Lace'm Up for $140 for a Cure

Okay this is one expensive pair of running shoes. I know, I am a veteran long distance runner of nearly 35 years and I have make a significant investment in my running shoes as good shoes and the right shoe for me helps prevent injury.

Now, I have never worn New Balance. I don't need a straight-last, mid-foot striker shoe and I don't need the wide toe box. But it's a good fit for someone who does needs those things. The other reason I've not worn New Balance, is because, well, it has suede - which makes for a heavier training/race-day shoe and I've always seen it as a shoe that appeals to men versus Ryka or Reebok for women. But New Balance is counting on women to spend $140 on these pretty pink running shoes as a way to commemorate Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure 20th Anniversary. New Balance has been sponsoring this event for twenty years.

It's not so much the cost of the shoe, comparable to high-profile basketball sneakers, but as a cause-marketing campaign it customizes each buyer to have stitched on the tongue of the shoe, "In Honor of" or "Lace Up, " or "Running for" which is really pretty cool. That is what I think women will buy... the emotional attachment to the shoe being customized for them or a friend or loved one. The majority of women have to have the connection to, emotional feeling toward, to be compelled to buy, do are stand for something.

No matter how much New Balance does for breast cancer, I still have them as a male running shoe product ingrained in my head and have for years, but I must admit this may be one way to get this runner to change course.

Twitter hosts Twestival to raise donations worldwide

Okay, I am a Twitterer, Pinger, Ninger and Facebooker. The reality is these social media sites offer many benefits. For me, social media networking allows me to connect and build relationships with other professionals, small businesses, entrepreneurs, and nonprofit executives, offer advice, connect people, share my expertise and crack a funny at times. And you can connect instantly. Zero lag time.

Twitterers Worldwide are Gathering for Twesitval too...

"On Feb. 12, more than 200 cities worldwide will hold events to foster networking within local Twitter communities as well as raise funds for charity: water, a nonprofit that installs wells and rainwater harvesting systems in developing countries. Amanda Rose, the architect behind the multicity Twitter festivities, said Twestival grew out of a smaller get-together held in London last September to benefit a local soup kitchen. “Originally, I thought it was going to be 30 people in a pub doing karaoke,” she said. “But we ended up having 250 people show up.” Ms. Rose said the London event brought in about £1,000 and several boxes of canned goods, and planted the seeds for a much larger event, spanning several international cities.".... "Since then, Twestival has taken off: The London event is expecting upwards of 800 guests, and Ms. Rose estimated there were a dozen satellite events being hosted around Britain. Scott Harrison, founder of charity: water, who is also helping organize the New York event, expects attendance numbers nearing 1,200. In addition, Twestival events have sprung up around the globe from Cape Town to Beijing, Peru, Tokyo and Bangladesh."


Read more about Twestival here

Loads of Hope by TIDE

Do you wash with Tide? I do and have for years. Personally, it gets the stains out best. Now here is another reason you should use Tide... No, no, not because they sponsor good-looking, NASCAR drivers. But because they travel city to city by washing the clothes of victims of natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina, California wildfires, Iowa floods, and other places.

Tide's Loads of Hope helps for days, weeks and years after a natural disaster by providing clean clothes and a sense of comfort to families in need. They travel with the Tide CleanStart truck, which is their free mobile laundry facility. With 32 high-efficiency washers and dryers, the Tide CleanStart truck:

- Can do 300 wash and dry cycles a day - equal to one year's worth of laundry for a single family.
- Will wash about 9,000 loads of laundry over a four-week period.

- Has washed more than 20,000 loads of laundry for New Orleans families.
Most importantly, the Tide CleanStart truck means we're equipped to take action whenever and wherever there is a need in our country.

They have been doing this for three years. This program is perfectly aligned with their brand, it such a great thing to do and captures the spirit of the Tide family and employees. We all know that when hit with a natural disaster, most families are left with only the clothes on their back. Through floods, fire, and dirt, etc... I am sure the opportunity to put on clean clothes is welcomed.

Way to go Tide. Great program for you and the families and individuals you help! Who ever thought washing clothes could be such a great thing to do!

PS: Next time you are walking down the laundry detergent aisle at the super-market, go ahead and grab Tide. You'll not only have clean clothes but support a great program.

Subaru "Shares the Love' Campaign

My second car was a Subaru. I totaled my first car, a Toyota Corolla in an accident, and broke my leg in three places and went through the windshield, requiring a lot of stitches to my forehead. So, it landed in the junkyard.

Now, I was on the hunt for a new car...(after five months of being in a cast.) Out of college, working, making decent money...I really had my eye set on a sports car. It was hot. But, it wasn't a logical car. I knew it but I really wanted it. The sports car was a 2-seater with a trunk that was so small it couldn't even hold 5 grocery bags. So, I was persuaded to buy a Subaru. They were, after all, a 'reliable' car, had great gas mileage, and had front-wheel drive, which was essential to driving through snow (or so I was told), and the insurance premium was lower. I bought it, at first somewhat reluctantly, but that car was in fact reliable and rarely had a problem.

Of course, when I read about Subaru's new charity campaign, I felt obligated to share it. After all, my Subaru got me through bad snow storms, saved me lots of money compared to the fancy sports car, and I had it for many years.

