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Author Archives: Katie P
Making a Difference
Doing Good for the Planet
Patagonia is a company that sells high-end outdoor clothing. But there is more to the company than just that. Patagonia is known for its love of outdoors and sustainable practices. Their mission statement says it all:
“Build the best product, cause no unnecessary harm, use business to inspire and implement solutions to the environmental crisis.”
Patagonia strives not to make the most money, but to make the biggest impact on helping save the environment. However, they are a very successful company and pride themselves on over thirty years of experience in running a company that is true to its core values.
The first company to use 100% organic cotton
Track the eco-footprint of all their products
Make jackets from recycled soda bottles
20 Million and Change
Recently, Patagonia has launched a new campaign called 20 Million and Change. The campaign has created a fund that will help spread lessons about being a responsible company through investments in like-minded businesses. The plan is to invest anywhere from $500,000 to $5 million in each of the lucky companies. So, to all you new environmentally friendly startups out there, line up and you will get the big bucks! And its not just cash coming your way, it can include advice, cachet, and maybe even access to Patagonia’s very own distribution network.
Though Patagonia does not think that they know everything about business and are the best responsible company out there, they have many years of experience in understanding and practicing what it means to be socially and environmentally responsible.
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| source: Google images |
My Two Cents
As a supporter of Patagonia and what they stand for, I think that this is a great campaign that they are funding. Patagonia truly represents a company that stands 100% behind its values and has extensive experience in their industry. It is very refreshing to see a huge company like Patagonia give back so much to something that they believe in rather than just fighting for our dollars.
What do you think? Is Patagonia making a smart decision in funding this campaign?
Sources: http://www.fastcoexist.com/1682011/patagonia-launches-a-venture-fund-for-environmentally-responsible-startups
Oh Yeah!
We all remember the Kool-Aid man, the giant punch bowl that ran through walls and was often destructive. Created in 1954 as the Kool-Aid mascot, he was originally called the Pitcher Man. He has been very well known since then in various advertisements where you may remember him breaking through walls, fences, or other large things to appear to pour someone a glass of Kool-Aid. He is known for his phrase of “Oh Yeah!” He has developed over the years and is still a very well known character.
Take a look at some of the advertisements that Kool-Aid man has starred in in the past.
Kool-Aid Man Gets a Makeover
In the past week, Kraft Foods unveiled a new a improved Kool-Aid man that will be more like a normal guy who says more than just “Oh yeah.” The release comes with the introduction of Kool-Aid’s new liquid-only mix that came out in January. What do you think of the new Kool-Aid man?
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| source: Google Images |
In my opinion, the new Kool-Aid man is a good idea. There are so many brands to choose from now that I think many of them are suffering from loss of brand loyalty. I have a feeling that this introduction is one that Kraft hopes will generate more immediate attention for them. Perhaps they will be able to bring back some old loyal customers as well as find some new ones.
Sources: http://mashable.com/2013/04/16/kool-aid-man/
The Importance of Colors in Marketing
Have you ever participated in a color run? What drew you to it?
We see hundreds of thousands of colors every day as we go about our daily routines. Some of us notice blues, some pinks, and others yellows. Each person is drawn to particular colors for particular reasons that they may not even realize. Studies have shown that certain colors can send either a positive or negative subconscious message thus forcing your brain to create a good or bad perception. Marketers use this information on us more than we realize.
How do we feel about colors?
Companies are very strategic when it comes to choosing the colors of their logos and websites. While they not only want their brands to look good, they also want them to convey the right message. Each color can trigger a very specific emotion. Black can seem very definite, powerful, and precise while green may seem more peaceful, natural, and organic.
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| source: FastCompany |
Colors can also help to convey what kind of mood we are in. For example, if you are feeling light-hearted you might be more drawn to pastels. If you are feeling peaceful and calm you might be more likely to move towards blue, green, or even turquoise. Look at the image above and see what each brand is trying to convey. Do you agree or disagree with their choice of colors?
