OK, you may ask, what is cause marketing?
Yesterday I had the pleasure of sitting down with Bruce Burtch, the cause marketing catalyst. Bruce has developed many of the most successful cause marketing campaigns in the Bay Area. Cause Marketing is the development of a marketing partnership between a nonprofit and for-profit organization– each party receives benefit toward their individual marketing objectives, while striving to create a greater good through their combined resources. In most cases, the nonprofit organization seeks funding and public awareness; while the for-profit organization seeks increased brand recognition, enhanced public relations and greater sales generation. Very good for both sides!
For example, Bruce was the catalyst behind the astonishingly successful campaign, Prepare Bay Area for the American Red Cross Bay Area, which generated over $3,000,000 of free media coverage, delivered over 100,000,000 public impressions and most importantly, raised Bay Area emergency preparedness by 300%. Bruce partnered with Hal Riney and Partners who provided much of the campaign’s creative sizzle, and with PG&E, Wells Fargo Bank and The Clorox Company, as the corporate sponsors.
Such win-win-win partnerships are of particular importance because the non-profit gets the proper attention and recognition, but the for-profit company has the chance to get some positive press! So it’s marketing and fundraising, but delivered though a partnership which provides much greater benefit to all.
Bruce just set up his own firm to do what he has been doing his whole career working for nonprofits and for-profits, such as the United States Olympic Committee, Marriott Corporation, Special Olympics, AT&T, March of Dimes and, of course, the Red Cross. Check out his great background and see a complete case study on the Red Cross campaign at www.bruceburtch.com.
Thanks for clarifying what cause marketing is.
What a great way for companies and nonprofits to benefit from working together, especially in these financially challenged times.
I’m glad you mentioned Bruce’s good work. He certainly is the catalyst. Recently he pulled together marketing people from the ranks of the Bay Area Consultants’ Network and has us putting on workshops for artists at ArtWorks Downtown in San Rafael. Bruce makes it easy to say yes.
PS Thanks for your excellent presentation on getting famous at the last BACN meeting.
Briefly, allow me to agree and digress. As we move to a Twitter/Facebook age, where print and broadcast media are no longer a viable communications tool, you’ll see an isolationist movement. The way to build brand images will be through volunteering. Call it “cause marketing” or non-profit, Mr. Erokan is addressing the future when he states, “Such win-win-win partnerships are of particular importance because the non-profit gets the proper attention and recognition, but the for-profit company has the chance to get some positive press! So it’s marketing and fundraising, but delivered though a partnership which provides much greater benefit to all.”
The key will be “partnership which provides greater benefit to all.” If you were coming out with a new product, where would you put it (parts of place and promotion in marketing’s 4 Ps)? Godaddy used Superbowl ads. They also used blogs before that. If the company wanted more exposure, it could create “street teams” as musicians do and have ALL its employees volunteering for different organizations. Street teams is another term for networking, advertising.
With 30+ years in communications, I no longer read newspapers (lots of books, though), listen to local radio or watch television. I am chained to a (laptop) computer. Shortly iPhones will eliminate/replace that cord, too. Psychologists have proven we need human interaction. This will come about through “cause marketing,” or as I call it, non-profit volunteering. That’s why last year I developed the practice of “marketing sociology,” becoming the world’s first marketing sociologist.
Wow! Thank you! I always wanted to write in my site something like that. Can I take part of your post to my blog?