The 2007 Cause Marketing Golden Halo Award Winners
Each year, the Cause Marketing Forum recognizes one business and one nonprofit organization for their leadership and outstanding efforts in the field of cause marketing. Our 2007 winners are:
Whirlpool
The award recognizes Whirlpool Corporation and its Whirlpool and KitchenAid brands for their long-term, successful partnerships with Habitat for Humanity International and Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
One of Habitat’s largest corporate sponsors, Whirlpool and its employees have directly improved the lives of tens of thousands of families around the world since 1999, providing countless volunteer hours and more than 73,000 appliances. Whirlpool donates an ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerator and a range to every new Habitat home built in North America, and plans to support every Habitat home built globally by 2011, either through product donations, cash, or home sponsorship.
Awareness of the Habitat/Whirlpool alliance generated by a print, television, online and event marketing program launched in 2004 with country music star spokesperson Reba McEntire had a dramatic impact on critical measurements of consumer brand loyalty. Whirlpool’s willingness to share some of that critical market research data represents one of the strongest case studies attesting to the strength of cause marketing.
Now in its sixth year, the Cook for the Cure program, created and sponsored by KitchenAid, has raised more than $5 million globally to support the fight against breast cancer, more than $4 million of that in the United States benefiting Susan G. Komen for the Cure.
Funds are raised through donation with purchase programs, culinary auctions and events, and a grass roots initiative that encourages consumers to host their own “party with a purpose” to generate donations from family and friends.
First Book
From its start in 1992, First Book has embraced corporate alliances as an important tool in to achieve its goal of placing books in the hands of disadvantaged kids to put them on the road to literacy and academic.
First Book has forged numerous successful alliances with business partners over the last 15 years. Some outstanding examples include:
- The Cat in the Hat Challenge – To promote the launch of Universal Studios’ movie, The Cat in the Hat, First Book challenged television news anchors to wear Cat in the Hat stove pipe hats on the air in exchange for a donation of 5,000 children’s books from Random House to a local children’s social service program. Newscasters in 25 markets donned the hat, as did Oprah Winfrey and Today Show hosts Katie Couric and Matt Lauer, generating a donation of 100,000 books for children in need nationwide.
- Borders - Borders and the customers who shop in its more than 1,200 bookstores nationwide have donated more than $1.6 million since the fall of 2005 to provide new books for children in need in hundreds of communities across the country.
- Build-A-Bear Workshop Inc. - Build-A-Bear Workshop® and First Book began working together in 2002 with the introduction of Read Teddy® to promote literacy. Build-A-Bear Workshop donates a portion of the proceeds from every purchase of Read Teddy to First Book, totaling more than $890,000 to date.
First Book has also forged mutually beneficial relationships with dozens of children’s book publishers, ensuring that a steady stream of new books are available for distribution to the millions of children served by the organization every year. These relationships allow publishers to promote new books and highlight authors in communities all across the country, while creating a new market of readers.
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2006 Campaign Awards
An interdisciplinary judging panel selected winners on the basis of conceptual strength, execution, business results and cause results of campaigns that ran in whole or in part in 2006.
Best Transactional Campaign
Gold: The Goodwill Sale, Bon-Ton Stores and Goodwill Industries
This heavily advertised promotion matches Bon-Ton stores with Goodwill agencies in 22 states. In exchange for donations of gently used clothing and household items, consumers receive 20%-off coupons for use in participating stores. In 2006, sales at Bon-Ton stores far exceeded those in the previous year; for Goodwill, more than 5 million pounds of donations were collected generating more than $7 million to support job training and career services.
Silver: Target/Red Cross Emergency Preparedness Kit, Target Stores and the American Red Cross
In an effort to help the American public better prepare for disasters and emergencies, this program created an affordable First Aid and Emergency Preparedness Starter Kit (at $29.99 a savings of more than 50% compared to buying the 33 items separately at Target) that yields a $10 donation to the Red Cross. More than 99,600 Starter Kits have been sold, resulting in more than a $1 million contribution. More than 200 media placements occurred during the item’s first month, and 117 million media impressions were generated in 2006.
