Cause Marketing

Normally, when it comes to cause marketing longer relationships are better for sponsor and charity alike. Think Rolling Stones and U2 not one-hit-wonder bands like Fountains of Wayne or Los Lonely Boys. That’s because cause marketing is a form of co-branding and like any branding endeavor it takes years for brands to achieve real customer awareness. Frequently changing partners confuses customers and stakeholders. For instance, I can all but guarantee you that even after more than 15 years of deep association, in a test of unaided recall few people would be able to identify Subway Sandwiches and the American Heart Association as cause marketing partners. I’ve written before that lasting corporate-cause relationships are like marriages that require constant upkeep. Or like bank accounts whereto you must make frequent deposits to cover the inevitable withdrawals. But there are certainly times when it makes sense to end cause marketing relationships. For causes it’s probably more ...

Breaking Up the Band Normally, when it comes to cause-related marketing I would say that longer relationships are better for sponsor and charity. Think Rolling Stones and U2 not Cream or Soft Cell . That’s because cause marketing is a form of co-branding and like any branding endeavor it takes years to for brands to achieve high customer awareness. Frequently changing partners confuses your customers. For instance, I guarantee you that even after more than 10 plus years of deep association, in a test of unaided recall remarkably few people would be able to identify that Subway Sandwiches and the American Heart Association are co-branded partners. I’ve written before that lasting corporate-cause relationships are like marriages that require persistent maintenance. Or like bank accounts whereto you must make frequent deposits to cover the inevitable withdrawals. But there are times when it makes sense to end cause-marketing relationships. For causes it’s probably more so a dollars a...