Captivating Connections.

how do people differ when it comes to supporting causes?

Jen Soch forwarded me this awesome article, looking at how alike and different Caucasians, African Americans, and Hispanics are when it comes to supporting causes.

According to a new study, "Among the most interesting findings is the fact that social media play a greater role in cause engagement for African Americans and Hispanics than for Caucasians.

Specifically, African Americans and Hispanics are more likely than Caucasians to believe that social networking sites help get the word out about a social issue or cause and help increase visibility for causes. Nearly one in three African American adults and four in ten Hispanics say they are more likely to support a cause or social issue online than offline today—both significantly higher percentages than reported by Caucasians.  

However, it is important to notice that, across ethnicities, the historically prominent types of engagement (e.g., donating, signing petitions, volunteering) remain among the top ways Americans get involved with causes. Likewise, traditional channels of communication (e.g., television & print media, personal relationship, and websites) remain the top ways that Americans learn about causes."

 

what makes gen y give back?

According to the second annual Millennial Donors Survey, "Millennials are more likely to give to charitable organizations that they or their friends trust and believe in, rather than those endorsed by celebrities."

What's the real reality of Gen Y giving?

"93% of people ages 20 to 35, who are often characterized as self-centered and disconnected, gave to non-profits. The bulk of those gifts were small -- 58% of survey respondents said their maximum gift was $150, although 10% said they gave $1,000 or more in 2010.

According to the survey, 85% of Millennials were motivated to give to an organization because of a compelling cause or mission, while 56% said they had a personal connection or trust in the leadership of the organization.

Nearly 85% of the survey respondents said they were very or somewhat interested in contributing to organizations they trust. The survey respondents also said they gave most often as a result of more traditional, personal requests, although they said they prefer to give primarily using online tools. And while losing trust with an organization was the biggest factor in Millennials stopping donations (90% said they'd stop donating once an organization lost their trust), the next biggest factor was over-sharing."

what makes a millennial buy?

Is it an issue? A cause? A need?

"Research has suggested that cause marketing appeals to US consumers, and that millennials in particular care about social and environmental issues.

Data presented by Resonate Networks at the October 2010Pivot Conference in New York City confirmed the importance of such issues to young adults. Consumers ages 18 to 34 are more likely than their older counterparts to care about a variety of issues, including various civil rights and environmental concerns."

Don't get too excited, as it's just not that simple...

"However, those beliefs don’t necessarily translate to purchase decisions that support causes they care about. Millennials placed less importance than older consumers on various corporate-citizenship practices when actually purchasing products.

While millennials do care about societal issues, personal achievement and social interaction are also key values. Quality, value and other utilitarian aspects are still top product attributes, but to a lesser degree than for their elders. At the same time, millennials are more image conscious. Superficial traits like looks and prestige are valued less overall by younger people but still mean more to them than to older generations."

cause marketing still good in the hood.

Cause-related marketing came into its own when the economy was faring well. But, unlike some other fair-weather phenomena, consumers' interest in corporate support for worthy causes has not succumbed to the downturn of the past several years. A survey for Cone LLC, an Omnicom Group unit that specializes in the field, finds consumers still want companies to be engaged with good causes and will reward those that rise to the occasion.

 

Whatever constraint the economy has put on consumers' inclination to make purchases that are linked to a cause, the activity is far more common now than it was a couple of decades ago. In a 1993 survey (Cone's first on this subject), 20 percent of respondents said they'd bought a product or service in the previous year because it was associated with a social or environmental cause.  In the new survey (conducted in July), 41 percent said they'd done so. Moreover, they expect companies to be engaged in such matters. Eighty-eight percent now say it's acceptable 'for companies to involve a cause or issue in their marketing,' up from 66 percent in 1993.

 

The survey findings also give a basis for thinking companies can do well by doing good: 85 percent of respondents agreed that ‘When a product or company supports a cause I care about, I have a more positive image of the product or company.’ Nearly as many, 83 percent, agreed that ‘I would like to see more of the products, services or retailers I use support worthy causes.’ Eighty-one percent want companies to ‘give them the opportunity to buy a cause-related product.’ A link to an appealing cause can also give a brand fresh standing with someone who hasn't previously been among its customers, as 61 percent said it would make them willing to ‘try a new brand or one they've never heard of.’"

helping to make helping easier.

How cool is this?

"A new initiative led by the CMO Council offers companies a way to contribute to worthy causes at the same time that it assists them in efficiently connecting with hard-to-reach consumer segments for marketing research.

The 'Pause to Support a Cause' initiative is creating a global opt-in research panel comprised of millions of consumers willing to provide detailed profiles and take online surveys in return for donations made to their chosen causes.

The objective is to channel up to 10% of funded marketing research to non-profits. It's estimated that about $18.9 billion is spent annually on market research.

'The basic idea is to enable companies who are going to spend this money anyway to accomplish their research objectives in a way that has the potential to significantly improve the lives of many, many people around the world,' sums up Ed Martin, who heads up international research for The Hershey Company. Martin has made it a personal mission over the past five years to develop the initiative, with the goal of creating a program with sufficient scale to make a real difference."

cause marketing alive and well.

Just because we're in a recession, it doesn't mean that people no longer care...

"The economy may be causing marketers to scale back on expensive, high-production efforts, but one area is still likely to see some growth this year: cause marketing.

