Category — viral marketing

Imagine you are suddenly a celebrity – well known and influential. To what end would you use your new-found notoriety?

Many use celebrity to line their own pockets through celebrity product endorsements. Sometimes, these are very successful but there is always the risk of overexposure (like Peyton Manning and Tiger Woods) and a perceived lack of sincerely. The right check can certainly give one an affection for just that shade of lip color or than medical miracle.

There are some celebrities who take a different route. They use their power and influence in the marketplace to support a cause. For some, this may be a fleeting gesture devised by a savvy public relations firm. These are rarely impactful and may actually detract from long term goals.

However, there are those few who offer us a great model to follow when we become rich and famous. Take Michael J. Fox as an example: he has an intensely person relationship with Parkinson’s Disease and has used his celebrity to raise awareness and funds for a cure. He has a foundation, a facebook cause, billboards and much more. Another of my favorites is Dolly Parton, a cultural icon and brilliant business woman. She created Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library which now partners with 47 states plus Canada and the UK to provide books to children from birth to age 5. Her passion is genuine and her impact is enduring.

Obviously, there are opportunities and pitfalls to working with celebrities but it is a great way to boost your cause and its place in the increasing clutter of the nonprofit world. Just pick your partners wisely. Meanwhile, I’ll check my mailbox for that instant millionaire check I’ve been expecting…

I was talking with a group at a conference recently about the value of a strong visual impression, a good brand. I have often talked in this blog about the value of branding and co-branding with strong partners. This is a tremendous asset for nonprofits and corporations alike. Many nonprofits undervalue their brand when negotiating partnerships – this is seldom a lack of confidence found among for profit companies.

To my amazement, the group at this NPO conference had not considered their brand or their partners’ brands as an issue of consideration. They rarely use the logos and images available to them. Sometimes, using odd and disconnected images in place of the logo… which seems to be a lot of work to take the long way around one’s backside to get to your own elbow.

When asked about the right time and place for using the brand, I told them “everywhere, every time.” There was a bit of laughter and a few nods of agreement so I said again: “really, you need to you it everywhere, every time.” Without consistency, a brand has little value.

So, the next time someone asks you about repeating and reinforcing your company or NPO message, just remember: EVERYWHERE, EVERY TIME.” Easy to remember and worth its weight in gold.

I have a great friend who owns a Smoothie King  franchise and is always thinking about business.  As a native of Nashville, he has connections that go all the way back to elementary school – and smartly keeps everyone aware of his stores and products.

He never pushes too hard – no one runs when they see him coming as far as I know – but when you think of Tom, you think of Smoothie King. He knows his goal and lives it. If you ask any successful business person or nonprofit leader, they will tell you the same. You must be your own best advocate and your best advertising.

This is one of the reasons that consumer based marketing and cause marketing are so effective. Better than advertising on television or expensive four color print, your friends (old and new) tell your story with enthusiasm and truth.

So, in the best or worst economy, the same practices hold true… love what you do, build relationships with vision and passion, and create your own personal army who will do the same.

I’ve been reading a lot the past two weeks about concerns for the future of eco-chic or, as some are calling it, eco-nomics. For the past few years, the IN thing has been environmentally conscious consumption. This has appeared in every consumer segment from fashion design and housewares to hybrid cars and organic produce.

So… the question is now being raised whether our commitment to such things is only skin deep – or should I say pocket deep? When there is less money to spend, will we revert to our cheapo, pre-packaged, junk up the landfill former selves? My thoughts? Probably.

I do think that we have made some lasting change in consumer trends. In fact, this belief is at the very core of cause related marketing and cause branding. We hope that affiliations between good couses and good brands makes a difference. These differences, according to research, will have the greatest lasting impact with younger consumers who are still developing consumer behavior and brand preferences.

Still, these choices are self-conscious and deliberate. Consumers describe themselves as making an effort to choose brands with CRM ties and to give themselves a check in the “I did good” box each time. The concern is which box will carry the most weight when debt is high and credit is low.  Personally, I’d love to buy organic all of the time but I sometimes end up buying the frozen veggies on sale that week.  I also want to buy the cosmetics that support a breast cancer awareness cause but I’m still sorely tempted by the brand with the two-for-one sale.

Maybe we need to develop something like a green piggy bank… where we can serve two masters at once. I haven’t figured that out yet but I’m working on it.

