Newsletter: Is it the End of Amateurism in Cause Marketing? π€‘ ; Nut Company Partners with Nut Nonprofit π₯ ; Nonprofit Newsjacks Mermaid Movie to Defend Oceans, Trans Youth π§π½ββοΈ
An article in AdAge last week reports that one negative outcome of the Bud Light/Dylan Mulvaney drama is that βpersonal attacks are a new risk for brand leaders.β**
There are three good lessons for causes.
First, it's a good reminder to companies AND causes that they must be clear on brand purpose. It's too risky not to be. Now is not the time to be dabbling in gray areas...
"The negative side is when you start to dabble around and skirt the edges of what you want to be known for, or even straddle both sides, which is what one might accuse AB [Anheuser-Busch] of. For me, personally, when youβre truly authentic and aligned with a brandβs ethos and user base, you end up in much less dangerous territory.β
Second, causes need to get their houses in order because every partnership will now get a second - if not a third, fourth, and fifth - look.
"Marketing expert Jim Stengel said the AB matter in particular is one more example of conflating brand purpose with cause marketing, including the risk of going beyond what a brandβs purpose is. This isnβt going to make companies back away from commitments to DE&I, Stengel said. But, he added, scrutiny on marketing activations and partnerships is likely to increase. 'All that is being looked at more carefully'"
Third, causes should be active on social media, including monitoring employee postings to ensure a consistent brand message. While employees should be lauded for burnishing their brands on social media, there are risks.
"Marketers have long been advised to advance their personal brands, largely through social media, but theyβre going to need to re-evaluate how they do that in light of the growing personal attacks....a personal brand is intertwined with the brand and the company.β
What do you think? Will corporate partnerships, mainly cause marketing, be more challenging to plan and execute in the months ahead?
βοΈ Partnership Notes
1. A clevahh campaign βfrom a truck rental companyβ helping renters tell their landlords to "Truck off" to high rent increases.
2. It's a βsoft sell worldβ. (Too bad it's not a soft serve world.π¦π)
3. βNut company partners with the Testicular Cancer Awareness Foundation (TCAF)β and the puns basically wrote themselves.
π€ Marketing Your Cause
1. 3 tips for creating βcase studies that turn prospects into buyersβ. #2 is critical: Create a familiar structure. As the article points out, case studies aren't an exercise in creative writing; you need a predictable format. Most case studies are structured like this:
Challenge β Approach β Outcome
All my case studies follow this structure:
Overview β Backstory β Approach β Outcome β Insights
2. How one nonprofit βnewsjacked the new Little Mermaid π§π½ββοΈ movieβ to defend the oceans and trans youth.
π Cool Jobs in Cause
1. Director of Individual & Corporate Giving, βWasatch Community Gardensβ, Salt Lake City ($60k - $80k)
2. Director of Corporate Giving, βSt. Mary's Food Bankβ, Phoenix, AZ ($75k - $85k)
3. Director of Corporate Partnerships, βAnimal Rescue Foundationβ, Walnut Creek, CA
4. Manager, Corporate Partnerships & Cause Marketing, βSpecial Olympics Floridaβ, Clermont, FL
π§ π Brain Food
1. Interesting read for the scholarly among you. William Faulker was right: βThe past is never dead. It's not even past.β
2. Study: The key to reducing your anxiety and depression are βrandom acts of kindnessβ (aka not being a selfish ass).
3. This new book will βteach you how to survive the Black Deathβ, the Sack of Rome, and several other historical catastrophes. I just want to know how to survive when the Wifi goes down.π«