CAUSE MARKETING TODAY

February 2016

Once a year (just when I thought I've seen it all) an onslaught of new and interesting campaigns magically appear on my desk in the form of the Cause Marketing Halo Award submissions. Hundreds of interesting corporate social impact programs - some big, some small - that somehow flew beneath the radar screen provide hours of intrigue and more than a little reassurance that this industry is moving in productive and exciting new directions.

Before you learn who this year's Halo Award finalists are, here are a few trends of interest that surfaced.

Top campaigns:

Take more than one bite at the apple: Several of this year's finalists are multi-year campaigns that continue to iterate, evolve and improve upon past performance. Some required corrective actions, others faced changing demands from corporate partners. Lesson: practice makes perfect. Those sophisticated campaigns you admire? They've probably learned a few lessons the hard way.

Cultivate authentic voices and experiences to tell a story: Whether translating tough issues like dementia or reaching target audiences like Gen Z, several campaigns did an impressive job of gathering authentic stories and experiences to create campaign content that would resonate on an entirely different level by going directly to the source for inspiration. Lesson: ask yourself whose words you're using to tell stories. Your own? Challenge yourself to find authentic words, stories and voices who may more effectively convey your critical cause message.

Pay special attention to impact: Providing one coat to a child in need; finding a job for a veteran seeking employment; filling a gap in post-adoption services. These were just a few of the very specific needs being met via this year's group of finalists. Lesson: provide a simple, measurable cause impact. Vague statements about dollars raised or populations "impacted" leave consumers confused and disinterested.

And now....drumroll please....join me in congratulating this year's Cause Marketing Halo Award finalists. We'll be announcing a Gold and Silver winner in each category at the 2016 Cause Marketing Forum Conference in Chicago in June.

Hope to see you there!

David Hessekiel

President

Cause Marketing Forum

P.S. Speaking of trends...did you see who's going to be joining us for a webinar next week? Check it out - this is one you won't want to miss!

FEBRUARY WEBINAR:

Jim Stengel on Leveraging Ideals to Power Profit and Purpose

FEBRUARY 17, 2:00pm ET

$99 or FREE to CMF Members

(not a member yet? Join today!)

In October 2008, Jim Stengel shocked the marketing world by leaving his prestigious role as Global Marketing Officer at Procter & Gamble, one of the most admired brand building companies in the world.

It was Jim's bold first step on a new mission to share his passion for growing business through a focus on higher ideals. Now, as President/CEO of The Jim Stengel Company, he spreads his ideas through books, speeches, consulting and involvement in enterprises such as in/PACT, a global interactive purpose activation platform.

On February 17th, Jim will offer up his unique perspective on the intersection of profit and purpose during a one-hour Q&A session with CMF President David Hessekiel. He'll offer advice on applying his concepts to your work, identify what's working in our field (and what's not), critique this year's cause-focused Super Bowl ads and more. Plus he'll take your questions.

Don't miss this rare opportunity to hear from one of the top minds in marketing today and get your questions answered.