Like Pepsi with Milk, There’s Something Wrong Here Some things don’t pair well. Like Pepsi with milk , or peanut butter and bacon sandwiches . Likewise this ad for a collectable doll doesn't quite work. The doll, called Little Miss USA, was issued by the Alexander Doll Company in the wake of September 11 in support of the American Red Cross . Plenty of cause-related marketing appeals popped up after 9/11. This one was in the February 2002 issue of Doll Reader . While you might associate dolls with a children’s cause, the problem isn’t the combination of patriotic doll and the Red Cross, per se. As we’ve discussed before, while ‘ strategic philanthropy ’ is frequently the best approach, for various reasons it may not be the preferred approach. Moreover, limited edition dolls of this type are more likely to be purchased for adult than child collectors. The problem isn’t the offer, it’s the ad itself. For one, the ‘portion of the proceeds’ language is weak and vague. Research shows t...
Dedicated to highlighting and dissecting the best and the worst cause marketing promotions and campaigns.