CAUSE MARKETING TODAY

April 2014

In late March, American 'Beagle' Outfitters announced its first-ever matching Spring 2014 clothing line for dogs and their owners. The collection featured slimming doggy jeggings and fur-friendly bikinis, all brought to life by a 'dogumentary'.

Customers were instructed to sign up for a waitlist to receive a 20% AEO coupon, with $1.00 per order benefitting the ASPCA. Current and new American Eagle Outfitter customers swooned over the matching doggie duds, to the surprise and delight of the brand.

On April Fools' Day, AEO announced that this doggie clothing line, originally intended as a lighthearted prank to raise money for the ASPCA, would actually become a reality for the Holiday 2014 season due to "incredible customer response".

According to an American Eagle spokesperson, the brand was surprised that the prank resonated as much as it did with a mass audience, significantly outperforming their previous year's April Fools' brand engagement (spray-on skinny jeans) to engage both new and existing customers and raising $100,000 for the ASPCA. As a follow up, AEO is now offering American Beagle Outfitter-branded gift cards featuring the cast of fashionable dogs with $1 from every order going to the ASPCA.

Communicating your cause message to consumers is no joke; it's a serious challenge to cut through a crowded marketplace. One of the most popular breakout sessions at this year's conference will be, "High Impact Cause Messaging" moderated by Interbrand's Tom Zara. This session features panelists:

Mars Inc.'s Daniel Vennard on lessons learned from cause campaigns in multiple countries,
Western Union's Talya Bosch on properly leveraging donation equivalents and
Heifer International's Cindy Jones-Nyland on balancing the head and the heart to establish credibility without compromising emotional engagement

Join us! This year's conference is on track to sell out so reserve your spot this week.

See you in Chicago in just 6 short weeks!

David Hessekiel
President
Cause Marketing Forum

May Webinar: Reaching Millennials: Transforming the Relationship Between Brands, Causes and the College Demographic

May 8, 2014 1:30pm ET

When looking to engage the millennial demographic, many companies take to college campuses to enlist brand ambassadors with fun, flashy product promotions. Harry's, an innovative, e-commerce shaving brand, has taken a different approach. Through H'University, Harry's is creating deep online and offline brand engagements on campus by involving students in its social mission: workforce readiness.

Join Harry's Director of Offline Activations, Erik Kimel, to learn how Harry's is moving and motivating college-based millennials in ways that benefit students, Harry's brand and their partners.

Free to CMF Members or $99.

Spots Are Filling Up Quickly!

Reserve your space today for this year's
Cause Marketing Forum May 28-29 in Chicago!