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Best Health Campaign
Gold: Pantene Beautiful Lengths, Procter & Gamble’s Pantene Pro-V, Entertainment Industry Foundation and American Cancer Society
Led by a multi-faceted PR effort, including a campaign website, public service TV spots, promotional items and events, this campaign encouraged women to donate their hair to create free wigs for women undergoing cancer treatment. The campaign kicked off with celebrity spokeswoman Diane Lane having her hair cut for donation on The Today Show. Since then the campaign has generated more than 700 million media impressions for the Pantene brand in major publications, TV shows and websites. 2006 cause benefits: Pantene contributed $1 million to the EIF Women’s Cancer Research Fund, 40,000+ hair donation kits were requested, more than 8,600 ponytails were donated and 1,000 wigs were created.
Silver: Cure, Care, Commitment Meets Life Changing Results, Gold’s Gym International and American Diabetes Association
Intent on softening its “hard core gym” image and reaching a new audience, Gold’s Gym became one of the American Diabetes Assocation’s first national strategic partners. In 2006, more than 300 gyms across the country became centers for diabetes prevention and management through information and exercise programs plus a tie-in to the ADA’s annual Tour de Cure cycling fundraising event. As a result of the multi-tiered program, more than 1,500 riders participated in the cycling event, raising more than $600,000 and creating greater awareness of the disease. For the gyms that participated, telephone inquiries and new member visits increased after each local event, and long-standing members expressed their appreciation.
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Best Environmental/Wildlife Campaign
Gold: Pedigree Adoption Drive, Pedigree and numerous dog shelters
This program was designed to raise money for dog shelters nationwide and increase awareness of the dog adoption cause through shelters while positioning Pedigree as a brand that loves dogs and understands the dog-owner relationship. By donating a percentage of the sales of each bag of Pedigree sold to benefit dog shelters, Pedigree included retailers and consumers in the effort. Supported by advertising, PR and promotion, the program raised $750,000, generated 51 million media impressions, engaged more than 80% of Pedigree’s key retailers and helped Pedigree top $1 billion in sales for the first time.
Silver: Return the Warmth, Sam’s Club, Aquafina and Keep America Beautiful
This nationwide plastic bottle recycling effort included a school-based program that helped divert more than 37 million plastic bottles from the waste stream. Among the business and societal benefits: Aquafina sales grew by $50 million at Sam’s Club, more than $300,000 in grants were made to KAB affiliates and schools, students learned important recycling lessons and 100,000 fleece jackets made of recycled Aquafina bottles were donated to poor children.
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Best Social Service/Education Campaign
Gold: ClassroomsCare, Scholastic Book Clubs, Save the Children, First Book, Reach Out & Read and Hello Friend
This literacy campaign is designed to teach children the joys and importance of reading and giving. Elementary school classes are encouraged to read 100 books during the first part of the school year to trigger a matching 100-book donation by Scholastic Book Clubs to schools in need. In 2006/2007, the number of participating classrooms nearly doubled to 255,000, and the total number of books donated is expected to reach 7 million.
Silver: Fireman’s Fund Heritage, Fireman’s Fund Insurance Co.and fire departments across the country
This multi-tiered program is designed to build a stronger relationship between Fireman’s Fund and its network of independent agents, boost employee morale and gain awareness of Fireman Fund’s social responsibility. The program includes agent-directed and employee-recommended grants to fire departments plus other activities, such as funding a critically acclaimed documentary, “In the Fire,” which aired on The History Channel. The amount donated in 2006, tied to the amount of business agents write, rose to more than $4 million.
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Best Cause Marketing Event
Gold: Boost Mobile RockCorps, RockCorps, Boost Mobile and numerous nonprofits
This program engages young people in community service by offering a free ticket to an exclusive concert in exchange for four hours of volunteer labor. In 2006, the campaign produced 14 concerts and recruited volunteers for 119 projects in cooperation with 51 nonprofit groups. Followup research indicated that more than 40% of those participating in RockCorps volunteered again, and for Boost Mobile, there was valuable increased awareness of the company.
