Cause Marketing News

• Dawn Oil Spill Ad Crowned Most Effective
  The timing was sadly prescient for an ad from Procter & Gamble's Dawn Ultra, with a cause-related message about how the dish detergent helps to save birds and other wildlife fouled by oil spills. The spot debuted on national TV April 7, just 13 days before the explosion occurred on the British Petroleum oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico that led to the ongoing environmental disaster there. The ad, which features oil-soaked birds and marine mammals being bathed in Dawn along with a pitch to buy the product and help build P&G's $1 per bottle donation fund to wildlife groups, topped the Ace Metrix list of the most creatively effective TV spots breaking in the second quarter. (7/19/2010)  permalink
• Sears and Kmart Make Shopping More Rewarding for Their Customers
  To celebrate the upcoming first anniversary of Shop Your Way Rewards, Sears and Kmart have announced the Shop Your Way Rewards 'What Would You Do with One Billion Points?' contest, to give one lucky, loyal customer the chance to win up to one billion Shop Your Way Rewards points - half to keep and the other half to donate to charity. (7/15/2010)  permalink
• 1,000 Cooks for the Cure to Support Fight Against Breast Cancer
  From July 16-18, home cooks can join such notables as cooking show host Jacques Pepin and Komen for the Cure founder/CEO Nancy Brinker by hosting anything from a Friday office or dessert party to a weekend barbecue or potluck dinner to support the cause. The fundraising part of the equation is simplicity itself; instead of bringing flowers, wine or other gifts, guests are asked to show their appreciation by making a donation to the cause. (7/12/2010)  permalink
• Charitable Effort 'Cornerstone' Of Kohl's BTS
  Kohl's Department Stores is hosting a contest to give half a million dollars to 20 schools each this year. The program includes a total of $10 million in gifts, in recognition of the company's 10th anniversary of its Kohl's Cares philanthropic program that supports children's health and education. (7/7/2010)  permalink
• Burgerville TV: Branding Plus Cause Support
  The Burgerville QSR chain is using a branded YouTube channel, Burgerville TV, to combine its fresh, local, sustainable food brand message with the support of grassroots community efforts that contribute to the accessibility of sustainable food. (7/6/2010)  permalink
• Staples Enlists Celebs For Back-To-School
  Staples is ramping up its back-to-school charitable effort with the help of three celebrities in a digitally focused effort. In conjunction with DoSomething.org, the Boston-based retailer is bringing the national school drive program online and mobile in a new way for the brand. (7/6/2010)  permalink
• Reading Is Fundamental and Macy's Launch Book A Brighter Future
  Reading Is Fundamental (RIF) and Macy's have teamed up to launch the fifth year of Book A Brighter Future™, RIF's largest customer supported campaign held at Macy's stores nationwide. The funds raised through Book A Brighter Future will benefit 17,000 RIF sites working to provide free books and literacy resources to children who need them most. (6/30/2010)  permalink
• Sarah McLachlan Restarts Lilith Fair to Fund Yunus, Eco-Firms
  The traveling music show of top women artists known as Lilith Fair returns this month after an 11-year hiatus as a festival with new causes. Started by Canadian singer Sarah McLachlan, the festival will donate $1 from each ticket sold to three socially conscious businesses chosen from a list of nearly 200. (6/29/2010)  permalink
• Goodwill Looks To Measure Donation Effect
  Goodwill Industries International is launching an awareness campaign to explain just how all that stuff actually improves the lives of the people around the world the organization is charged with trying to help. Goodwill's Donate Challenge, which officially launches the "Donate Movement," calls on people to donate to their local Goodwill store or drop-off bin, and visit donate.goodwill.org to learn how donations become valuable community services. (6/28/2010)  permalink
• Chipotle Mexican Grill Wants Your Spam
  The QSR's "No Junk" campaign, launching June 25, is asking people to forward their own junk emails to the chain (at ojunk@chipotlejunk.com). For every 100,000 junk emails received (up to a 500,000 maximum), Chipotle will donate $10,000 to The Lunch Box, a new initiative from the F3: Food Family Farming Foundation that will offer 100,000 schools nationwide (32 million children) recipes and other tools for implementing healthy, whole foods-based, economical meal programs. (6/25/2010)  permalink

