Citizen Brand

Because it's the right thing to do

There has been a great debate raging across the 'sphere and Twitter today regarding cause marketing. It was instigated by a Stanford professor who wrote this piece suggesting that cause marketing should be renamed "consumption philanthropy." Here is one excerpt:

"I disagree with this assumption. Consumption philanthropy individualizes solutions to collective social problems, distracting our attention and resources away from the neediest causes, the most effective interventions, and the act of critical questioning itself. It devalues the moral core of philanthropy by making virtuous action easy and thoughtless. And it obscures the links between markets—their firms, products, and services—and the negative impacts they can have on human well-being. For these reasons, consumption philanthropy compromises the potential for charity to better society."

While the professor had much to say about cause marketing, this paragraph jumped out at me. Especially the notion that cause marketing devalues the moral core of philanthropy by making virtuous action easy and thoughtless. I take great exception to this.

To the contrary, cause marketing adds great value to the moral core of philanthropy because it can make it easier for anyone to take a virtuous action and support a cause that is important to them. And it certainly is unfair to call a person's engagement with a cause program thoughtless. I think of the hundreds of thousands of people who put on a pair of jeans in October and give five dollars to fight breast cancer as part of Lee National Denim Day. Their simple act of wearing jeans is not thoughtless. In fact, it turns the simple and frequent act of wearing jeans into a truly virtuous act that for one day is made something very meaningful.

I also respectfully take issue with Professor Eikenberry when she says cause marketing compromises the potential for charity to better society. Just the opposite, the power of a brand and a nonprofit teaming up to shine a bright light on important causes can do more to raise people's awareness of the needs around them. With greater awareness comes the potential for greater financial support for the cause and the betterment of society.

What I want to thank the Professor for is sparking interest in cause today. I appreciate her perspective and want her to know that those of us in the cause arena work diligently every day to make sure the programs we develop and execute are working to make the world a better place. 

A green tipping point

More evidence that green is good. A national survey released yesterday says consumers are willing to pay more at the cash register for environmentally-friendly products. The number - a whopping 76 percent.

The survey was conducted by an arm of the Opinion Research Corp. The data also reveals that when consumers put on their employee hat and go to work that 74 percent believe their companies should be taking action to lead eco-friendly initiatives.

A spokesperson for ORC said the findings "seem to debunk a common perception that people will go green as long as it doesn't cost them."

Match point

Another iconic sports brand is Wimbledon. The word itself brings to mind images of green grass and tennis whites. Check out this spot from the UK brand Robinson's, that helps the rest of us understand what it would mean for a British subject to once again win during the fortnight at Wimbledon. 

Happy 100th Indy 500

Everyone loves NASCAR now. But count me as one of those racing fans that still loves Memorial Day weekend every year because of the Indianapolis 500. This Sunday marks the 100th running of the Indy 500 and it is still the "Greatest Spectacle in Racing." Unfortunately, the Indy racing brand did itself in many years ago when there was a split among drivers and two different organizations fought for years over who was the rightful "owners" of the Indy brand. Meanwhile, the NASCAR juggernaut was emerging and being strictly administered by one family. That perfect storm led to where we are today with NASCAR and its legion of loyalists moving around the country week after week in the racing spotlight.  Indy racing was simply overpowered.

But it has survived.  Some of the internal battles have become history and a few new faces like Danica Patrick and Helio Castroneves have breathed some life back into Indy racing. And make no mistake, when Memorial Day weekend rolls around, the Indy 500 is the king of racing.

So here is a toast to 100 years of thrills and spills at the great 2.5 mile oval in the middle of Indiana. Gentlemen and Lady, start your engines!

Another musical interlude - Fleetwood Mac

I had the thrill of seeing Fleetwood Mac perform at the Sprint Center in Kansas City on Friday night. They still have it. Stevie Nicks, Lindsey Buckingham, Mick Fleetwood and John McVie gave us a great show playing the best of their music over the last four decades. Landslide was a magic moment as it always is as in this clip from Letterman in the late '90's.

Denim Day kickoff

The new and improved Lee National Denim Day website launched in the wee small hours this morning. A big thanks goes out to many of our partners at Barkley for burning the midnight oil to make our kickoff deadline.