The Wall Street Journal ran an article last Friday about reusable plastic shopping tote bags called “An Inconvenient Bag.” This article talked about the exponential growth in retailer interest in these alternatives to disposable plastic and paper shopping bags, particularly at grocery chains across the country.

Ironically, the article notes that many of these bags are, in fact, made in China of non-woven plastic that requires “28 times as much energy to produce as the plastic used in standard disposable bags.” This means that the average consumer will need to use this bag at least 29 times (without losing it, ripping it or leaving it to rot in the trunk of a car) before they hit an ecological break even point.

Some of the national retailers leading this product transportation revolution are Target, Whole Foods, Staples and even WalMart. The challenge is to offer a bag at a low enough price point to appeal to the consumer while making one sturdy enough to stand up to repeated use.  Of course, this isn’t the REAL challenge – underneath all of this ecologically correct rhetoric is whether consumers will actually use the darn things.

The WSJ points to research by the Stanford Graduate School of Business about the road blocks facing such marketplace changes. It takes time – sometimes a LONG time – for people to change ingrained behaviors.  This is most successful when there is either a taboo or reward associated with the behavior.  I have seen some retailers offering small discounts for using these totes but not enough to create massive change.

So, the success of these bags may hinge on the “taboo” of using the old bags.  In other words, will we become embarrassed enough to change our behavior? Personally, I feel as though they might as well announce it over the loud speaker when I forget my bags at Whole Foods. On the other hand, I feel the eyes (usually rolling upward) of the next customer boring into the back of my head when I slow down the express line at Kroger using the same bag.

If doing the right thing becomes a mandate from Big Brother or is based on embarrassment, will it create change or just resentment?

Reading a magazine this afternoon, I started to notice a trend in both the editorial content and the advertising.  Something that I guess I have known for a while, but have never given voice to before…. our lives are becoming more seamless.

By this, I mean that the distinct pieces of our lives, our decisions and our daily routines are overlapping more than ever before.  Perhaps it is a simplified view of the past but I imagine, for example, a parent in the 70s shopping in a grocery store for dinner. Find the ingredients on your list, pick the best prices, drive home and make dinner.  Or this scenario from the 80s:  go to work in the morning, get your work done for the day (or stay longer if you were a yuppy), go home and watch TV.

Fast forward to today: in the grocery, you are barraged with a myriad of decisions to make that have nothing to do with your shopping list. Is it organic? How is it packaged? Does any cause benefit from my purchase? Can I clip that Boxtop for my child’s school? Did I remember my shopping tote? If not, paper or plastic? 

Now to the worker… Will I carpool to save gas and get a chance at the HOV lane this morning? How many times have I checked email today? Don’t forget to log on to Amazon and buy that birthday present. Then the return home but still the Blackberry and iphone ring, IM and email all evening. Then TiVo that show you never watched.

It seems that every move we make today says something about us and our choices in life. I don’t just shop, I make a statement about organics, local farming, sweat shop labor and cause marketing.  I don’t just go to work, work follows me everywhere that my digital universe allows.  Perhaps we should not be surprised. It is, afterall, what many of us thought we wanted. 

I wonder what it would say about me right now if I turned off the computer, the phone and the lights and took a nice long nap. Sounds good.

I’m sure that almost everyone is aware of the media buzz surrounding the “new” facebook transition this week. The reviews have been varied, some with great emotion, but the outcome is almost certainly that progress will continue forward.  Facebook is the leader today in social networking and continues to gain ground among participants of all ages and backgrounds.

In the New York Times last week, there was a story about Facebook, its founder, his experiences and the increasing momentum building around microblogging. Microblogging is still new to me and I haven’t quite figures out how or whether to incorporate it into my online life. Do I really NEED one more thing to check on my iphone and/or that much information about anyone else’s life? I can barely keep track of my own!

The author of the NYT piece referenced a social scientist who called the appeal of microblogging “ambient awareness.” I liken this to the popularity in the 80’s and 90’s of the marketing term “top of mind awareness.” It is that sense of constantly having a product, service, idea or person bubbling just below the surface of your thought. Wouldn’t we all like to have this place in our potential customers’ minds?

I’ve heard much of late about the potential of microblogging for business and NPO business connections. Could our CEO talk about his life? Can our event and cause application on Facebook build a following? Would someone follow tweets about how much I love Ben & Jerry’s ice cream? Perhaps, I just haven’t figured out how to use it yet.

Any ideas?

