Take the Cue from this Pink Pool Stick

Yesterday was a rainy, damp Sunday. It was perfect for staying indoors, watching t.v., which I rarely do. As I flipped through the stations, I landed on an exhibition billiard show. I think it was America vs. Europe. Top men and women professional billiards playing for, well I don't know it could have been a title or some high stake. Either way, I was fascinated at the talent of the players and the techniques they used. I mean, it was as if, their mind directed the 8 ball to go in a particular direction.

The entire tournament was fascinating and I was stunned at the professionalism and exemplary talent among the women billiard players. I've never seen women play professional pool before. Plus, the outfits the women wore were really fabulous. They looked super sheik. And to think, I always thought of pool as the pass time for guys to hang out with buddies in basements across America. To my surprise.

Then today, I came across an ad for a pink cue stick made by Viper. Part of the proceeds go to The Breast Cancer Foundation. So, to the ladies out there that are thinking pool can be your sport, this cue stick is for you. Now what I am not able to tell you specifically, is which breast cancer foundation they are supporting. There is the National Breast Cancer Foundation, the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation, The American Breast Cancer Foundation and The Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Nevertheless, the point here is you get a fab pink cue stick and it helps fight a terrible disease.

A Pound for a Pound & 2 Thumbs Up!

What a great cause related marketing campaign! WeightWatchers launched a month long campaign, "Lose for Good", to support two nonprofits, Action Against Hunger and Share Our Strength.

What was exceptional about this program is that their customers, both online subscribers and those who attend local meetings, had the opportunity to participate. to lose weight and support two causes at the same time. The campaign will "donate the cost of a pound of food for each pound lost during campaign period. Pounds lost by Members will be determined by average weight lost per meeting attendance during campaign period multiplied by total number of attendances during campaign period. Pounds lost by Online Subscribers will be determined by total weight loss recorded in the Weight Tracker during campaign period. Weight losses are subject to our healthy weight loss guidelines. Cost of food will be calculated by each participating charity. Donations will be made 70% to Share our Strength up to $700,000 and 30% to Action Against Hunger up to $300,000." (WeightWatchers)

In addition, participants could spread the word through Facebook and MySpace using the widgets that WeightWatchers provided through their campaign website. Again, oh so smart! They implemented social media to create awareness for their program and the two charity partners they selected. Participants could also send e-cards and share the video to reach out to family and friends.

This was a well branded, well designed, well "everything" CRM campaign. Good for WeightWatchers and good for the participants to may have reached a new weight goal and helped someone else while doing it.

To learn more about the Lose for Good campaign, click here.

Corduroy to Promote Early Education

I know what you may be thinking, corduroy.. as in the pants we wore back in the 60's and 70's as kids. Nope! It's a children's book and it was used to jump start the Jumpstart's Read for the Record Campaign to set a world record for the world's largest shared reading experience on the same day with the same book. Read for the Record Campaign is Jumpstart's annual event. This year's book Corduroy is about a teddy bear's adventure in a department store.

I happened to watching the Today's Show with Matt, Meredith, Ann and Al on October 2nd. The rapper LL Cool J, Honorary Spokesperson, and actress, Mary-Louise Parker, singer/songwriter, Jesse McCartney, actor Greg Kinnear and Maria from Sesame Street read Corduroy on The Today Show for Jumpstart's Read for the Record! They were set up on the Plaza with lots of little fidgie' (fidg-i) sitting and listening to the story.

Jumpstart advocates for adults to read to children at an early age. Children that are read to at a pre-school age develop skills that prepare them to thrive in school. The Jumpstart model is quite successful. And, their Read for the Record Campaign created national awareness. This campaign is an excellent example of how one organization can reach the stars (no pun intended). With celebrity-readers, national broadcast network support, and communities & schools reading on the same day, the same book and breaking a record is amazing. Aside from the national pr, Jumpstart has an excellent and solid track record of making an impact. Impact being the measured progress and success of kids and the number of children served through the program. It was recently named one of the top charities by Fast Company's Social Capitalist Awards.

Boost Your Brand by Giving Back

Join me for my "Boost Your Brand by Giving Back" FREE Teleclass

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When: Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Time: 3:00pm EST
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This information-packed teleclass will inspire you to rethink just how important giving can be for your business. Learn my three secrets for boosting your brand and building connections with your customers and your community.

You've heard me say, giving makes a difference for your business. And it does. Did you know that customers/clients have a more positive image of businesses that support causes? This isn't fluff. It's based on solid studies and it's not just for Fortune 500 companies either. Any business of any size can have successes for their brand by giving back.

I'll be revealing my three secrets for boosting your brand and building connections with your clients, customers and community. You'll learn:

1. How your giving decisions influence your marketing message,
2. What you need to do to create an emotional appeal with clients and customers, and
3. How to make your brand stand apart from others in the marketplace.

Not sure if your giving back is building your brand? If you can’t define your giving program through your brand, your customers won’t be able to either. Your brand and giving program must be aligned to authenticate the brand connection with your business, customers and communities.