How to use color successfully
In order to get the most out of color for your marketing, you must start where you always do…by defining your target market. Who is the particular group that you are looking to attract? Who will be buying the product and will it be for himself or herself or for someone else? Be sure to use the appropriate colors to attract both the purchasers of the products as well as the users. Of course it is always smart to test your colors on a small sample of your target market before officially putting it out there. Color psychology is not perfect, and there is always room for improvement.
Will you use color marketing for your next campaign? Have you used color marketing successfully for past campaigns? Share your thoughts below!
Sources: http://www.fastcompany.com/3009317/why-is-facebook-blue-the-science-behind-colors-in-marketing
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/color-and-marketing.html
http://www.empower-yourself-with-color-psychology.com/target-markets.html
Square Up!
Non-profits Can Use Apps Too!
Since last summer, I have spent a lot of my extra time interning and volunteering at a local non-profit, The North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center. It is located in Mebane, NC hidden away on 28 acres surrounded by beautiful green pastures. Office work is done out of a farmhouse on the property and the horses can be seen grazing from most every window in the house. It is a simple, yet hugely impactful organization and I wouldn’t wish to have spent my time anywhere else. The computers are old and the house could use some updating, but it is beautiful, rustic, warm and most importantly welcoming.
In deciding to spend my time there, I never imagined I would be involved with the latest and greatest technology. Starting out, my job was to help the executive director begin a marketing base. Having been around for over 30 years, the riding center was still widely unheard of and in need of some more supporters. I spent a lot of time helping plan, promote, and run events alongside the executive director. We had raffles, did demos, gave out prizes, and accepted donations. Our cashbox was, and still is, our close friend at these events filled with dollar bills and checks. “Do you accept credit cards?” “No, I’m sorry we don’t.” Other than sending people to our website, I never imagined there could be a quicker or easier way to be able to accept credit cards.
Trading in the Box for the Square
Low and behold there is the Square! I showed up at the office last week before our big trail ride benefit was to take place, and my boss is asking for my help with this new app that she’s obtained. Naturally, my young tech-savvy self Jobliges. As I look closer, my boss is plugging this tiny white square, no bigger than one inch on all sides, into her phone jack. What on earth, I thought. “It swipes credit cards!” she exclaims. “But I just need help figuring out how it works!”
So intrigued, I spent the next 20 minutes swiping cards left and right, watching it read them while plugged into my iPhone and then into her Droid. Needless to say this tiny white square is genius. Our little non-profit nestled away among the rolling fields of Mebane, NC, with no corporate offices in site, is becoming technologically advanced! We now take credit cards, thank you very much. Oh and might I also add, its FREE. That’s right, you simply download the App called Register onto your smartphone and from there sign up to get a square sent to you. Simple as that.
Reduce That Carbon Footprint
In recent years, many people have been trying to find new and improved ways to decrease their carbon footprint by recycling, driving hybrid cars, or eating organic. Many people even choose to ride bikes to work rather than driving a … Continue Reading
It’s Time to Check-in to Inbound Marketing
Out with the old and in with the new
For the past few weeks in class, we have been focusing a great deal on David Meerman Scott and his ideas surrounding the power of inbound marketing. Inbound marketing covers a vast number of advertising techniques including blogs, social media, enewsletters, podcasts, and many other forms of content marketing. Scott makes the case that inbound marketing has become much more prominent in driving success in developing customer relationships and brand loyalty then traditional marketing. In the past, marketers who had the biggest budgets also had the best and most advertisements thus leading to success. Their advertisements focused on grabbing consumers’ attention by distracting them, stopping them from what they were doing, or getting them to listen, read, or watch. In today’s market, most consumers are too smart to allow people to buy their attention. They choose what they want, when they want it, and how they want it. They don’t care to be bothered by traditional ads or commercials. So in comes inbound marketing, a new and improved way to talk to and understand our buyers. They want to be engaged, interested, and heard.