College students… the Holy Grail of marketing.  Time after time, research has indicated that the consumer behaviors adapted as a young adult stay with us throughout our lives.

So what is to be made of the new, savvy college student – with a debit card in hand and a healthy understanding of Google – who knows whether their favorite brands are socially responsible?  I’m not ancient (at least I don’t like to think so) but I certainly did not consider the social responsibility of a product or company when I was in college. Mostly, I was just looking for a good deal.

According to Alloy Media & Marketing’s eighth annual study of college students, 41% of students prefer to purchase from the perceived good guys.  Alloy points out that this does not necessarily mean that the students are more responsible, just that they expect consumer brands to be.

Taking top award in the study were: Nike, Toyota, Yoplait, Target and Burt’s Bees.  Although each has addressed the issue differently, all have apparently done the job when it comes to clearly conveying their message. 

One bit of advice for any business hoping to rank in next year’s list… proceed with caution.  Your message and your dedication to the cause MUST be genuine and seen as being without trickery and slight-of-hand.  If it’s not, Google as well as every blooger and college student in the country, will see clear through to your soul before you can say, “Oops!”

I tend to think of myself as someone with a fairly broad vocabulary.  I can pull out the flashy big words when I need them.  However, I have heard a new word tossed around so much lately that I think it is worth taking note.  I know it is not new for everyone but it has certainly gained mainstream footing in the past year: Monetization.

Technically, the various dictionary sources that I checked define monetization as converting or establishing something as legal tender, particularly for a country.  The new, expanded definition of the word in popular vernacular means to turn something (or package something) of previously intangible value into something that can purchased and sold – something that can generate income.

I found several news stories accusing lack of monetization for the downfall of the dot-com boom.  Every podcast I hear about creating web sites and blogs encourages its listeners to monetize sites through widgets and affiliate marketing.  This change in perception of VALUE has led to information products galore and even the IRS questioning the taxability of “income” from Second Life.

Nonprofits are not immune to this craze, nor are the data junkies who collate and categorize consumer trends and habits.  People are big business and organizations of all types are profiting from their ability to deliver a cohesive, responsive, valuable consumer segment to the marketplace – smart nonprofits are building these benefits into their cause marketing programs and savvy companies are demanding donor and client access as part of their sponsorship agreements. 

Here is an example: I blogged last month about the media battle raging between Sierra Club and its Florida chapter.  The debate was over the national organization’s decision to endorse the new “green” product line launched by Clorox.  In exchange for financial and other support of the Sierra Club, the NPO provided its endorsement and access, directly or indirectly, to its extensive base of supporters.  Sierra Club MONETIZED its supporters and its brand.

Is this a bad thing?  Possibly, but I think it is more about the evolution of our consumer culture.  Traditional advertising is not delivering the returns it once did, so corporations are looking for new ways to reach target markets.  NPOs are one of the sources and they leverage this potential into sponsorship dollars and relationships around shared goals.  Who can blame them?

This week’s New York Timeshad an article about the power of celebrity endorsements in marketing.  It seems that everyone wants to wear Nicole Kidman’s perfume and Jessica Simpson’s hair extensions. 

This piece [see the entire article here] raises lots of question for me about cause marketing and its future potential.  First of all, celebrity spokesperson/endorsement/collaboration (whatever package it comes in) is based on a very simple psychological phenomenon – image transfer.  Image transfer is when we develop a perception of Thing #1 based on our beliefs about Thing #2 because they are related.  Our good or bad experiences with Thing #2 rub onto Thing #1. So, if Kim hangs with the cool kids then Kim must be cool. Got it?

The Times even references a celebrity index called the Davie Brown Index – created by someone on-line and scored based on eight metrics.  Tom Hanks, the cutie in the photo about and one of my personal favorites, ranks at the top of the heap.  We like him, we trust him, and we want to be like him.

Now, back to cause marketing… Successful cause marketing is based on the same concept of image transfer.  When looking for a cause to associate with your business, think about the likability and trustworthiness of your potential partner.  This is one of the reasons that you may decide on either a general cause or a specific allegiance with an individual NPO.  A single NPO is more likable because it has a personality of its own but it can also make choices that impact you (what if it starts hanging out with the un-cool kids?).

Nonprofit organizations face the same challenges.  NPOs pick corporate partners for their money and their reputation.  Money is great but a strong market presence can make your cause into the CELEBRITY of the day.  Are you ready for your close-up?