When brands come on board, sometimes the consumer stops and takes a harder look at the motives - is it just to sell products/promote something commercial or is there a deeper and authentic commitment to raising funds for the cause?
We have been working for a number of months with The Bonnie Hunt Show on a series of auction programs that feature items and experiences celebrity guests of the show donate. Bonnie Hunt and her entire team have shown a strong dedication to the program - promoting the auctions on air and on her website. 100% of the proceeds to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University. Bonnie has a platform to champion the issue of cancer research and at the same time, connect with her viewers. An added benefit from the cause marketing point of view has been the thousands of eBay members who maybe had not been watchers of her show now were curious to check out Bonnie Hunt. The celebrities on her show are able to serve as highlights for the quality of guest who she features.
To further brand the show and showcase the items for auction, we have used video clips of the guest presenting Bonnie with their items to put up for auction on eBay. The results have been amazing - tens of thousands raised to fight cancer, millions of media impressions for the auctions, message boards excitedly abuzz about what is coming next, with new viewers joining loyal ones excitedly watching the show.
To see the current auctions - please click here.
JOHNSON'S also has taken a long term approach to cause marketing on eBay. This is year two of their commitment to fund clean water through Global Giving. Centered around Mother's Day, the brand engages A list celebrity moms to donate baby gear or experiences related to being a mom and has Auction Cause list them on eBay.
Gwenyth Paltrow and Jessica Alba are supporting the campaign through some really unique donations. The auctions can now be seen by clicking here.
JOHNSON'S commitment is more than marketing to consumers.
JOHNSON'S® Clean Water Initiative is a new global charity initiative launched by JOHNSON'S® Brand. As a company, they are dedicated to helping families and children throughout the U.S. and around the world live happy, healthy lives. This year, JOHNSON’S® Brand is partnering with nonprofits Water for People® and GlobalGiving® to help provide families in need with access to clean water. Through the JOHNSON’S® Clean Water Initiative, they can provide babies and families with innovative and sustainable water, sanitation and hygiene solutions. To learn more about the program, please visit http://www.babycause.com/.
Both of these examples reflect what we believe is crucial for the right mix of cause marketing:
- A genuine commitment by a company that goes beyond an ad campaign
- High profile names that speak to a wide audience
- A call to action that extends beyond the campaign
- Media driven story - make the cause marketing campaign newsworthy
- Long term messaging with the public to create ownership for the campaign
What other online cause marketing campaigns have caught your attention? Visit our site and submit your thoughts, we would love to discuss in a future blog post.
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