I've just seen the first cause marketing promotion in the U.S. involving a prescription drug. The drug is from Allergan and it’s called Latisse , “the first and only FDA-approved prescription treatment for inadequate or not enough eyelashes.” The medical name for this condition is hypotrichosis. Latisse is lifestyle drug the way Viagra or Propecia are. That is, no one’s going to die (except, perhaps, of embarrassment) if their erectile dysfunction or male pattern baldness or thin eyelashes go untreated. Which means the positioning for a product like Latisse is a little tricky. Allergan could have gone with the sexy route as with Viagra or Cialis and showed lovely women batting their new longer, thicker, darker eyelashes. But I’ll bet that approach didn’t test well with women. (I’m reminded of a joke about the Cialis ads from a comedian whose name I can’t recall. He said, “Hey if my erection lasts longer than ...

Cause Marketing: The All Packaging Edition

One way to activate a cause marketing campaign when the sponsor sells a physical product is on the packaging. I started my career in cause marketing on the charity side and I can tell you that back in the day we were thrilled to get a logo on pack of a consumer packaged good (CPG) or even just a mention. Since then, there’s been a welcome evolution of what sponsors are willing and able to do with their packaging in order to activate their cause sponsorships. That said, even today some sponsors don’t seem to have gotten the memo that when it comes to explaining your cause campaign, more really is more, even on something as small as a can or bottle. The savviest sponsors realize that their only guaranteed means of reaching actual customers with a cause marketing message is by putting it on packaging. And the reach and frequency of the media on packaging for certain high-volume CPG items is almost certainly greater than radio, print or outdoor advertising, and, in many cases, TV. More to ...

Chili’s and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital

I was in Chili’s today and I ordered their “Triple-Dipper,” a three appetizer combo. While I waited for the food, I noticed another kind of combo. Chili’s is doing a full-featured cause-related marketing campaign for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There was a four-sided laminated table tent outlining the campaign on the table. When the waitress brought the drinks she slapped down Chili’s trademark square paper beverage coasters and on them was a call to action for an element of the campaign called ‘Create-A-Pepper,’ a kind of paper icon campaign. The wait staff was all attired in black shirts co-branded with Chili’s and St. Jude. The Create-A-Pepper paper icon could be found in a stack behind the hostess area. The Peppers are outlines of Chili’s iconic logo meant to be colored. I paid $1 for mine, but they would have taken $5, $10, or more. The crayons, too, were co-branded with the ‘Create-A-Pepper’ and St. Jude’s logos. There’s also creatapepper.com, a microsite, but again wi...

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