Cause Marketing

There’s a handful of stories out there about the successful use of Twitter in nonprofit fundraising. Social media expert Beth Kanter has been especially watchful of this trend. The most common technique is to simply spell out the need in a Tweet to the people who follow you on Twitter. Just last night in my little market organizers of the 'SunTweet for Charity' tried something I haven’t seen elsewhere. They held a Tweetup for charity in conjunction with the Sundance Film Festival . A Tweetup is a meetup for Twitterers. SunTweet for Charity  featured panelists on the topic of ‘creating value for your social audience,’ free pizza and soda drinks, a cash bar and face-to-face social interaction. The price of admission was $5, which went to an unnamed charity. Event costs were covered by sponsors. I love events   for charities. Like very few other tactical media choices events can help move prospects from interest to action. And Tweetups happen because even the most distant...

Maximizing Charity Auctions on eBay More than 40 celebrities signed ' Matt ,' the paper mannequin training aid used to demonstrate Philips Electronics' automated external defibrillators at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Philips donated $500 to the American Heart Association for each celebrity who signed Matt, up to maximum of $20,000. When the Festival concluded, Matt was packed off to Auction Cause, an auction management agency in Beverly Hills, Calif. led by Eric Gazin. Eric is an eBay PowerSeller and has specialized in celebrity and charity auction items for more than eight years. I asked Eric if he would share some secrets from his experience, and there are some surprises. One, for instance, involves Britney Spears' recently shorn locks! Read on. How much did the Save Matt auction generate? "The auction generated $300, but more importantly, it received a lot of publicity for the American Heart Association ." How does your service work? "Auctio...

How the Save Matt Campaign Came Together and Was Promoted Tuesday’s post was about how to use public relations to drive a cause-related marketing campaign drawing on the experience of the American Heart Association , RoyalPhilips Electronics and their Save Matt campaign. This posting will talk about how that promotion came about and outline some details and major elements. The Save Matt promotion offered the American Heart Association $500 (up to a maximum of $20,000) for the signature of each celebrity who signed Philips' paper mannequin training mat (called 'Matt') during the run of the 2007 Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. At the end of the Festival Matt will be auctioned on eBay for an additional donation to the AHA. Philips sponsored the Village Lift credentialing area. A variety of Philips products were on display in the area, called the Philips Simplicity Lounge. Among those products were some of the company’s automated external defibrillators. Celebrit...

PR-supported cause-related marketing It’s probably fair to say that more cause-related marketing campaigns are supported by public relations than by advertising. This is a sophisticated audience so there’s no need to detail the differences between advertising and public relations. Suffice it to say that while PR has greater credibility, it’s challenging to get the frequency using PR alone that you can get with advertising. Advertising offers frequency, but it can certainly be expensive and it’s less credible than PR. Illustrated is an example of PR-supported cause-related marketing undertaken by RoyalPhilips Electronics to promote products like their OnSite Heart Defibrillator at the Sundance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. Park City is very easy to get to and has a number of charms besides natural beauty and first-rate skiing. And so the Festival draws a lot of celebrities and a fairly chi-chi crowd. As a result when you watch Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood or any of ...