Cause marketing is not necessarily a new tool in the marketer’s toolbox, but it has taken on a more prominent role in businesses’ marketing plans in recent years.  With the advent of social media and the continuous growth in the functionality and flexibility of websites, cause marketing is being brought the masses–and kept in front of them–more effectively than ever before.  It can be a powerful way to distinguish a business from its competitors.

Cause marketing is when a “for profit” business partners with a “nonprofit” organization for mutual benefit, even though their goals may differ.  You may have heard the expression “to do well by doing good”; that succinct but potent statement was coined by Bruce Burtch, the brains behind one of the first cause marketing campaigns on record, the March of Dimes’ partnership with Marriot in 1976.  In preparation for the opening of its brand new family entertainment center in Santa Clara, California, Marriot–with the March of Dimes–unveiled an advertising and public relations campaign to raise funds for the charity while bringing attention and publicity to Marriot’s new entertainment complex.

To do well by doing good requires a synergy between the cause and the business.  The cause has to be one the business can truly rally behind, and, for the purpose of credibility, it should have some relevance to the business and its regular activities.  For instance, since Cheerios breakfast cereal is advertised as being low in cholesterol and heart-healthy, it makes sense for the makers of Cheerios to team with the American Heart Association to bring awareness to heart disease and good heart-healthy breakfast options.

With today’s technology, websites can be developed specifically to bring a cause marketing partnership to the forefront.  Through the site a connection can be made between the business/charity partnership and the public, and donations can be made online with the click of a button.  By combining the website’s functionality with the business’s online analytics, the cause marketer can gather a clear picture of the campaign’s effectiveness in real time.

Marketing is a vital function of virtually every business, but with cause marketing you can successfully separate your brand or business from the competition.  Contact Strategic Marketing to learn more about how cause marketing can help you do well by doing good.  Call us at (561) 688-8155.