1. Cause Marketing
Cause Vs. Purpose
Read More: Impact Investing, Socent, Social Change, Sales, The-B-Team, Social Impact, Purpose,
Social Entrepreneurship, Corporate Citizenship, Economic Impact, Branding, Cause Marketing,
Corporate Social Responsibility, The 7 Virtues, Fast Company, Business News
A cause is based on a desire to stop something. A purpose is rooted in a desire to start something.
Cause is charity. Purpose is empowerment. A cause is your nemesis. A purpose is your muse. Should
we break it down? Let's use hunger as an example.
Is Innovation the New Donation?
Over the last ten years businesses have been on a quest to humanize, to become closer to customers.
This changing role is leading consumers to ask not only, 'How can you make my life better?' they are
asking 'What are you building to make the world better?'
Disrupt an Industry -- by Following the Golden Rule
By considering how materials are sourced, valuing the human components of the supply chain and
effectively managing retail prices, entrepreneurs are uniquely positioned to disrupt a variety of
industries.
Box Tops Help Big Food's Bottom Line
Read More: Big Food, Box Tops, Children, General Mills, Marketing to Children, Box Tops for
Education, Cinnamon Toast Crunch, Cause Marketing, Food for Thought, General Mills Box Tops,
Lucky Charms, Sugar, Coke Rewards, Cheerios, Advertising, Nutrition, Box Tops General Mills,
Schools, Cereal, Food Industry, Healthy Living News
The educational environment should not serve as a blank canvas for food industry advertisers. While
2. Box Tops for Education may appear to be a philanthropic effort, it is yet another example of
industry's incessant and predatory -- and worse, school-sanctioned -- marketing to children.
10 Best Cause Marketing Promotions of 2013
A great example of the pay it forward movement in action is #AJO. You can learn more about the
campaign here. It highlights that the ultimate driver of cause marketing is individuals, not
businesses or nonprofits.
Coke Gave Us Santa. Hanes Is Helping to Fight Homelessness.
The Santa Claus we all know today -- that big, jolly man in the red suit with a white beard -- was
brought to us by Coca-Cola. From 1931 to 1964, Coca...
I Didn't Fix The Water Crisis, And I'm OK With That
Read More: Water Access, Water Security, Causes, Health, Clean Water, Sustainability, Living-
Water-International, Cause Marketing, Nicaragua, Strawbridge United Methodist, Water, Impact
News
Maybe I can't change the world, but I can help make it a better place for those kids in Leon, and
that's OK by me.
3 Steps to a Born Again Brand
While I don't mean that we all literally should start talking about Jesus, brands can learn a lot from
people who have found meaning and deeper relevance in time of crisis.
Do Good While Gifting: Shopping for Social Justice
Cut out the middle-man. With the internet, you don't have to wade through the booths at a craft fair
to buy direct from artists. Etsy.com is the big gorilla in this space, with more than 6 million
customers.
3. Let's Stop Pretending We Can Shop for a Good Cause
Giving Tuesday is a worthy response to the craven consumerism of the last few days and serves as a
reminder that charity is an essential part of Christmas and other holiday celebrations. But I'm
already seeing a disturbing trend.
Millennial, Civic Leaders Advocate for America's Oldest HBCU
Read More: Philadelphia, Cheyney University, Politicians, Black Voters, Lawyer, Cause Marketing,
America, Politics News, National Historic Landmark, Hbcu, College, Philly, Activists, African
Americans, Local News, Michael Coard, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Impact News
Many in the widespread coalition that make up "Heeding Cheyney's Call," are stating that the
racially inequitable funding formula is the main reason that Cheyney, an all-time great institution,
now has an all-time low student enrollment.
McDonald's Lesson to Companies: Charity, Impact Better Be on the Menu
McDonald's spends nearly a billion dollars a year on advertising. They should trade some of the
visibility they get from traditional ads for the favorability that cause marketing offers. Those golden
arches need a bigger halo.
What the Pink Ribbon Means to Me
With Pinktober full steam ahead, I want to come right out and say this: Pink Stinks. I am sick and
tired of the pink ribbon, Pinktober and massive amounts of pink-washing products that line the
shelves year after year.
