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Dear ,
Years ago when shopping for an engagement ring, I grew frustrated: All the diamonds looked alike to my untrained eye. The "3 Cs" were lost on me.
Shopping in New York's diamond district, I blurted out to the salesman: "I want to see an awful stone." Apparently, I wasn't the first to make that odd request. Out from behind the counter came a diamond with so many black dots it looked more like a briquet than a precious gem. "Finally," I said with satisfaction, "a diamond I know I'd never buy!"
Similarly, reporters frequently ask me to describe awful, exploitative or ineffective cause marketing programs. I've sometimes felt inadequate because I didn't have a great horror story to share. Now I do.
The New York Times recently reported that ShowBiz Promotions has been sued by Florida's attorney general for falsely claiming that proceeds from sales of a Michael Vick dog chew toy and a doll based on a missing girl were going to charity. You've got to read it to believe it!
Incredibly bad taste, deceptive advertising, this may be the worst cause marketing in history. Tell your friends -- and the next reporter who rings you.
David Hessekiel
President
Cause Marketing Forum, Inc.
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Basic Needs and Green Are Hot |
The recession and concern over global warming are definitely having an impact on the causes companies choose to build new campaigns around.
Many domestic basic need charities are experiencing an upsurge in new partnerships. For example:
On the environmental front, a recent study by Cone found that nearly 80% of consumers were as or more likely to buy environmentally responsible products now than before the recession.
Marketers are "hip" to that as evidenced by the deluge of program announcements I've received in time for Earth Day such as:
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