That’s right, buy a jug of high fructose corn syrup-powered soda pop—one of the primary causes of diabetes and childhood obesity—and we’ll donate a dollar to juvenile diabetes research.

Our take: absolutely shameful and completely irresponsible. What’s yours?

. . .

Correction: A commentor below has pointed out that the correlation made above is incorrect — that “TYPE 1 and is an autoimmune disease.  TYPE 2 is a metabolic disorder from too much crappy foods.”

So, to be more factually correct, the promotion helps fund research to stop one form of diabetes by having you engage in an activity that causes another.

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. . .

Read Joe Water’s Selfish Giving’s original post on this topic to learn more.

When Coke and Pepsi start being judged by their social responsibility as much as their taste (and their ads), you’ll know Responsible Marketing has arrived, right? Well, that time has come.

The Huffington Post recently ran an online poll pitting Pepsi’s Refresh Project Vs. Coke’s Live Positively campaigns.

The associated article does a great job laying out the differences between the campaigns, then left it up to readers to choose which campaign they preferred.

For marketers wanting to reach the younger generation, this makes sense:

This “conscious capitalism” has been a growing trend, and for good reason. A 2006 Millennial Cause Study by Cone Inc. and AMP Insights found that 69% of Millennials will consider a company’s social and environmental commitment when deciding where to shop, and a whopping 89% are likely to switch from one brand to another if the second brand is associated with a good cause. That’s powerful motivation for companies fighting for market share.

So, which campaign do you find most compelling?

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Image: Huffington Post

Join us as we unveil our new look and see what it means for us, our clients and ultimately, our world.

Pam Mauk, Executive Director of Family Resource Center will share some of the important work they’re doing to support 18 charities that provide essential human services on the Eastside.

Wednesday, September 9, 2009
Doors open at 4pm; presentation begins at 5:30pm

Donations are appreciated, but not required.

SecondStory Repertory Theater
Redmond Town Center
16587 NE 74th Street
Redmond, WA 98052

RSVP by September 7, 2009

Beer, wine and hors d’oeuvres will be served…along with a healthy dose of fun videos and self-deprecating humor.

You may also RSVP on Facebook

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Gennefer Snowfield at the Triple Pundit interviewed me earlier this week and asked me a host of questions regarding Responsible Marketing, including—

• Where the Responsible Marketing concept came from;
• The impetus for this blog;
• How I define Responsible Marketing;
• Where Responsible Marketing fits with cause marketing;
• Which brands are leading in Responsible Marketing;
• My predictions for the future. . . and more.

Read The Holy Grail of Successful Marketing: Responsibility then weigh in, either here or there.

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Image: Monty Python and the Holy Grail

Starbucks has launched a new campaign to make it easier to participate in President Obama’s call for national service.

With a goal of helping raise over one million hours of community service, the Starbucks Pledge5 campaign is in full-swing running in-stores and online. With the leading question “Are you in?” the ask is for a pledge of five hours of community service in 2009.

Commit five hours between today and January 25th and you’ll get a free cuppa joe.

Kudos to Starbucks for using their reach to do some good—now if they could only get my drink right.

Any and all ideas welcome.

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Thanks to Melissa Griswold for sharing this story with me—keep the great tips coming!

Well, his image and voice were resurrected to help the One Laptop Per Child Foundation “OLPCF” and it’s raised a few eyebrows (and hackles).

If you haven’t heard about the OLPCF, here’s a summary:

It’s an education project, not a laptop project. Inexpensive, durable, networked laptops are important to better education everywhere in the world, empowering children and communities, and sharing access to modern skills with every child on the planet.

And a short video:

View OLPCF Mission on YouTube

It’s an ambitious and noble cause and an idea that’s easy to support.

So Yoko Ono granted the OLPCF the rights to use John Lennon in the following ad, released on December 25:

View A message from John Lennon on YouTube

“John Lennon’s vision of a better world aligns perfectly with the mission of One Laptop per Child,” says Nicholas Negroponte, founder of the OLPC.

But his opinion isn’t shared by all. An article in Ad Age sums it up well:

Still, the ads have mostly been polarizing. Comments at the YouTube page where the ad has been posted by the foundation range from “It’s a good message, but this is too far” to “This is an abomination.” Writers on the popular website Boing Boing said, “Resurrecting the dead to shill modern products is not going to catch on,” adding, “Digitally, it’s creepy.”