According to IEG, North American companies will spend about $1.55 billion on cause marketing efforts in 2009, a roughly 2% increase over 2008. That is down from previous year-on-year increases in the cause marketing arena, but in the current economic climate, any increase in a marketing program is worth noting, says Dan Kowitz, vice president of IEG Sponsorship Consulting.

'As consumers, if there's anything we want to see a company spend money on, it's a cause that's important to us,' Kowitz tells Marketing Daily. 'And marketers know that.'

As evidence of consumer interest in sponsorship, Kowitz cited a Performance Research survey from February 2009 in which 41% of Americans said companies should increase their spending on cause marketing, compared with 13% who said they should increase spending on sports sponsorships and 20% who said they should increase sponsorship of cultural events."

check it out: safer sex in the city.

Hey All-

 

There's an amazing event I wanted to spread the about, Safer Sex In The City, the sizzling annual benefit for AIDS Service Center NYC. It's this Thursday, and tickets are going fast, so check out the details and get your tickets. It's an amazing organization and they've put together a killer event...

 

WHEN: Thursday, June 25, 2009, 6:30pm-10:00pm

VIP Champagne Lounge and performances, hosted by Broadway diva Flotilla DeBarge

 

WHERE: Duvet, 45 West 21 Street (bet. 5th – 6th Avenues), www.duvetny.com

 

WHY: Join celebrity host NYC drag legend Flotilla DeBarge, Vivid Girl Savanna Samson,

dance-pop singer Reina, the evening’s DJ, Vic Latino, and many more special guests for the summer’s sexiest fundraiser, promoting safer sex in the age of AIDS. Pamela Anderson and Margaret Cho have also joined forces with ASC as part of this year’s benefit committee.

 

NYC’s

Museum

of

Sex

will showcase a curated sampler of the museum’s renowned collection on human sexuality. Fun-filled, uninhibited presentations will spotlight ASC’s innovative safer-sex education and HIV risk reduction programs.  Guests can bid on fabulous silent auction items.  

 

WHO: AIDS Service Center NYC (ASC) is a community based non-profit at the forefront of the fight against HIV/AIDS and the effort to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to HIV prevention, services, and treatment.  ASC fulfills its mission of helping many, one by one by providing culturally relevant, tailored programs that help NYC’s most vulnerable individuals and families to maintain the highest quality of life and health in the face of HIV/AIDS.  For more information about AIDS Service Center NYC visit www.ascnyc.org.

 

For further information, please visit: http://www.safersexinthecity.org/. 

inclusive ads.

Companies know now is the time for cause marketing, more so than ever. A lot of them are even putting the people they help into the ads:

"Many marketers are talking up their good deeds and social responsibility projects in advertising. Some now think the way to stand out in the clutter of look-at-me, do-gooder messaging is by featuring some of the people they say they are helping through social programs or business practices. If consumers like these projects, maybe they'll feel better about the brand. Marketers 'understand that being regarded as a socially conscious brand is going to become more and more important,' says Chuck Porter, co-chairman of ad agency Crispin, Porter & Bogusky in Miami.

Levi's isn't the only company to go for the heartstrings--and the purse strings--in putting a face on its good works. In April, Procter & Gamble, which is trying to defend its brands from private-label rivals, launched a redesigned version of its Tide laundry detergent bottle. The labels now include the faces of people who have been helped through mobile laundry services Tide has provided to victims of natural disasters since 2005. The company is also running TV commercials that feature people who have been given access to laundry facilities during Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.

Many more companies are putting people they supposedly help overseas in ads. Consumers can't find Paul Mitchell hair care products in stores--they are sold through salons--but the company behind the shampoo and conditioner, John Paul Mitchell Systems, apparently isn't so elusive or exclusive in Africa. Its latest print ad efforts feature one of several philanthropies, including its year-old Food4Africa effort. One ad shows company co-founder John Paul DeJoria with eight or so of the 8,000 African children Paul Mitchell says it helps feed. Jenny Overdevest, director of public relations for Paul Mitchell, says the company uses the campaigns to spread awareness, both of the causes and of what Paul Mitchell is about as a company."

disney plants trees.

Can't complain about doing good:

 

“To promote the first full-length theatrical film launched under its year-old Disneynature documentary label, the Walt Disney company is offering to plant a tree for every

U.S.

ticket it sells during the movie’s first week of release.

 

The entertainment giant has announced that it will plant a tree in honor of every moviegoer who sees the new eco-documentary ‘Earth’ in its first week in theaters. The movie opens nationwide on Earth Day, April 22.”

kfc fixes more than your fried cravings..

Not only can KFC fix your fried-chicken craving, now they can fix...your potholes??

"Don't be surprised if you see Col. Sanders out filling potholes. In an unusual cause-marketing push, KFC is tackling the pothole problem in Louisville, Ky. in exchange for stamping the fresh pavement with 'Re-freshed by KFC,' a chalky stencil likely to fade away in the next downpour.

While KFC seems more suited to pot pies than potholes, the company is likely to build a reservoir of goodwill among the general population.

'This program is a perfect example of that rare and optimal occurrence when a company can creatively market itself and help local governments and everyday Americans across the country,' said Javier Benito, exec VP-marketing and food innovation at KFC. Louisville Mayor Jerry Abramson noted in a statement that budgets are tight for cities across the country, and finding funding for road repairs is a dirty job. 'It's great to have a concerned corporation like KFC create innovative private/public partnerships like this pothole refresh program.'"

It's random, but, hey, if they're giving back to the community and making it a better place without expecting much back, go for it.