“The web is different. (than traditional advertising) Instead of one-way interruption, web marketing is about delivering useful content at just the precise moment a buyer needs it.” –The New Rules of Marketing & PR
The Power of Blogging
An entire chapter of Scott’ book, The New Rules of Marketing & PR, is dedicated to the power of blogs. Blogs have the ability to generate feedback, market and publish yourself or your organization, and essentially create valuable content. According to Scott, there are four uses of blogs for marketing and PR:
1. To easily monitor what millions of people are saying about you, the market you sell into, your organization, and its products2. To participate in those conversations by commenting on other peoples blogs3. To work with bloggers who write about your industry, company, or products4. To begin to shape those conversations by creating and writing your own blog
David Meerman Scott’s Blog
Not surprisingly Scott has his own blog and writes in it quite frequently. I have found myself getting lost in his posts and learning a great deal about a variety of things that I would never have known about just by browsing through it. Some of his posts interest me more than others and one in particular that I really enjoyed has to do with none other than scuba diving. To get the gist, Ocean Frontiers, a small dive company in the Cayman Islands has built an entire “marketing campaign” out of a challenge to earn a pair of the coveted green shorts worn by the staff. In order to win the shorts, scuba divers have to visit each of the 55 dive sites that Ocean Frontiers visits in Grand Cayman. If they accomplish this feat, they are awarded not only with a pair of green shorts but also a big celebration with cake, champagne, and celerity status within the dive community. Essentially Ocean Frontiers has taken a simple pair of shorts and turned them into a marketing powerhouse. This challenge has encouraged people to keep coming back to dive with the company as well as give them media attention on Facebook where pictures are posted, shared, and liked. And what do you know Ocean Frontiers now has more than 12,000 “likes” on Facebook. So what’s the key lesson behind this post? Provides things of value and engage your consumers in ways that are fun and appealing. It’s not all about generating sales and asking for business. Give your consumers something to talk about and get involved in and they will share with their friends and help build that loyal customer base that you are looking for.
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| Source: Google images |
Thought Catalog
Thought Catalog is an online publication that is dedicated to publishing a whole variety of non-fiction content that may includes stories, poems, opinions, and just general “thoughts.” It is mean to be a source of entertainment as well as a place for those who so wish to be published. While I am not entirely sure how Thought Catalog makes their money or describes their business model, they are certainly successfully participating in inbound marketing. Whether or not they realize it. Anyone can get on and read the content for free, comment on posts, share posts, tweet about posts etc. Those who so choose to do so can submit posts they wish to be published, for free, if the Thought Catalog team deems their posts worthy. Readers are engaged, inspired, and sometimes critical but continue to get the word out. Thought Catalog has more than 2.5 million readers a month and is surely growing. Those who are avid followers have the opportunity to buy ebooks available via places like Amazon, Apple, and Barnes and Noble. But all other content on the site is free of charge to read, share, and comment.
I think that Thought Catalog has taken many of Scott’s ideas of inbound marketing and put them to good use. The whole company is content-driven and focuses on engagement and providing content to readers that they find relevant at the point in time when they are looking for it.
Musical Spoons
That’s right, Heinz now offers their new flavors of baked beans with their very own singing spoon to match. Each flavor comes with its own spoon that plays a song relating to the flavor when it is in your mouth. Garlic and herb plays the sound of garlic rustling together while Fiery chili gets a Latin Samba. The spoons are equipped with tiny mp3 players that are designed to play when they register that they are in your mouth. The sound can only be heard by the consumer when its vibrations travel from your jawbone to your ear. They even sell bowls as a package deal that also come in the shape or form of the taste. For example, cheddar cheese is a cheese round.
Here is a great video of creators, Sam Bompas and Harry Parr, that gives the reasoning behind the musical spoons. For some reason I could not get the video directly onto the blog, but follow the link because it is definitely worth a watch!
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| source: creativity-online |
What’s the point?