Read more about the teleclass here.This is one of my most favorite topics, and I'm ecstatic to be sharing it with you on this live call. You'll also have the chance to ask me questions LIVE on the Q&A portion of the call.

I will share with you the three strategies to positively impact your brand and create meaningful, long lasting connections with your clients, customers and community.

Register Here!

Economic Blues Leave No Room for Green

In AdvertisingAge today, there is an worth a read, "Economic Blues Leave No Room for Green." Essentially, the green-marketing movement is taking a hit from hard economic times. Companies are having to place less emphasis on their cause-related and environmental issues due to downturns. "In fact, marketing that is 'beneficial for society' or that minimizes the impact on the environment now ranked at the bottom of the top five priorities.. for the next 12 months" according to a Duke University study of seventy-two Fortune 1000 companies.

Unilever is just one example. Unilever is having to shift its marketing priorities as a result. One executive acknowledged that while green is a good way to go for consumer product, it's not among families high priorities at the moment. What does this mean for Unilever? While the company hasn't dropped it's cause-related marketing for Dove, it will focus on the new Dove Go Fresh line, and Wal-Mart Stores are even talking less about their sustainability themes with releasing 37 stories a month versus 72 stories a month this time last year.

The wane isn't necessarily the effect that going green isn't important to consumers. Rather, families and individuals are feeling the pinch a the gas pump, grocery store and other areas of their lives. So, while green is good, when it comes to the pocketbook, people will opt for discounts and lower priced products, at least for now.

What Small Business Donors Should Know about Microfinance Organizations

Organizations like Charity Navigator are great watchdogs on charities. It can help any donor, even you a small business owner, learn about the efficiency and accountability of a charity and its use of funds. You will soon be able to read more about how to evaluate charities in my new ebook, "5 Tips to Help Small Business Evaluate Charities Before Giving." (www.givingadvice.com/products.html) But, there's a growing breed of charities that provides donors information on their dollars given and allows donors to chose specific projects and fund what appeals to them. These organizations are commonly called, microfinance organizations and they are gaining popularity fast among small businesses and solo-entrepreneurs. Among the most well-established are Kiva, Accion International, DonorsChoose and GlobalGiving. Kiva, for example, allows donors to finance microloans to budding entrepreneurs in third world countries. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal discusses this new breed of charities. The cool part about Kiva and other similar organizations is that donors can direct where they want their donation to go, and they get updates which track their contribution. Often, you can get a photo online of the individual your donation is assisting.

This new, quasi, eyes-on approach to giving is very appealing to donors. To boot, many of the microfinance organizations are doing an above 3-star rating on Charity Navigator. While there will always be critics with opinions about microfinance organizations, and I am happy they have a full time job and are paying taxes, the elevated interest in organizations such as Kiva is not going away anytime soon. To move families and individuals from a marginalized status in the global economy to a playing field which provides them some level of financial freedom and fair game in a market-place is very liberating both for them, their community, and the donor. The rewards have a large ripple effect. The one reward that has a lasting impact is the direct gift exchange between the donor and recipient. Lives are touched. Gratitude is felt and an impact is made on lives regardless of the size.

The Strength is in the Giving Story, Not This TIME

While reading a recent issue of MORE magazine, (and the same magazine I was featured in the April 2007 issue), I came across a full page advertisement for Baume & Mercier watches. The ad had Teri Hatcher of Desparate Housewives wearing one of these exclusive watches. So, just another company securing a celebrity face for their product? For sure!

Baume & Mercier and Teri Hatcher contribute to programs that improve education, seek to cure cancer and protect the environment. When you visit the "charity-celebrity" webpage it doens't tell you anything about their partnership, giving campaigns, and not even a story about it. Nor did the ad.

OK, I am going to be hard, but this is not how to tell your cause related marketing campaign story. Their is no connection to consumers. No connection to a story. Aside from the barely there message, there are too many causes aligned with this campaign. You can't figure out which causes are those of Ms. Hatcher or Baume-Mercier. That is important to the brand. As a matter of fact on the webpage it directs viewers to another individual who appears to manage the charity-celebrity inquiries. What? This re-direct to who? For what? I just want to hear HOW Baume & Mercier is giving back and why the connection to causes they selected. What's the heart felt message that consumers need to hear? Are they making contributions through the sale of every watch purchased? Teri Hatcher is beautiful, but I am not buying a product based on celebrity endorsement. I can't connect with a celebrity. But I can connect with the reason why a company wants to make a difference in the world. I am interested in the corporate culture behind the product made.

In an article I authored several months ago, I recommend companies to not stick with pink because it's popular (not to discount the importance of a cause but rather to dare to be your brand), be focused on cause(s) that align with brand and values...one that consumers can clearly get why you identified the charities you did and then communicate that story, that message. Keep it simple. Surely, the Baume & Mercier ad didn't capture that.