A relatively new marketing strategy, Cause Marketing is built around the concept of aligning a brand or business with a charitable cause for mutual benefit. This is not about donations or simply fundraising, but instead about developing an integrated marketing plan with a cause related partner that fits with your brand identity and your company philosophy. We will show you how to research and identify the right cause for your brand, define the roles of the relationship, create a messaging platform, and how to engage your employees, vendors, partners and customers with the cause.

1. Marketing Essentials
WEEK 6
Cause Marketing

2. Cause Marketing

3. Cause Marketing
Definition: Cause Marketing
A marketing partnership between a nonprofit
and for-profit organization where each party
receives benefit toward their individual
marketing objectives, while striving to create a
greater good through their combined resources.

4. Cause Marketing
Objectives?
In most cases, the nonprofit organization seeks
funding, greater public awareness and
expansion of their services & programs; the for-
profit business usually seeks increased brand
recognition, enhanced public relations value and
greater sales generation.

5. Cause Marketing
Cause Marketing is NOT the same as…
• Corporate Giving (Donations / Philanthropy)
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
• Volunteering
• Nonprofit Marketing / Cause Branding

6. Cause Marketing
Cause Marketing Vs. Philanthropy
Cause marketing differs from Corporate Giving
(Philanthropy) as the latter generally involves a
specific donation that is tax deductible, while
cause marketing is a marketing relationship not
necessarily based on a donation.

7. Cause Marketing
Cause Marketing Vs. CSR
Corporate Social Responsibility is operating a
business in a manner that accounts for its social
and environmental impact, with the aim to
embrace responsibility for its actions and
encourage a positive impact through its
activities on consumers, employees, the
environment, local communities, stakeholders
and all other members of the public.

8. Cause Marketing

9. Cause Marketing
Early Cause Marketing Campaign
American Express Statue of Liberty Restoration
One cent was donated to the Statue of Liberty Restoration
Fund every time a customer used an American Express
card and $1 was donated for every new American Express
account approved. (1983)

10. Cause Marketing
Did it work???
American Express Statue of Liberty Restoration
In 4 months, the campaign raised over $1.75 million for
the Restoration of the Statue of Liberty fund.
The payback for American Express? Credit card use rose
by 28%, new card applications increased by 45% and
new accounts by 17%.

11. Cause Marketing
Public Perception
• 88% of consumers say it is acceptable for
companies to involve a cause or issue in their
marketing.
• 85% of consumers have a more positive image
of a product or company when it supports a
cause they care about.
• 90% of consumers want companies to tell
them the ways they are supporting causes.
Cone Communications Cause Evolution Study 2010

12. Cause Marketing
Public Perception
80% of Americans are likely to switch brands,
about equal in price and quality, to one that
supports a cause.
Cone Communications Cause Evolution Study 2010

13. Cause Marketing
Public Perception
Cause also motivates many of these consumers
to step outside their comfort zone and try new,
generic or more expensive brands.
Cone Communications Cause Evolution Study 2010

14. Cause Marketing
Types of Campaigns
• Transactional
• Licensing
• Awareness / Activism / Volunteering

15. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Transactional
When a consumer buys a product or service a
donation is made to a cause; can be a set
amount or a percentage of sales.

16. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Transactional - Example
Yoplait’s Save Lids to Save Lives
For each pink lid received and each code redeemed online
General Mills will donate 10 cents to Susan G. Komen for
the Cure, up to $2,500,000.
Since 1997, General Mills/Yoplait has donated more than $34m to the
cause through the Save Lids to Save Lives program and other initiatives.

17. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Transactional
Sometimes instead of a purchase, a donation is
made when the consumer performs some type
of action…
Macy’s donates $1 to the
Make-a-Wish Foundation for
every letter to Santa dropped
into their special letter boxes
at Macy’s stores.

18. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Transactional
Sometimes instead of a purchase, a donation is
made when the consumer performs some type
of action…

19. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Licensing
A company pays a fee to use a nonprofit’s brand
on its product. Licensing may include a
certification process by the nonprofit before the
company is allowed to use the logo.

20. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Licensing - Example
Arctic Home: Coca-Cola & World Wildlife Fund
The “Arctic Home” campaign was created by WWF to
raise awareness of the polar bear’s plight and generate
public funding for its protection. Coca-Cola made an
initial $2m donation to the cause and agreed to match
consumer donations up to $1m through March 15, 2012.

21. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Awareness
When a business puts its resources to work to
promote a cause-focused message or activity.

22. Cause Marketing
Campaigns: Awareness - Example
Tide Loads of Hope
A mobile laundromat sent to disaster-stricken areas to
wash, dry & fold clothing for free; created in the wake of
Hurricane Katrina and has cleaned more than 30,000
loads of laundry in disaster sites around the U.S.

23. Cause Marketing
Creating Your Campaign - Key Steps
• Authenticity
Identify a CAUSE - not a Nonprofit org - that fits
with your business, your brand and your
customers OR that resonates with you as the
business owner

24. Cause Marketing
Creating Your Campaign - Key Steps
• Authenticity

25. Cause Marketing
Creating Your Campaign - Key Steps
• Research
Do your homework before you approach a
Nonprofit org or cause-related partner.
- What’s their reputation?
- Where do they run their programs?
- Have they participated in cause campaigns?
- Are they media/marketing savvy?

26. Cause Marketing
Creating Your Campaign - Key Steps
• Goal Setting
What do you want to accomplish:
Increased sales? Brand awareness?
New customers? Launching a new product?
What does the Nonprofit want to accomplish:
Funding? Awareness? Brand Association/Status?

27. Cause Marketing
Creating Your Campaign - Key Steps
• Use your Marketing Tools
Build a comprehensive campaign with your
resources AND the Nonprofits’ resources;
activate across all appropriate channels.
• Earned Media - Public Relations
• Owned Media - Social Media/Blog/Website/Newsletter
• Paid Media - Advertising/Direct Marketing/Events

28. Cause Marketing
Creating Your Campaign - Key Steps
• Track / Measure / Evaluate
Did we hit our goals?
Did we hit the Nonprofit’s goals?
What went right/wrong?

29. Cause Marketing

30. Cause Marketing
Avoiding “Cause-Washing”
Best Practices (NY State Attorney General)
• Clearly describe the promotion
• Allow consumers to easily the determine
donation amount
• Be transparent about what is not apparent
• Ensure transparency in social media
• Tell the public how much money was raised

31. Cause Marketing
Resources
Selfishgiving.com
CauseMarketingForum.com
CauseMarketing.biz
Cone Communications http://www.coneinc.com
Guidestar.com
CharityNavigator.com
GreatNonprofits.com
SportsandSocialChange.org