So lately we have been discussing the importance of inbound marketing and finding new ways to get our customers engaged. Well it seems like that is the goal for Heinz and their beans. The mission behind this new branding effort is to create some excitement for the brand’s new five-bean variety called Five Beanz. The point of this idea was to generate a whole bean experience rather than just the eating part to really draw the consumers in. As you can see in the video above, the point was to generate a sense of smell, taste, sight, and hearing that would overwhelm the senses. Aside from the fancy bowls and spoons, the brand has launched a contest that includes a “Bean Personality” quiz, prizes of beans engraved with your name, and the ability to send your sick friends customized Heinz soup cans.
The campaign is being led by the social media agency, We Are Social, which is based out of London. Their goal is to develop a new kind of marketing plan to help brands get engaged and “socialize”.
“We’re a new kind of agency that combines an innate understanding of social media with digital, PR, and marketing skills. We are entirely focused on innovative, creative and effective social media marketing and communications and we like to think we are getting rather good at it.” –We Are Social
The company already boasts several awards since their start in June of 2008 and are already an international business. Seems like they would be a cool place to work for if you are searching for some international marketing opportunities. They can be found in London, New York, Paris, Milan, Munich, Singapore, Sydney, and San Paolo. I am interested to see how their Five Beanz campaign pans out!
Sources: http://adage.com/article/creativity-pick-of-the-day/bompas-parr-design-musical-spoons-heinz-beans/240605/
http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/musical-spoons
http://adage.com/article/creativity-pick-of-the-day/bompas-parr-design-musical-spoons-heinz-beans/240605/
http://creativity-online.com/work/heinz-five-beanz-contest–landing/28930
The Morals of Marketing
For the past week we have focused on the importance of effective marketing communications through a variety of different ways. We discussed the importance of creative briefs and even demonstrated some of our own examples in class. We read a very insightful article written by David Williamson from Georgetown University that offered some great pieces of advice when it comes to developing marketing and communications for nonprofits. Of the nine morals David discusses in this article, I have chosen three that I think truly speak to the nonprofit sector on how to create an effective marketing strategy.
Don’t Just Communicate. Market.
So many nonprofits fall into the trap of clumping marketing and communications together. While there are similarities between the two, they are not interchangeable. Williamson explains that marketing is all about “you”, there is no “we” or “I” but the one and only “you.” Communications is less of the “you” and more of the “we.” While marketing “appeals to the heart” through more a pull strategy, communications “appeals to the head” through more of a push strategy. In order to have the most effective marketing strategy, a nonprofit uses both of these techniques.
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| PUSH vs. PULL |
An organization that is doing a great job of this is Invisible Children. Through their Kony 2012 campaign, Invisible Children used emotional appeal through a very moving video that inspired viewers to get more involved and help get the attention of government officials. Their website also provides anyone who wishes to know more about the details of financials as well as an annual report. This way those who are emotionally connected can also have a better idea of what they are getting involved with.
Your Mission Should Drive Your Marketing.
Nonprofits all have something in common, the desire to promote their mission and help make a difference in the world. That being said, your mission should stand behind everything that you do. In order to have an effective marketing communication strategy, you should be marketing something that makes sense in relation to your organization’s mission. As Williamson points out, this often times means that your organization is trying to change “the behavior of people: health habits, purchasing choices, social norms, voting patterns.”
Sustainability and environmental awareness is something that has become a huge social trend among people and both nonprofit and for profit organizations today. Jill Rasmussen, Co-Owner of Promoting Public Causes, Inc. stresses the importance of creating key messages in order to reach success. According to Rasmussen, the words and phrases that an organization chooses to promote its mission are extremely critical to their success and reputation. You also must be sure that these words and phrases stay true to your organization’s vision.
Through their very informative and sometimes graphic videos, the Wildlife Conservation Society attempts to promote their cause and encourages people to get involved and help the vulnerable animals. However, I think that their videos seem outdated and too much like boring documentaries. While they contain a great deal of good information, they do not keep the viewers engaged or utilize Rasmussen’s idea of specific words and phrases to promote their mission. It seems like they could use some tips from Rasmussen and Williamson on how to best create an effective marketing communication strategy.
Blah blah blah…..
There is no such thing as the general public. Find the audience that matters most to your mission, and focus on them like a laser beam.
