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.

International Cause Marketing Benefits From Weak U.S. Dollar

A lot of American businesses which export or otherwise rely on selling to buyers outside the U.S. have been happy of late. The weak dollar (I will dispense on the reasoning behind it or this may turn into a economic policy blog!) has resulted in our prices looking mighty attractive to global brethren.

No where have I seen this trend more apparent than via our cause marketing campaigns on eBay Giving Works. Friday night, we just had the end of a very exciting cause marketing campaign with Vanity Fair for a special Madonna package of a signed globe used in her May 2008 cover shoot for the magazine, 2 tickets to a private venue show in NYC, Virgin America airfare, luxury hotel, and dinner. When the dust settled, the winning bid was $24,200, with 22 different bidders producing 82 bids.

100% of the funds went to Madonna's requested charity, Raising Malawi, a special organization that is directly improving the lives of children in impoverished conditions. As great as the auction package and cause, we thought the cost of shipping the globe would severely limit the bidding to a US only audience, as free shipping of the 200 pound boxed globe was only included in this country. We estimated international shipping in the $3000+ range.

Bidding had been creeping up all week, with strong interest worldwide. Still, with 3 hours before the auction close on Friday, bidding was at $16,000. Not a bad sum at all, but we all hoped for some competition at the end.

What happened I believe was this auction looking financially attractive to our international bidders. A bidder from Monaco started duking it out with a bidder from Kuwait. These were heavily prequalified/screened bidders too. They were huge Madonna fans and loved the ideal of Vanity Fair listing this package to benefit a cause near and dear to her heart. Did the weak dollar play a role in this as well as other recent auctions which Auction Cause has managed on eBay? "You betcha" as Margie might say as she investigates from Fargo.

So, I was quite surprised when some new money showed up in the last minute to steal the thunder. A successful California businessman pounced and strutted off victorious, much to the chagrin of his competition. Though we cannot yet identify him publicly yet, he was thrilled to have come out on top, and considered himself fortunate to have weathered the bid raising from our international bidders.

What made this so successful as a cause marketing campaign? All the traditional elements that create cause marketing sizzle:

• Cause that pulls at the heart strings
• Blue chip brand
• A list celebrity
• "Money can't buy" experience package
• Top level PR)

Yet, all these crucial elements did not override the economic reality - "U.S. products are cheap at the moment and create some "fun money" opportunities for our friends around the world.

Other similar auction results from our campaigns:

• Kristin Davis Sex In The City Premiere - Japanese winner
• Dinner with Shakira - Canadian winner
• Dinner with Gene Simmons - British Winner

This trend should continue throughout 2008, with savvy U.S. based companies and charities marketing & tailoring their eBay offerings to the global fan base like never before.

Obvservations on Cause Marketing Auctions on eBay

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].

Auction Cause is now on Facebook!

The social networking and cause marketing fields continue to intertwine. The cross promotion and marketing opportunities become richer it seems weekly. We particularly like the fundraising groups on Facebook and how one can engage their friends easily to champion causes.

Visit us at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=631971341

Diamonds Give Charity Auction on eBay Giving Works

We love helping good causes, and when the items and experiences are amazing, even better. A special cause marketing campaign that we are producing the auction portion of is The "Diamonds Give" campaign where Russell Simmons and Simmons Jewelry have spearheaded a really sharp charity auction project on eBay Giving Works, http://members.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewUserPage&userid=diamond-empowerment-fund .

As the December 2007 holiday shopping season is reaching a fever pitch, The Diamond Empowerment Fund™ (D.E.F.) launches its inaugural on-line fundraising event, DIAMONDS GIVE, with an exclusive auction of dazzling diamond jewelry and unique celebrity photo experiences hosted on eBay Giving Works.

The auction will feature approximately 15 lots of donated fine diamond pieces, including an extraordinary Ohm Watch from the Simmons Jewelry Co., designed and worn by D.E.F. Chairman Russell Simmons, and a replica of the Monaco Grand Prix Racing Trophy created by Steinmetz. Celebrity photo experience packages add to the excitement of supporting D.E.F.’s efforts to help Africans Help Africa through education. Bid on the chance to have your picture taken with a celebrity who is an advocate for D.E.F.’s mission. Successful bidders will also receive the Simmons Jewelry Co.’s Green Bracelet of malachite and rough diamond, with the bracelet box autographed by the celebrity. The recipient will receive a copy of the photo, and all of the photos will be published together on the D.E.F. website and possibly in a national publication. Photos will be arranged at the convenience of the participating celebrity in a New York or Los Angeles as specified by the celebrity.

