Cause Marketing

Today we return to the subject of matching cause and sponsor and cause marketing. Without resurrecting every post I’ve written on the topic there’s basically seven approaches for sponsors… Pick a cause that’s a direct fit: for instance, a restaurant or a grocery store sponsoring a food bank. Pick a cause that’s an indirect but related fit: McDonald’s sponsorship of the Ronald McDonald House. Pick a cause that’s meaningful to company stakeholders: Many sponsors of the various breast cancer charities fit this criteria. Pick a cause that has tons of popular appeal: Target’s sponsorship of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is an example. Split the baby and pick multiple charities but with a single theme. JC Penney focuses much of its giving on after-school causes , for instance. Pick multiple charities without a unifying theme. Pick a charity the CEO or executive staff likes. Pick a charity for no rational reason. Looking at this campaign from July 2009 benefiting Mother’s Against Drun...

It’s gut-check time my charity friends. How strong is the appeal of your cause? Could you call a major donor to secure the funding to take advantage of a great advertising opportunity that falls into your lap last minute? Could you rally your fans to support your entry in the American Express Members Project ? Is your fundraising still doing fine, even in the Great Recession? Could you get competitors to sponsor your event? I saw the double-truck ad to the left in the July issue of Spirit magazine, the in-flight magazine of Southwest Airlines . For 11 years Southwest has sponsored the Phoenix Luv Classic, a benefit golf tourney for the Ronald McDonald Houses . This year the tournament raised more than $300,000, the ad reports. But for me the news isn’t the dollar amount, which is respectable given the economy. Instead the story is the list of sponsors. That list includes direct competitors with Southwest, including Virgin Atlantic , and JetBlue , and indirect competitors Aer Lingus , ...