So often in class Professor McAlhany stresses the importance of defining a true, for lack of a better word, “target market.” Clearly, she is on to something. J Too often, nonprofits make the mistake of listing the general public as their target audience and then struggle to appeal to the market at all. In today’s society, the general public is far too general an audience. Instead, nonprofits will benefit immensely by establishing a much more definable target and developing their marketing strategy towards them. If they can successfully target the people that will actually care about their mission and vision, the more powerful and effective their message will be.
Do Somethingis a great example of this moral. It is focused solely on getting young people involved in social change –specifically those between the ages of 13 and 15. Their whole campaign focuses on encouraging young people to get involved in “doing something” about the causes that they care about. And just because they aren’t an adult, don’t have money, or maybe don’t have a car doesn’t mean that they cant take action and make a difference. Just look at their “Rules to live by” and see how well they target their audience:
1. Believe in young people. Young people can lead today. We don’t require old people.
2. Trust young people. We provide reliable, easy to access information and activation strategies, but young people decide for themselves what to do.
3.Celebrate young people. We think all measurable contributions from young people are valuable.
4. Listen to young people. We must always respect their varied abilities and time constraints.
5.Value young people. Our programs and products are free. We’re not after young people’s money; we want their passion, time, and creativity.
Sources: http://skollworldforum.org/2006/09/25/ten-steps-to-stronger-nonprofit-communications/
http://cpnl.georgetown.edu/doc_pool/Marketing.pdf
push vs. pull image: http://vanelsas.wordpress.com/2009/09/01/about-leveraging-the-facebook-platform-succesfully-for-your-business/
Do something image: http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=do+something&oe=UTF-8&um=1&ie=UTF-8&hl=en&tbm=isch&source=og&sa=N&tab=wi&ei=z6w-UfG8HZT68QTapIG4Dw&biw=1059&bih=598&sei=0aw-Uc6SCoq09QTG_IGgCw#imgrc=5jY8pbqDkgzzHM%3A%3Bt-LMMsM7Um_rhM%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Fsi0.twimg.com%252Fprofile_images%252F1706372607%252Flogo_square.png%3Bhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fdosomething%3B500%3B500
Paint Your Pony!
So in light of all our talk about nonprofits and ABAN these past few weeks, I can’t help but think about my favorite nonprofit, the North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center (NCTRC). I interned with NCTRC over the summer as the assistant to the executive director and loved it so much that I decided to go back this semester. That being said, what better way to promote this organization (and our current fundraising campaign) than to blog about it! J
Therapeutic Riding…What’s That?
So, many of us are familiar with or have heard of physical therapy and occupational therapy. But how many people have heard of hippotherapy or horse therapy? Probably not very many. At NCTRC, the staff and volunteers focus on both of these types of therapy every single day. Therapeutic Riding is the process of teaching horseback riding to children and adults with special needs to help them in a variety of different areas.
“Hippotherapy is a physical, occupational or speech therapy treatment strategy that utilizes equine movement as part of an integrated treatment program to achieve functional outcomes. In hippotherapy – which is named for the Greek word for horse, “hippos” – the patient engages in activities on the horse that are enjoyable, challenging and effective.”
NCTRC’s mission is “to empower children and adults with physical, emotional, mental and social challenges to create active, healthier and more fulfilling lives through equine-assisted activities and therapies.” Founded in 1977, NCTRC has been doing just that for over 30 years. Their program has changed the lives of hundreds of adults and children with disabilities for the better. As a nonprofit organization, NCTRC relies heavily on grants and donations to make their program a success!
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| Picture taken by me to promote the campaign |
Its Time to get Painting!
I was lucky enough to help launch NCTRC’s most recent campaign called Paint Your Pony!. For the next month, pre-assigned teams of riders and volunteers will be battling it out to see who can raise the most money for their therapy horse. The goal is to raise at least $2,500 for each horse in order to pay for the care of that horse for the whole year. Why you might ask? Because without the therapy horses, NCTRC wouldn’t be able to do its job!
