The Sweet Spot of Cause Marketing

The graphic at left is a Venn diagram that describes cause marketing relationships between the usual three stakeholders; cause, company/brand and the consumer.

Keep in mind that most cause marketing faces the consumer.

While cause marketing can work when only two of the three circles intersect, there's a sweet spot when all three intersect. In such instances the cause marketing becomes 'painless.'

We use the diagram to find the sweet spot of cause marketing for our clients at Alden Keene.

There are several ways to place brands (cause or corporate) in the Venn diagram. You can just survey internal audiences at either the cause or the company/brand. That's the least expensive and also the least effective.

You can also use certain focus groups/ qualitative efforts like sorts and the like and get close. But the best results come using a proprietary 48-question qualitative survey. Naturally, that's also the most expensive option.

Finally, a note of explanation about the 'Stingy' label seen outside the circles. The Stingy person is immune to brands, either corporate or cause. He, or she, just won't part with their money.

The Stingy persona is different than the 'Smart Shopper.' I'm a Smart Shopper when it comes to buying bottled water. Whatever's cheapest is what I buy. But I'm very brand conscious when it comes to chocolate.

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