DIAMOND CONTRIBUTORS:
Phyllis Bergman
Calhoun Jewelers
Jeri Cohen Fine Jewelry
Michelle Farmer Fine Jewelry
Fortunoff
Kwiat
Neil Lane
Leo Schachter
Macy’s
Lorraine Schwartz
Securityjewelers.com and celticjewelry.com
Simmons Jewelry Co.
Steinmetz
Jack Vartanian
William Goldberg Company

CELEBRITY PHOTO EXPERIENCE CONTRIBUTORS:
Naomi Campbell
Cedric the Entertainer
LL Cool J
Petra Nemcova
Holly Robinson Peete
Brett Ratner
Justine and Joseph “Rev Run” Simmons of Run’s House
Russell Simmons
A memorabilia package from New York Yankees Captain Derek Jeter

International Child Art Foundation Hosts Global Leader Art Auction on eBay

Some exciting news on the charity auction front. Too often, kids are not sought after to solutions for global crisises. A special project of the Child Art Foundation addresses this, having brought together amazing child artists from around the world to Washington, D.C. to paint masterpieces of some of the most recognizable people from the arts, politics, heads of state, business & industry, and more. Online at http://www.ebay.com/childart for a few more days, these incredible works showcase the message of peace that only children can bring to the table. Here is the entire release:

The International Child Art Foundation (ICAF), in partnership with eBay and Mission Fish, will hold a charity auction on November 1-10, 2007 of 15 murals to fund art programs for children across the globe. The world’s best child artists, selected through the global Arts Olympiad, created the artworks to pay tribute to their global leaders during the 2007 World Children’s Festival held in June on the National Mall in Washington, DC. The largest celebration of children’s creativity and imagination, the festival showcased international cooperation among children communicating through the language of art. The children saluted leaders in all fields with their collaborative works:• Political Leaders: President George Bush and first lady Laura Bush, former President Bill Clinton and N.Y. Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, Neslon Mandela of South Africa, and Sheikha Mozah of Qatar• Business Leaders: Bill and Melinda Gates, Herbert Hainer, Jeff Immelt, Steve Jobs, Thomas Kristiansen, Pierre Omidyar, Larry Page, Prince Al-Walid bin Talal, and Jerry Yang • Entertainment Leaders: David and Victoria Beckham, and Robert Iger of DisneyEach mural is painted in acrylic on a 3x4-foot primed stretch canvas. A personalized 12x16-inch plaque accompanies each mural, with information on the young artists, their photos and greetings for the leader. The ICAF will ship the murals and plaques to the auction winners on November 15, 2007 and requests the winners to present the mural to the respective leader. “We are delighted that some of the most creative children in the world chose to honor their global leaders in this imaginative fashion,” said the ICAF founder Dr. Ashfaq Ishaq. “Their art represents their aspirations for the future. We are pleased to offer the public a rare opportunity to present their leaders with most meaningful gifts this holiday season. Money raised through the auction will fund our Arts Olympiad and programs like Healing Arts and Peace Through Art.“Since 1997 the ICAF has served domestically and internationally as the leading arts and creativity organization for children. The ICAF integrates art with science, sport and technology for the development of children’s creativity and empathy—preconditions for a just, prosperous and nonviolent world. The event is being managed on eBay by Auction Cause, a premier online auction management agency specializing in high profile design, strategy, and cause marketing for corporations and nonprofits worldwide. For more information, please visit www.auctioncause.com

Concert For Diana and eBay

We have had the pleasure at Auction Cause of working with Clarence House, the official office for Prince William and Harry. As part of the Concert For Diana which took place on July 1st in London, we have been running a series of auctions on eBay Giving Works - www.ebay.com/dianaconcert . It is not often one finds The British Royal Family actively playing a role in an eBay auction, but the 2 princes have extended the reach of the concert theme, honoring the legacy of their mother, by raising funds for 2 worthy charities.The marketing aspect of something like this is quite different than a traditional brand auction. Here, the design and graphics are simple and refined, reflective of royalty as well as low key around the use of Princess Diana's name. In fact, there is no likeness of her in the auctions, just the logo with her signature.I believe there is now an understanding that eBay is the global medium from which to message out numerous concepts. Gibson Guitar company donated 3 of their more exclusive and rare models to be signed by artists and celebrities at the just completed concert. Kudos to Gibson, who for a modest investment by their standards, are doing good in the world of fundraising as well as attracting some attention for their terrific brand.