Teams will be able to watch the progression of how much money they raise for their horse by looking at their horse’s painted pony look-alike on the farm. There is a horse show ribbon color for six different dollar amounts, and as each one is reached a line of that color will be painted onto the horse look-alike. Look at that customer engagement right there! J I think this is a great way to get the riders and volunteers more involved in the organization and more enthusiastic about either donating themselves or helping find others to donate. Only time will tell which therapy horse will win the race!
See the website and individual “pony pages” here.
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| picture taken by me to promote the campaign |
Do the Honey Bee
Honey bees, high schoolers, and Haagen-Dazs. What could these three things possibly have to do with each other? Well, as it turns out they provide an example of social cause marketing. In recent years, honeybee hives have been mysteriously killed off by an unknown source, and with little consumer awareness surrounding this problem Haagen-Dazs decided to jump on the cause marketing bandwagon.
Through their Haagen-Dazs Loves Honey Bees campaign, Haagen-Dazs provides both education about the topic as well as raising money towards honey bee research at Penn State University. They have a website, www.helpthehoneybees.com, where you can learn more about the cause and how you can take part to help save the bees.
This video was made by a group of high school graduates who worked with and support the campaign by demonstrating their interpretation of the instinctual honey bee waggle dance.
So What is Cause Marketing Anyway?
For the past week our IMC class has been focusing on social cause marketing and how it can be very effective for both for-profit and non-profit organizations. Jocelyn Daw, a cause-marketing consultant, refers to cause marketing as
“a mutually beneficial collaboration between a corporation and a nonprofit in which their respective assets are combined to create shareholder and social value, connect with a range of constituents (be they consumers, employees, or suppliers), and communicate the share values of both organizations.”
We were lucky enough to have guest speaker Holly Stewart come in and give us some great insight into how to best utilize cause marketing for our semester long project working with the non-profit ABAN. Based in Chapel Hill, NC and Accra, Ghana, ABAN works to “empower streets girls while cleaning up the environment.” They do this by collecting the small plastic bags for clean drinking water found on the streets of Ghana and creating bags and accessories from the recycled materials. Hopefully my team and I will be able to develop a great co-branding strategy for ABAN that will help them have success into the future!
To learn even more about ABAN, visit their website at http://www.aban.org/about-us.
Three Take Aways
After a bit of research, reading, and listening to Holly Stewart, I have come to notice three trends that I think are important when it comes to social cause marketing.
1.Telling a story is a great way to create that emotional connection with consumers. As Holly says, it is important to go from heartache to hope. Show your consumers that this is not a lost cause and that there is the chance for a brighter future. With their help, any number of causes can receive great support and take a step towards making the world a better place.
2. Staying in line. When developing your cause marketing it is so important that you keep your cause in alignment with the company or brand that it is working with. In chapter 4, Clow talks about the importance of product positioning and how it creates the perception of how the consumer sees the product. Therefore, when choosing a cause to pair with a brand, do not choose two that don’t “fit.” For example, Holly Stewart mentioned how the Susan G. Komen Foundation established a partnership with KFC through the creation of a pink bucket whose proceeds would go towards the foundation. However, consumers that perceived the Komen Foundation as one that believes in finding the cure for cancer were not happy that they were condoning eating unhealthy, fatty fried chicken for the cause.
3. Keep engaging. Customer engagement is something that will keep coming back in all aspects of marketing. In order to encourage support and donations, it is important for the consumers to know where their money is going and what they are supporting. If brands and non-profits ignore their supporters, they will not continue to support them into the future. Supporters want to be a part of the cause, and the more they are engaged the more likely they will be to open up those wallets!
Sources: http://grantspace.org/Tools/Knowledge-Base/Funding-Resources/Corporations/Cause-related-marketing
Clow, Kenneth E., and Donald Baack. Integrated Advertising, Promotion, and Marketing Communications. Harlow, Essex: Pearson Education, 2012. Print
Bucket Image Source: http://www.realself.com/blog/pink-high-heels-fight-cancer-boost-sales