Silver: SunChips Hope Shines On, Frito-Lay and Susan G. Komen for the Cure
SunChips hosted Hope Shines On events at 114 Race for the Cure events where it distributed 1.4 million pink sample bags. Giant inflatable SunChips bags, volunteer hospitality tents and other tactics created a strong brand presence at races large and small. In its first year, the program helped SunChip achieve a double-digit sales increase and generated a $380,000 donation and publicity for Komen. SunChips was the first Frito-Lay brand to utilize cause marketing, but many others are now adopting cause-related strategies.
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Best Joint Message Promotion
Gold: Jumpstart Read for the Record, Pearson and Jumpstart
Jumpstart, an early education organization, and Pearson, an international media company, used the concept of trying to set a world record to build awareness of the school readiness program. The goal: set a Guinness World Record for adults and children reading the same book (“The Little Engine That Could”) together in a single day. All sales of a custom edition published by Pearson’s Penguin Group were donated to Jumpstart raising more than $1 million. In addition to garnering considerable media coverage, the program engaged more than 150,000 people from grown-ups like New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg to children in libraries and classrooms from coast to coast.
Silver: Volvo for Life Awards, Volvo Cars of North America and numerous nonprofits
Each year Volvo recognizes individuals and their organizations that put safety, quality of life and environment into practice in daily life. Nearly $1 million is awarded each year to help these “real life heroes” continue their work. Nominations are made at a website, and winners are chosen by a panel of well-known Americans from various fields and then honored at a gal media event held during the New York Auto Show. The program, which has garnered more than $80 million in publicity value, conveys the values, heritage and spirit of Volvo.
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Best Cause Marketing Print Creative
Gold: Thanks & Giving 2006, Target Corp. and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital
This program, part of the hospital’s largest fundraising effort that takes place during holiday time, involved creating an item that Target shoppers would need during the holidays: a plush elephant gift card holder whose profits ($1.50 per item) were donated to the hospital. Supported by ads in People, newspapers, in-store materials and product placements, the program raised more than $300,000, part of Target’s overall donation of $1 million to St. Jude.
Silver: Pedigree Adoption Drive, Pedigree and numerous dog shelters
Agencies: TBWA\Chiat\Day and Catapult Marketing
This program was designed to raise money for dog shelters nationwide and increase awareness of the dog adoption cause through shelters while positioning Pedigree as a brand that loves dogs and understands the dog-owner relationship. By donating a percentage of the sales of each bag of Pedigree sold to benefit dog shelters, Pedigree included retailers and consumers in the effort. Supported by advertising, PR and promotion, the program raised $750,000, generated 51 million media impressions, engaged more than 80% of Pedigree’s key retailers and helped Pedigree top $1 billion in sales for the first time.
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Best National/Local Integration
Gold: Healthy Bedtime Habits for a Lifetime, Colgate-Palmolive Co. and Reading Is Fundamental
Launched when parents and retailers had back-to-school on their minds, this multi-layered program is aimed at promoting reading and brushing teeth as healthy bedtime routines while engaging Colgate retailers and local RIF affiliates. Among the local integration activities: Colgate donated book collections and organized in-store readings to benefit retailers that supported the program while RIF helped publicize free dental care visits by Colgate’s mobile Bright Smiles Bright Future vans. On the national level. a website where parents and children could fill in a reading and brushing log to receive a free toothbrush received high levels of traffic during the promotion.
Silver: Community Spotlight/Starlight Starbright, Hollywood Entertainment and Starlight Starbright Children’s Foundation
Since 2002 this video and game rental company has partnered with Starlight Starbright to help seriously ill children and their families cope through the installation of entertainment centers and bedside mobile entertainment units in hospitals. Hollywood involves its 26,000 employees at various levels – from promoting in-store contributions and sales of cause-related items to volunteering to host parties for young patients. In 2006 alone, employees held more than 500 hospital events while promotional programs added hundreds of thousands of dollars to the millions that Hollywood has donated to the cause.
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