More CM News

Online Tools

• Aspen Institute Center for Business Education
  The Aspen Institute’s Center for Business Educationencourages future business leaders to innovate at the intersection of corporate profits and social impacts. Its goal is bold and long-term: to radically re-orient the MBA degree to embrace the principles of corporate citizenship and sustainability. Check out its website for Beyond Grey Pinstripes, its annual survey of MBA programs, outstanding faculty profiles and more. permalink
• Communicating for Good
  "Communicating for Good" is an online resource produced by Corporate Culture, the UK's leading cause-related agency. It offers hundreds of best practice examples of "trust related market": companies communicating directly with their customers to win their trust. permalink
• Community Involvement That Delivers Social Impact and Business Value
  The social case for corporate community involvement has always been easy to understand. But did you know it can also help a company achieve business goals? In American Executive, Barry Salzberg, chief executive officer, Deloitte LLP, and Evan Hochberg, national director of community involvement, Deloitte Services LP, explain just how powerful it can be. Together they note: "A new way of thinking about community involvement is yielding some surprising results and presents a real opportunity to unlock new resources for both the businesses and their community partners. The ‘aha’ moment comes when we start thinking about community involvement not simply as a matter of giving time or money (or both) but as an integrated part of one’s corporate strategy." permalink
• CSR: It's All About Marketing by C.B. Bhattarcharya
  That may sound cynical, but it's how it works best, argues Boston University Professor C.B. Bhattarcharya in this Forbes.com column.  permalink
• Generation G: A briefing from Trendwatching.com
  In February 2009, Trendwatching.com published an extensive briefing on Generation G, "the growing importance of 'generosity' as a leading societal and business mindset. As consumers aer disgusted with greed and its current dire consequences for the economy -- and while that same upheaval has them longing more than ever for instituios that care -- the need for more generosity beautifully coincides with the ongoing (and pre-recession) emergence of an online-fueled culture of individuals who share, give, engage, create and collaborate in large numbers." permalink
• Google Grants
  Google Grants offers Google AdWords advertising to nonprofit organizations for three months or more. permalink
• Guide to Cause Related Activity in the Restaurant Industry
  QSR® magazine has always found space to report on the charitable works and deeds of members of the foodservice community. But in February 2008 the editors decided to step up their efforts, and the decision was made to consolidate these stories in one place so readers, could easily learn about what the industry is doing when it comes to giving back.  permalink
• Guidestar
  For businesses researching potential nonprofit partners or nonprofits checking out the competitin, Guidestar is a good place to start. It provides free, easy access to charity profiles. permalink
• Hoover's
  This website offers free and pay information about companies, industries, people and products. A free look at one of its capsule company profiles is a great place for a nonprofit to start researching a potential business partner. permalink
• Leaders Magazine Interviews 17 CEOs on CSR
  Among the notables offering thoughts on companies and causes are the chiefs of Verizon, ExxonMobil, the NBA, Time Warner, Zurich Financial, Trump and Keyspan.  permalink
• Listmania -- Rankings of Corporate CSR
  A strong indicator of the attention being paid to corporate social responsibility is the expanding world of "Top 100"-type lists companies are vying to get on. SocialFunds.com has done us all a favor with this wrap-up of the many CSR-related lists in the marketplace today. permalink
• Look to the Stars
  Look to the Stars is a source of celebrity charity news and information, covering what the top stars are doing to make a positive difference in the world. The site includes a database describing the good deeds of many stars. permalink
• OnPhilanthropy.com
  onPhilanthropy.com is the home of several outstanding e-newsletters rich with information on corporate giving, nonprofit marketing and related topics. permalink
• Social Credit For CSR Purchases Key To Consumers
  In "Self and Social Signaling explanations for Consumption of CSR-associated Products," researches found that consumers like CSR-associated products because 1) these products send out highly visible, social signals to their friends, family and co-workers regarding their kindness and charitable nature; and 2) they like the more private, self-signaling potential associated with the purchases of these products, even when a strong public social signal is absent to others.  permalink
• Sports and Social Change
  SportsandSocialChange.org is a comprehensive guide to the sports non-profit sector, with a mission of building the ultimate “all-star team” of organizations, athletes, executives and fans to initiate meaningful social change. You’ll find a host of tools and resources to connect industry leaders and sports fans with charitable programs around the world. permalink
• The 2005 State of Corporate Citizenship Study
  For insights into business attitudes toward the private sector's role in society, check out this report just issued by The Center for Corporate Citizenship at Boston College. permalink
• The Charity Guide: Great tool for finding local charities
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• The Difference Between Sponsorship and Contributions
  This excerpt from Canada's The Sponsorship Report helps draw the line between purely commercial and purely philanthropic programs while recognizing that today most company/cause relationships are hybrids. (Note that reference to tax deductibility of corporate contributions is Canada specific) permalink
• The Future of Corporate Philanthropy: Alyson Warhurst in BusinessWeek
  British academic Alyson Warhurst attended the 2009 Business for Social Responsibility conference and Clinton Global Initiative and came away with these predictions concerning corporate social initiatives. permalink
• Virgin Mobile USA's Ron Faris on Cause Marketing: Fast Company
  Virgin Mobile USA Director of Brand Experience Ron Faris illustrates how brands can thrive in challenge environments by tying into causes their consumers care about and aligning with the right marketing partners. Ron is responsible for managing Virgin Mobile’s largest brand marketing programs, including lifestyle marketing, events and sponsorships, branded entertainment and cause-related marketing initiatives (including The RE*Generation, Virgin Mobile’s pro-social initiative committed to ending youth homelessness)  permalink