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Greetings!
One of the major tactical decisions facing corporate cause marketers these days involves choice: Should consumers choose program beneficiaries or should the brand zero in on one cause partner. New research sheds some light on this critical issue.
1) Choice can have a huge impact on consumer donations. A small field study conducted at a roller rink showed that on average parents paid $2.17 for a piece of fundraising candy when they were able to choose from four beneficiaries, but only $0.72 when told the roller rink would decide how the money was divided among the four groups.
2) Fit makes a big difference. In a laboratory setting, when there was a strong fit between company and cause, consumers indicated they were less likely to purchase when it was up to the consumer to decide the beneficiary than when the decision was left to the company.
3) Distance from goal has an impact. Consumers who were told that a fundraising effort was far from reaching its goal were less likely to make a purchase when asked to decide which charity should be the beneficiary.
This research is far more directional than definitive, but it reflects the major impact program design and wording can have on outcomes.
The most recent episode of Cause Talk Radio explores these concepts and more with one of the study's researchers: Professor Stefanie Robinson - have a listen!
What has been your experience when testing cause marketing offers? We'll send a Starbucks gift card to the first five of you who share results -- so drop us a line today!
Happy Fall,
David Hessekiel
President
Cause Marketing Forum
P.S. We've finalized the dates for CMF13 - Save the Date! May 29-30 at Chicago's J.W. Marriott.
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SEPTEMBER WEBINAR: Integrating Employee and Consumer Cause Initiatives
September 19, 2012 1:30pm - 2:30pm ETCost: $99 or FREE to Members
 Employee engagement is often overlooked in the design of cause marketing campaigns, but the secret to consumer success often involves enlisting employees as front line cause ambassadors. How to juggle all those moving parts? In this interactive, one-hour session, experts from Macy's, VolunteerMatch and Prometheus Real Estate Group will show you the way. |
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Cause Marketing Goes Back to School
A plethora of back to school efforts include a cause component this year. According to an analysis of the most effective back-to-school advertising by AceMetrix, out of the five back-to-school commercials Wal-Mart aired, the only one to land in the top ten promoted its "Box Tops for Education" program with General Mills. Need more on back to school? Here are a few resources to get up to speed: Back-to-school is big business, and consumer surveys consistently put support of education high on the list of causes favored by the highly sought-after Mom demographic. PODCAST >> Cause Marketing Goes Back to School with Target, Boys and Girls Clubs In this episode of Cause Talk Radio, Joe and Megan chat with Jenna Reck of Target who explains 'Give With Target', the retailer's first-ever initiative that combines cause with back to school marketing, giving $2.5 million in grants as well as $2.5 million directly to schools. Then Artis Stevens with Boys and Girls Clubs shares some of the smart strategy behind their comprehensive 'Tools for Back to School' campaign. |
OCTOBER WEBINAR: Incentivizing Consumer Engagement in Cause Campaigns
October 24, 2012 1:30pm - 2:30pm ETCost: $99 or FREE to Members
 In today's economy, convincing people to part with an extra dollar or two on behalf of a worthy cause isn't as simple as it used to be. With budgets tightening and a renewed focus on value, many consumers want to know "what's in it for me?" before doling out their money or time. Join MSLGROUP's Anne Erhard as she discloses the keys to crafting successful cause marketing campaigns in this hour-long session focused on incentivizing consumer engagement. |
