Category Archives: Cause Marketing

Got Milk?

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Marketing is such a unique concept and tool because it can be used in so many ways. Often, those unfamiliar with the different uses will often think of marketing as just annoying ads trying to convince to spend a ridiculous amount of money on a product that they don’t need. But marketing is so much more than that. We can use marketing to influence and ensure better decisions to all members of society, whether it be a healthier lifestyle, or the prevention of bad choices.

In terms of marketing strategies, the Got Milk campaign uses different aspirational leaders to attract different target markets. Their celebrity line up ranges from the young skateboard stud, Ryan Sheckler, to R&B sensation, Usher, to the housewife that knows it all, Martha Stewart. Got Milk recognizes the different stages of family buying decisions, and has ads that will appeal to the initiator, the influencer, the decider, the buyer, and the user regardless if it is one, or many members of the family in each role.

http://inventorspot.com/articles/got_milkinventive_marketing_5569
The picture links to a website showing different Got Milk? ads around the world, quite interesting to look at

The Got Milk campaign is an excellent example of successful cause marketing. Cause marketers must exploit all the social factors that lead to a consumer’s decision in a specific cause, whether it be a lifestyle change, or a belief/attitude towards a social matter. More specifically, the Got Milk campaign does not worry about what brands of milk that the consumer chooses to drink. The most important part of the campaign is simply to influence the importance of the liquid calcium.

Here’s a behind the scenes look at the making of Ryan’s ad, and yes, the moustache is real!

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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_74bkbvCNa4&feature=player_embedded

“and the black light doesn’t lie”

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Seventh Generation cleverly uses online social media to allow its consumers to see the “true colours” of both their own, and their competitors’ products. Its most recent venture, the eco-friendly detergent lacking in optical brighteners, was firstly marketed by mom bloggers whom used a dark light to compare two shirts one of which was washed with Seventh Generation’s product, and one which was washed with that of a leading competitor’s (with optical brightener). Seventh Generation also provides their own demonstration, it begins at 1:03 in the video.

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As you can see, the black light doesn’t lie. It reminds me of CSI investigators using black lights to reveal blood trails that are left behind. In fact, Seventh Generation has been listed as a suitable brand for cleaning military uniforms so that they cannot be easily sought out in combat.

However, through all this strategic marketing, Seventh Generation has still generated less than 1% of the detergent market, while Tide holds an astounding 45%. Perhaps consumers believe that if their shirts shine under the dark lights, then it must shine under bright lights as well? In our fast-paced economy, encounters are brief, and first impressions are everything. Though it might not be the case in the military, having a bright shirt that stands out is often thought of as a good idea for an interview, a first date, or even just a stroll through the mall or the neighbourhood.

I thus counter their campaign of “she should glow, not her clothes” with

“when you look good, you feel good.”

Thus if our clothes don’t glow, then we don’t look good, which means…

Cause Marketing

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Upon researching for an English essay, I stumbled upon quite an interesting article relating the ever so popular social media to cause marketing.

What caught my eye were these statistics

  • 71% of consumers are giving as much or more now as they were before the economic downturn.
  • 87% of consumers would switch brands based on association with a good cause.
  • 50% of consumers would pay more for products from brands that support causes.

now based on that research, wouldn’t most companies want to hop on the bandwagon and follow along to supporting a good cause? But then again,

is that really ethical?

Simply trying to promote a cause so that consumers will favour your brand, and thus bring you greater profits? It’s not much of a secret that most companies have ridiculous mark ups on the cost of their items, and simply stating that you’ll donate “5% of all sales to saving …. in the world” seems to be an easy way for companies to continue to make incredible profits, while seeming like a hero to consumers for supporting a cause.

I guess this is the difference that sets social enterprises apart from traditional companies, one creates their organization based on a cause, and the other creates a cause based on the organization.