Although we saw lots of "me too" cause marketing efforts in Pinktober, innovation is alive and well in the world of business-backed cause initiatives. Check out these 2013 experiments:

Blue Citi Bikes can be spotted all over Manhattan thanks to Citigroup's  sponsorship of New York City's new bike sharing program. In just five months, the program has won the hearts of commuters, tourists and celebrities alike and has given the bank's image a major shot in the arm. Bloomberg BusinessWeek reports a 17-point climb in Citigroup's measurement of consumers with a favorable impression of the company.   

Long a cause hold-out, etailer Amazon threw its hat into the ring in October with Amazon Smile. Named for the etailer's grinning logo, the parallel platform awards 0.5% of every purchase made to the shopper's choice of nonprofit organizations. The company did $61 billion in sales in 2012 so the cumulative donation potential is huge. It remains to be seen if enough consumers will adopt smile.amazon.com to make a significant impact on participating nonprofits and Amazon's bottom line .   

TOMS is doing its part to help other start-ups with products linked to donations. The 'Marketplace' features products from 30 such companies. Bringing would-be competitors under its own online umbrella enables TOMS to grow its economic and social impact and provide consumers with a place to do one-stop shopping they can feel good about.

Halo Award Submission Period NOW OPEN
Do you have an innovative cause campaign conducted in 2013? We want to hear about it! If it's world class, enter it in the Cause Marketing Halo Awards by January 21, 2014. Learn more and apply today.