For our clients, Lee Jeans and the Entertainment Industry Foundation , this is an important launch. This is year 14 of the program and in a troubled economy, Denim Day is the kind of grassroots program that anyone can participate in. Wear your jeans on Friday, October 2 and pay five dollars to help support specific research being done by the best researchers in the world.

We have a very special ambassador this year. It is our first Denim Day alum to do a return engagement for us. Christina Applegate helped us with Denim Day the first time in honor of her mother's fight against breast cancer. This year, Christina is doing it for herself as she battles back from her own bout with the disease. And she is representing survivors everywhere, as you will experience when you visit DenimDay.com.

Now is the perfect time to sign up your company, civic group, Scout troop, religious group, school or start your own team of family, friends and neighbors. Five dollars can make a difference.

Early Morning Rain

We have been having a lot of early morning rain lately in the heartland.  It is April after all.

So why not a little serenade about the weather from a Citizen Brand favorite, Gordon Lightfoot. And this goes out to my two boys, Brady and Blake, who are celebrating their 30th and 27th birthdays respectively. One of their gifts to me over the years has been their appreciation of Gordon Lightfoot.  I believe Bob Dylan actually wrote this song, but Lightfoot's version of it is perfect.

Happy Birthday to my boys.

Does your cause program have a "tree seedling?"

I had the honor of being asked to do a column for PRWeek's edition this week. I thought I would share it here for people who aren't subscribers to the magazine. I would love to hear your thoughts on what I discuss.

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Will the economic downturn stem the rising tide of cause branding? We hear that question a lot these days. The answer is no. Cause branding, in fact, is growing as more and more companies realize the benefits that doing good can bring to their business. However, the downturn has caused more consumer skepticism about business in general. Although cause continues to grow, this skepticism could slow it down if cause programs are not authentic and transparent.

Every community in America has a critical universe of philanthropic families that provide financial support for the unique causes that form the social and cultural foundation of that community. In Kansas City for example, we have the Kaufmanns, the Helzbergs and the Halls among others. Each of these families is frequently called upon to provide their financial support and personal endorsement for our city’s most important causes. They do not make their decisions hastily. They give their support only after fully understanding what the specific impact of their donation will be.

While cause branding programs do not replace the work of the great philanthropists among us, there are important lessons to be learned from the careful approach they take before making decisions. Corporations involved in cause branding today and those contemplating it in the future should consider the same approach in developing and executing their programs. In particular, companies need to make sure their cause branding programs clearly and specifically communicate what the money being raised is going to accomplish.

It is critical today that each time a company asks a consumer to either purchase a product with proceeds going to a cause or make a straight donation to the cause, the consumer knows what their money will do. The more specific, the better it is for the company, the consumer and the success of the program. Now we know there is a slight difference in the amount of donation being made by our civic philanthropist and our consumer engaged by a cause branding program. But why should there be any difference in making the consumer feel as good about their donation as the philanthropist? That’s a trick question of course. There should be no difference.

Consider this partnership announced recently between Coca-Cola and Stater Bros. Supermarkets in southern California. The two companies, neither of which are a Barkley client, are combining efforts to plant up to 1 million tree seedlings in two California state parks. It is part of an overall effort by the California State Parks department called “Reforest California” to replant thousands of acres burned by wildfires in recent years.

The campaign runs through May at all 166 Stater Bros. stores. Money will flow from two sources. Customers will be asked at the checkout counter if they want to contribute and Coca-Cola will donate $1 for every $10 of purchases of its products sold at Stater Bros. stores. This is a simple and direct approach. Every customer knows their checkout donation or their purchase of Coke products will plant a tree in one of two state parks in their area.

Companies and nonprofits need to use this program as a guidepost. When you ask your customers to get engaged in your cause program, can you tell them exactly what their donation will do? If not, you need to stop and ask a simple question. What is our “tree seedling?”

 

Thanks Nicole

Maddie & Nicole

This weekend is the kickoff for the March for Babies around the country. The signature fund raising events for our client, the March of Dimes, will engage hundreds of thousands of people across the nation over the next couple of months raising important money for programs and research to make sure all babies are born healthy.

Each March for Babies will have hundreds of stories emerge as to why people are participating. For example, in Nashville this weekend, actress Nicole Kidman will lend her voice and support to the March of Dimes. Celebrities are an important part of cause programs because they increase the visibility and awareness of a cause.

