This weekend The New York Times ran a fascinating article on Burt's Bees, a natural products company that was purchased for nearly $1 billion last year.

Chief Marketing Officer Mike Indursky will provide us with a behind-the-scenes look at Burt's Bees in his February 13 teleconference.

Clorox has signed on as the first official corporate sponsor of Amphibian Ark's "2008 Year of the Frog," a campaign to raise awareness and funds to avert the impending amphbian extinction crisis.

A parasitic fungus is the most immediate cause of amphibian decline. As part of its sponsorship Clorox is donating bleach to help halt spread of the fungus in the wild. Zoos and aquariums use the bleach to insure that frog enclosures are fungus-free.

On average, female consumers are willing to pay a 6.1% premium for a product they see as "doing good", according to a recent study conducted for Self magazine by Latitude Research.

Using techniques similar to those used by brand marketers to optimize brand features/benefits and set price points, the study tested the interaction between the consumer's relationship with the brand, "GOOD" messaging and price.

A "GOOD" perception did the most to raise brand value in the health and beauty categories (roughly 8%). Consumers exposed to "GOOD" ads were twice as likely to consider buying the product as those who saw traditional ads.

• 1/15 -- Jim Armstrong of Good for Business on "Communicating Your Cause"
• 2/13 -- Mike Indursky of Burt's Bees on "Setting The Natural Standard"

You've done well. You've done good. Now it's time to earn recognition for a job well done!

Enter the Cause Marketing Halo Awards by 2/1/08 for a chance to receive our industry's highest honor.