Skip to main content
Faithful readers.

Thursday's post on Scotties tissue (on the left is a recent free-standing insert [FSI]) has generated a fair amount of back-channel conversation.

The following comes from Jeff Atlas, one of the pioneers of cause marketing. I post his remarks with his permission.
Your recent post about Scotties led me to do a little bit of investigating.

I remember when Weyerhaeuser advertised itself as "The Tree Growing Company."

So, I wondered why they had dropped (or perhaps "felled") that name.

Here's the story from the ad/pr company that Weyerhaeuser used:

"Political turbulence on a number of issues surrounded Weyerhaeuser Company in the 1990's. Perceptions about clear cutting, log exports, old growth logging, the endangered spotted owl and stewardship of natural resources were conspiring to undercut the reputation of the industry in general and Weyerhaeuser in particular. There was a real danger that this situation could lead to new and costly government restrictions on how the company operated."

"Public opinion research conducted by Gogerty Marriott, revealed that the company's positioning as 'The Tree-Growing Company' was not helping shore up public support. Facts and data about the company's operations did not have a favorable impact and there was a real issue with credibility. Advertising, which then focused on the company's replanting programs and forest stewardship, had no impact on the public opinion."

So, it's interesting to note that J. D. Irving has now picked up - and trademarked - this slogan.

Perhaps they think that they will have better luck with it.

But does a slogan that falls in the forest make a sound?
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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 ...
4 comments
Read more

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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

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...
11 comments
Read more