These Shoes Ain't Just Made for Walkin': The Cause Marketing Biz Model
Read More: Non-Profit Organization, Philanthropy, Donation, Relationship, Social Responsibility,
Marketing Tactics, Marketing, Direct Response Marketing, Cause Marketing, Marketing
Relationship, Charitable Causes, Customers, Business Model, Business News
4. TOMS understands that being an advocate for children, as well as being able to defend that
advocacy with ease, will alleviate the price barrier and sell more shoes.
The Big Business Of 'Checkout Charity'
It happens at stores everywhere. A cashier asks you to donate a dollar or two to charity while you're
standing at the cash register. Some shoppers ...
More Than the Republicans Didn't Participate in the Anniversary of the March on Washington --
Where Was Corporate America?
I continued to look for any reference to the semicentennial by major American companies or brands,
and didn't find much, other than a comical gaffe from the Golf Channel.
Road Trip to Fight Youth Homelessness with Virgin Mobile, Sevenly and Ford
Read More: Homelessness, Mark Horvath, Sevenly, Youth Homelessness, invisiblepeople.tv,
Homeless, Virgin Mobile, Cause Marketing, Ford, Invisible People, Impact News
If you've been following me for any amount of time you already know I am a huge Virgin Mobile
fanboy! In the past, Virgin Mobile in the U.S. and in Canada has supported Invisible People. It's
probably not news to you that Virgin Mobile has taken on the cause of youth homelessness.
The Class of 2013: Being The Difference
Read More: Lonesome George, Clothing, Leadership, Graduation, Social Innovation, Social Impact,
Youth, Empowerment, Conservation, Community, Innovation, Corporate Social Responsibility, Cause
Marketing, Fashion/Apparel, Triple Bottom Line, Education, Social Entrepreneurship, Sustainability,
Ethical Fashion, Shared Value, Social Issues, Galapagos Islands, Impact News
This past July, I landed at Baltra's Galapagos airport with an unusual level of anticipation. I go to the
Galapagos every quarter but this time it...
The Power of Cause Marketing for Good
5. Whenever you attach a voice as powerful as Lady Gaga or One Direction to a cause, you immediately
have the attention of their entire fan base, thereby generating momentum and having it shared with
and by others, shifting behavior in a positive way.
Boston Strong: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
It's already been a month since the Boston Marathon bombing. It was a harrowing day (and week
with the ensuing manhunt), which I recounted in my new...
Why We Need a Global Brand Initiative
Read More: Millennium Development Goals, Millennials, Marketing, Branding, Sustainability, Cause
Marketing, Csr, Capitalism, Social Media Marketing, Foundations, Video, Business News
Last month, the United Nations marked 1000 days until the 2015 deadline of the "Millennium
Development Goals," a program started in 2000 with the goal of eliminating the worst impacts of
human poverty within 15 years.
Nonprofits Should Take a Page From This Survival Guide
Instant gratification is important for nonprofits too when do-gooders are searching for that local
charity to give a holiday or year-end gift to. But like Green Apple bookstore, you need position
yourself for success. If you're not top of mind, they'll skip over you.
Elliott Yamin Is Jammin' for Diabetes and the Big Blue Test
Read More: Big Blue Test, Diabetes Hands Foundation, Diabetes, Cause Marketing, Type 2 Diabetes,
Diabetes Foundation, The Big Blue Test, Diabetes Movement, Type 1 Diabetes, Diabetes Big Blue
Test, Big Blue Test Donation, Big Blue Test Movement, Big Blue Test Fundraiser, Big Blue Test
Cause, Video, Impact News
You have until Nov. 14, World Diabetes Day, to participate in the Big Blue Test. Your body -- and
thousands of people with diabetes who will receive the supplies, treatments and education they need
to live because you took a few minutes today to move your body -- will thank you.
6. For Menchie's, Fundraising for Nonprofits Starts With a Smile
There's so much to learn from Menchie's Frozen Yogurt and their cause marketing fundraiser for the
Muscular Dystrophy Association -- their program is so good, so rich, so creamy and so delicious it
will require more than one serving for this cause marketer.
Take the Pledge: No Pink for Brinker in October
But the fact that Komen founder Nancy Brinker sits atop this pyramid is a disgrace, and we need to
ratchet up our calls for her to quit Komen for good.
