Brands, Hollywood, and nonprofits on eBay

A lot of talk on how the economy is affecting all sectors. On a personal note, the last 6 months has seen steady to increasing number of campaigns for us at Auction Cause on eBay. Before looking at some current campaigns we are running, I would like to offer some theories from the trenches.




Brands are more selective with their ad dollars but still want to be seen as giving to good causes. eBay cause marketing campaigns are able to hit on a number of different factors. For one, they allow a brand to stretch their interactive dollars in relevant ways beyond banner ads and flash pages by hitting consumers in the buying mood, and with much more dedicated content and contextual messaging.




Another we have seen, brands who are being asked to curtail some of the philanthropic giving or community relations donations can capitalize on having a charity benefit from their auctions. Donation amount can be similar at the end of the day, they attract even more attention for the cause they favor, and of course the built in cause related marketing strikes right at the consumer, enhancing the brand.


Let's look at some current and recent cause marketing and nonprofit auctions on eBay Giving Works which we have managed/designed:

Perhaps one of the best trends we have seen in the last year is the use of eBay cause marketing for feature films. We are running a campaign now for Coraline, the Neil Gaiman story made into the movie, starring Teri Hatcher and Dakota Fanning. All the proceeds are benefiting Starlight, one of our favorite causes, which is also supported by Teri and Dakota. The listing now is for the chance to attend the premier in Portland, Oregon, plus some extras including the after party. The page also serves as a great announcement for the film and prepublicity, calling out when it will be in theatres and linking to the film's website. We are following this up strategically with another Coraline auction in February around the film's release which will include auctions for key props from the film. This will serve to further brand the film and their support of Starlight, plus command higher prices since the props will become more relevant to those who saw the film. We are running a similar campaign for the TV show Beverly Hills 90210, with a chance to meet the cast on the set and live the life of the characters through shopping, eating and more. The official show site has been driving traffic as well, with all proceeds benefiting Habitat for Humanity. Call outs on the page for when to catch the show on TV as well as for the other donors whose items are part of the package really tie in for the fan who finds this on eBay through key word searches or other promotions running on eBay for the auction.




We have run similar campaigns for films such as The Kite Runner, P.S. I Love you, Rush Hour 3, and Forgetting Sarah Marshall. The fan base has loved the way they can connect to a film or star they admire and give back to various causes.




A brand we are working with now that has taken this to another level is L'Oreal Paris. As sponsors for most major film festivals, they commissioned various designers to create theme inspired compacts with 18k gold and gemstones, with all proceeds benefiting the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund(OCRF). With the Golden Globes awards auction ended, and the Sundance auction in full swing now here, L'Oreal Paris is reaping the benefits of a long standing cause marketing relationship with OCRF, by highlighting the nexus between their beauty brand, a cause affecting women, and luxury products that women can identify as being associated with the glamorous awards shows.

A longstanding client of ours that has opted for a year round cause marketing presence on eBay is Universal Music Group. They have access to many of the top artists in the music business and have made a commitment to various causes, such as The City of Hope, the TJ Martell Foundation, and VH1 Save The Music to give back. Universal created a branded link at http://www.universalmusicstore.com/ which redirects to http://stores.ebay.com/Universal-Music-Store. Items such as framed gold and platinum records, experiences (who wants to get a new saxophone and get a private lesson on it from David Sanborne?), really keep with their music themes and create wonderful consumer awareness for their artists and brand. The nonprofits help publicize the auctions as well, bringing their core constituents to the eBay page for bidding, all the while driving up the final sales price.

Speaking of extensive cause marketing, we are on our third campaign with The Bonnie Hunt Show, where they have used on air time to highlight their commitment to supporting the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. By having guests on the show bring with them various items to donate to the eBay auction, the show has inspired their viewers to connect with Bonnie and her cause by going onto the site to bid. Further, we included in many of the auctions video clips of the guest with Bonnie on the show, further branding the show for potential new viewers who came to the auction from eBay or other sites. This is a great way to reach consumers who may not have heard about the Bonnie Hunt Show and let them see the show's commitment to giving back to a worthy cause. Why aren't more shows doing this?

One other one that recently did was Survivor Gabon. Over $85,000 was raised through a series of prop and experience auctions. On December 14, 2008, Jeff Probst, host of Survivor, announced the auction on the finale episode of the show, causing many of the enthusiastic and loyal fans to head to eBay to bid. This made sense on so many levels. The charity chosen was The Serpentine Project, Jeff's own charity which seeks to help youth leaving the foster care system with life skills, coaching and so much more. Fans of Jeff had a personal interest in supporting something near and dear to his heart while at the same time adding to their personal Survivor collections.

I believe that people still want to give to their causes, enjoy entertainment (even during difficult times), and collect their passions, and live out dreams through amazing experiences. People are also noticing which brands, shows, and celebrities are out there doing their best to support worthy nonprofit causes, particularly at a time when so many are hurting from a drop in direct donations. For these reasons, we are optimistic on cause marketing continuing to grow in 2009 on the eBay platform. Please let us know your thoughts or questions based on this post. I can be reached through http://www.auctioncause.com/ or via my Twitter feed - http://twitter.com/ericgazin or join our cause marketing auctions group on Tweetworks - http://www.tweetworks.com/groups/view/ebaycausemarketingauctions.