Bill Boyd puts it this way:

I always view the use of images of dead celebrities—digitally enhanced or created from scratch—as irresponsible. They’re simply not here to let us know whether they’d approve.

To me, it’s partly about casting responsibility. I couldn’t see Marilyn Monroe, John Wayne or W.C. Fields saying this. But John Lennon feels like a nice fit.

But what do you think?

Comment below to share.

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Year-end closeouts!
Employee pricing!
No reasonable offer refused!
Support a cause?!

Subaru has thrown a curve ball into the mix with it’s Share the Love promotion.

Watch Share the Love on YouTube

When you buy or lease any new Subaru now and January 2, 2009, Subaru will donate $250 to one of the following charities:

So, what do you think of this campaign?

Does this change your opinion of Subaru?

Comment below to share your thoughts.

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I love their model, and for the holidays, they are campaigning to give away 30,000 pairs of shoes to children in Ethiopia. Here’s a little more info:

View TOMS Project Holiday on YouTube

The script

Instead of giving another towel warmer, foot massager, electric razor, cat calendar, crumb duster or electronic jewelry cleaner—give Toms Shoes.

For every pair you purchase, Toms will give a pair of shoes to a child in need. One for one.

1,000,000 men, women, boys and girls are suffering from Podoconiosis in Ethiopia. What is Podoconiosis? A soil-transmitted disease caused by walking, farming, working, playing or running barefoot in silica-rich soil.

What is silica? Silica is ancient volcanic glass that penetrates the skin and makes its way into the lymphatic system. The feet and lower legs swell. Open sores and ulcers develop. Infection sets in.

But here is the good news: Podoconiosis is 100% preventable. Without the use of a vaccine or an expensive antibiotic. This disease is prevented by simply wearing shoes.

And that’s where you come in.

This holiday season Toms wants to give 30,000 pairs of shoes to children in Ethiopia. And we need your help.

So, share this video, forward this link, make flyers, call your congressman.

Tell Bush, tell Obama. tell your mama.

And join us. Help us reach 30,000.

Give TOMS Shoes.

Sure, to give 30,000 pairs of shoes, they have to sell 30,000 pairs of shoes.

I’m totally okay with that.

Are you?

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You know—state agencies.

Battling preconceptions to market employment office services to employers

A few years back, Outsource Marketing helped a consortium of seven U.S. states whose charter was to find effective new ways to market state one-stop services to employers. “One-stops” is the name used to describe state employment offices.

I know. Sounds like a yawner, but it wasn’t. At all.

Here’s a collage of selected images from the campaign:

+enlarge

The superhero theme was unique at the time, and it helped us battle the incorrect preconception that all state employees are disinterested paper pushers.

To the contrary, focus groups and surveys of business owners and managers in all seven states told us business reps at these state agencies were entrepreneurial, engaged, and super to have around.

The campaign results were quite good, and we documented our findings to help create a marketing template for state employment offices nationwide.

A fully integrated stop-smoking campaign

A new stop smoking campaign targeted primarily to young adults from The Colorado State Tobacco Education and Prevention partnership is particularly well done:

View this video on Vimeo

The Cigarette is Dead offers an interactive timeline where site visitors can mark the moment when tobacco became either physically, personally, politically, socially dead to them. The personal stories made up of text or video range from the moving to the mundane, and are worth a look.

This is an integrated effort and ads are seemingly everywhere and their messaging is on murals, billboards, bus shelters, huge outdoor banners, projected on highly visible buildings and spray painted on side walks:

Some might argue marketing the environment, AIDS prevention, child abuse, etc. is easy. It’s not like marketing a professional service, a product for businesses or a consumer product.

I’d argue that, while true, that’s a bit of a cop out.

Sure, this campaign is works because of its message, but it is good for a number of other reasons:

Remember, this isn’t a funded Silicon Valley startup. This mini-movement was supported by the Colorado state health department.

So, can you market as well as a state agency? Why or why not?

And have you seen other state agencies do marketing well?

Comment below to share.

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Starbucks is giving away free coffee:

View this video on YouTube

Krispy Kreme is giving away free donuts:

And Ben and Jerry’s is giving away free ice cream:

It’s a win-win:

The voters win, because they are exercising their rights and getting free stuff.

The marketers win because they are gaining the benefit of unprecedented election buzz while aligning themselves with an activity that’s both responsible and patriotic.

So, what other Election Day promotions have you seen?

Comment below to share.

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