I admit I am not a natural blogger. I run Auction Cause, www.auctioncause.com, and my time is spent managing a large number of high profile events on the platform. Still, I love reading others' blogs, and do believe I have some personal insights which might be useful and at least interesting, so after not posting much here, let me get back on track.
First, cause marketing has met social networking with a great new blog site called "What Gives?!", www.whatgives.com. I know a few of the people who contribute content there, and they really connect pop culture, causes, and what makes us all tick. Check it out, it really is a step above some of the general rants or just boring content that is out there.
So, back to my subject line here, finally! Recently charities and brands have come to me with some great auction experiences, but they were lacking some "sizzle" to put them over the top. One charity had a meet and greet with a fairly classic and popular musician, but nothing else. In speaking with them, they casually mentioned they had some relationships with a hotel chain and restaurant group. They were quickly were able to make a compelling ask and get 2 nights hotel and a great dinner donated to the auction experience. With some great brand exposure and thousands of page views, it was a big win for all, especially the cause, as the raised thousands extra from their corporate relationships.
More observations on cause marketing - some brands run auctions that over the top promotional about themselves with little authenticity connecting to the cause the auction will benefit. Does this seem perhaps like the business really does not care about the cause and is only interested in how much exposure they can generate? It sometimes does to me.
Like cause marketing in stores or at events, consumers are sophisticated and even a but jaded, but they want to see the company truly care about who and what they are fundraising for. It is like the messaging on a product's retail packaging where it says something like "50 cents for every box sold will benefit charity X", and then in the small print it says "up to Y number of dollars". Even if that number is met in the first month of the campaign, they can still continue to advertise the same way. If you as a consumer knew that zero of your purchase was going to charity X, would you still make that purchase if that charity was important to you? Perhaps not!
So, speaking of authentic cause marketing campaigns, I am very excited to announce the launch of a very cool Vanity Fair auction tied in with their May 2008 issue. Madonna is on the cover in front of a huge globe. It is a great cover shot, and that globe is up for auction on eBay Giving Works right now. 100% of the money raised will benefit "Raising Malawi", a charity dedicated to alleviating the extreme poverty and hardship endured by Malawi's one million orphans. More on them here.
Vanity fair of course is getting great exposure, with the auction featured on Access Hollywood, and on Pop Tarts, the Fox News celebrity happenings column penned by Hollie Mckay, it is drawing great traffic to the auction. The authenticity comes from Vanity Fair asking Madonna to pick her favorite charity to donate the proceeds to. Additionally, Madonna donated access to her small, yet to be announced concert taking place later this month in New York. With hotel, air, and restaurants coming on board as well to make this package even more special, someone is going to win a once in a lifetime auction. On the other side, Raising Malawi is promoting the auction to their supporters on their website. Seems like common sense to me, but I am surprised how often a charity does not prominently promote an eBay charity auction from which they stand to benefit.
As always, drop me an email about anything cause marketing or eBay related. I can be reached at eric [at] auctioncause [dotcom].
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