But the true star that is emerging as the 2009 March for Babies kicks off is the memory of a darling 17-month old girl named Maddie Spohr. Maddie was born premature. And as we know, premature births result in difficult health issues for the baby and heart wrenching moments for the parents, family and friends of each premature baby.

Maddie and her parents, Mike & Heather, fought hard but on April 7, Maddie passed away. What has happened since her death is nothing short of a movement to make sure Maddie's fight continues through all of us. The "mommy" blogger community has picked up the call for action and a "March for Maddie" site has emerged.

Fortunately, there is an easy way we can all do our part to make sure Maddie's fight continues. She represents thousands of other babies who are fighting health issues right now because they too were born premature. All you need to do is log on to marchforbabies.org and either donate, start a team of your own or check with your local March of Dimes chapter to see when your community's March for Babies will be this spring.

This weekend, Maddie Spohr and Nicole Kidman have something very important in common - helping us to imagine the day when all babies are born healthy.

Sponsor Me at March for Babies!

The wealth and health of nations

Courtesy of Gapminder and Jack Yan. An enlightening and educational look at 200 years of history. What can we learn from this?

A big smile

Thanks to my friend Susan Carter Johns for posting this on Facebook this morning. Keep this big smile going through the weekend and pass it on.

A sign of the apocalypse

CBS Cancels The Guiding Light

April 1, 2009

-By Marc Berman

Veteran CBS daytime soap The Guiding Light, the longest running daytime drama in the history of television, will broadcast its final episode on Friday, Sept. 18, 2009.  

The serial debuted in a 15-minute format on NBC radio on Jan. 25, 1937 and moved to CBS (airing concurrently on broadcast and radio) beginning on June 30, 1952. The radio show ended in 1956, and The Guiding Light ultimately expanded to 30-minutes in 1967.

Ten years later it became a full daily hour.
 
“Guiding Light has achieved a piece of television history that will never be matched; it has crossed mediums, adapted its stories to decades of social change and woven its way through generations of audiences like no other," said Nancy Tellem, President, CBS Paramount Network Television Entertainment Group. "This daytime icon will always be an indelible part of CBS's history, with a legacy of innovation and reputation for quality and excellence at every step of the way.  While its presence will be missed, its contributions will always be celebrated and never be forgotten."
 
There is no word at present what CBS will fill the weekday hour with.

(Courtesy: Mediaweek)

KaBOOM looking for play spaces

What a cool idea that helps many good causes. KaBOOM is looking for 100,000 play spaces in the next 100 days. And if you identify one, you can help a cause of your choice too.  Check it out here.

Thanks to my Barkley colleague, Celeste, for the tip.

A Magical PSA

A winner at Cannes, this PSA needs no introduction. Thanks to my Barkley colleague Dave Thornhill for pointing me to this simple, powerful message from Peru.

Sheer Madness

You have to love The Onion. Just click on the screen and enjoy a very funny bit.

NCAA Expands March Madness To Include 4,096 Teams

Hiding Places

As we go through our daily trials and tribulations of life in a bad economy, it is easy to forget that there are people facing much more dire circumstances around the globe. Abject poverty and hunger, lack of clean water and families being torn apart are the daily trials and tribulations they face. This PSA from Trocaire, the overseas developmental agency for the Catholic Church of Ireland, gives us a face and a voice for these people.

Life of a beer bottle

Excuse me for following up a post about reckless teen driving with an ad for beer. But this ad for Heineken is priceless. McCann Erickson Dublin created it. Courtesy of Adrants.

Teens behind the Wheel

More teens die in car crashes than any other single cause of death. 5,000 per year. The Ad Council just released a new campaign aimed at curbing teenage reckless driving. The campaign is in concert with Attorneys General around the country and was developed by Y&R/NY.

The key thrust behind the "Speak Up or Else"  campaign is peer to peer pressure empowering teens to say something to friends who aren't driving safe. People do listen to their friends. Friends just have to be willing to step up. In fact, a survey tells us that eight in 10 teens will alter their driving behavior if a friend tells them they are uncomfortable with the way they are driving.

Click here to check out a news release as well as some of the campaign elements. Social media is a big play as you would expect with any campaign targeted to teens as well as more traditional elements. Check out this widget you can embed which contains all elements of the campaign. A great PSA plays when you click on it here. Tell the teens in your life about this campaign.