Subaru's new "Share the Love" campaign, is running through January 2nd, and lets new-vehicle customers select one of five charities to receive a $250 donation from Subaru of America, following the purchase or lease of a new Subaru vehicle. How great is that. Sure it's a way to influence the buyer's decision, sure they probably want to move 2008 cars off the lot by year's end, but it's not like Subaru is just in it for the grab. They have a history of being very community-minded company. But, I do have to be honest, I thought the title of this campaign was better suited for VW Beetle... the "Love Bug"... get it? You can read more about the campaign here.

This campaign, which Subaru expects to raise $5M, will support: Boys & Girls Clubs of America, Habitat for Humanity International, Meals On Wheels Association of America, the National Wildlife Federation and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).

Top 50 Givers of 2008

You gotta love these year-end lists. They really do intrigue us, don't they?! The lists are ever where at this time of the year and we hear and read about in People Magazine, GQ, Entertainment Tonight, Fast Company, Forbes and the list goes on....

Well, here is a list worth 'giving' out (pun is completely intended!) Business Week, The Top 50 Philanthropists for 2008 was posted on Yahoo last week. Among them was Warren Buffett who led the group, followed by Bill and Melinda Gates, William Barron Hilton, Veronica Atkins (wife of the late Dr. Atkins) the Walton Family, Shelby White, Herbert and Marion Sandler, Oprah Winfrey, Peter Peterson, and Michael Bloomberg. All of these donors give through family foundations. Seven of these individuals gave more than $200M and nine more gave more than $100M.

Now, I realize that big dollars can translate into big impact and giving that amount is unfathomable to most Americans. The article also points out that these philanthropists, much like everyone else, have felt the economic downturn. You can read the article here.

Look Good, Doing Good

Kenneth Cole is taking his designs to the ultimate "A-wear-ness". His company is donating 100% of net proceeds from the sale of AWEARNESS merchandise to the AWEARNESS Fund - a not-for-profit entity that supports, encourages and empowers acts of service, volunteerism and social change. To find out more, please visit their ABOUT page.

As a long time lover of Kenneth Cole fashion, I find his new philanthropic entity 'smashing daaaling' and extremely well branded. Just the name, Awearness, how simple, clever and closely aligned with fashion is that? Right on. Plus, by keeping the Kenneth Cole Company giving focused on this new philanthropic fund, the Awearness Fund, it builds even greater brand awareness for his company name and merchandise. Not that Kenneth Cole needed a boost to his brand, but this is a great way to communicate that he and his company stand for something more than the bottom-line. Kuddos. I love this whole intiative and will without reserve promote it where I can.

His company is partnering with Volunteer Match (one of my favorite organizations and one I direct clients to all the time) to encourage social change on issues such as AIDS, homelessness and more. The purpose of the initiative is to promote awareness and advance volunteerism and service, and raise funds, all in an effort to make a difference.

You can read more about this partnership here.

Boost Your Brand by Giving Back

Boost Your Brand by Giving Back (tm)

A philanthropy program for businesses is not just limited to Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies. Actually, any business of any size and at any stage of the business can have success through charitable giving. So, if you think you are too small or don’t have the resources or that you are just in the first couple of years of beginning your business and a giving program is not the right time, let me tell you to lay those assumptions to rest.

Nearly ninety-two percent of Americans have a positive image of a company that supports causes (Cone, 2007). Believe it or not, your business qualifies as a part of that statistic. The study doesn’t say, “Americans have a positive image of really big corporations that give back.” Rather it refers to all businesses, of all sizes, from all different types of industries. So, if you are a business owner (solo entrepreneur) the very same analysis applies to you.

Think for just a moment when you donated your time, or a product or service or when you wrote a check (regardless of the size) to a charity, in your community. How did you feel about giving? Did someone else or group know you gave? Did you share your giving story with customers or clients? Aside from the intrinsic rewards you feel, there are significant extrinsic rewards that can benefit your business simply by implementing a giving program. Again, no matter the size.

Customers, clients and communities recognize businesses for their philanthropy (also called community involvement). When you give, you are creating customer and community connections. This is boosting your brand and branding creates loyalty among customers. Eighty-seven percent of Americans will switch from one product or service to another, even when price and quality are equal, if the other product or services is associated with a cause (Cone, 2007). That is a statistically significant.

Wouldn’t you like to boost your brand? The American Marketing Association defines brand as a “name, term, sign, symbol or design or a combination of them intended to identify the goods and services of one seller or group of sellers and to differentiate them from those of other sellers”. We also know that branding is your message and how you communicate it to customers and communities. Ask yourself, “What are you doing to differentiate your brand (business) from another similar business offering the same service or product?” (Notice, I didn’t say “competitor”. Trust me, there are enough customers and clients for everyone, and it’s your job to connect with those who want to business with you because of your value and values.) Having a business giving program is one way to successfully brand your business. Keep in mind, cutting a few checks here and there or volunteering once in a while does not comprise a business giving program. As altruistic as your intentions are, a giving program has a strategy so that it works for both business and causes.

Here are just a few tips to help you boost your brand through a giving program.

1. Identify your values: Brand is based on values, period. Your business values influence every decision and action you make.

2. Identify mutual benefits: Your aim should be to have a giving program that serves your business, customers, community which makes a difference in the world.

3. Create a connection: Build a meaningful connection with your customers on every level of your business. Each experience is crucial to defining and building your brand. Even your message creates an emotional connection that shifts the value perception and equation to build customer trust and loyalty.

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.

I share all of this AND more in my new Boost Your Brand by Giving Back (tm) Audio. You can get your copy of this mp3 for only $27 at http://www.givingadvice.com/products.html.




© 2008. Maggie F. Keenan, Ed.D. All rights reserved.