Reaching Levels Beyond Cause Marketing

The ladies of the Ad Council were lucky enough to travel to Boston in September to attend the Beyond Cause Marketing Summit 2011, part of Boston’s FutureM Week. Cause marketing isn’t getting the job done, so the community of Boston organized this opportunity for people to come together and discuss how to shift our thinking and approach. For all the money and attention raised, not enough is being done to address the challenges society faces today.

The summit began with a “conversation gauntlet”, a series of 1:1 interviews with a number of practitioners and thought leaders, moderated by Brian Reich, Senior Vice President-Editor at Edelman.  One by one, six “victims” spent time in the hot seat and were presented with rapid-fire questions on never before explored ideas. The first victim, Robbie Vitrano, co-founder and brand architect of Naked Pizza and founder of Trumpet Group, brought up an important idea on the basis of brand that is often overlooked by our nonprofit clients, and I’m sure, other for-profit businesses as well.

“Your brand is an inside-out construct. A brand is a business idea that attains cultural influence. Cultural influence says you’re developing relationships within a certain set of objectives and you’re going to apply that process in such a way as to achieve a certain level of impact. Brand as an act of behavior; an act of authenticity; something measured internally as well as externally, is a very powerful idea. That conversation can help move you from a wider place to somewhere that you can actually have some impact. The artifacts that you used to define a brand – a color palette, logo, aesthetics, and style -don’t matter as much as behavior, function, and utility of your brand.”

A lot of nonprofits express to the Ad Council their feeling that a change in their logo or their tagline will lead to a greater understanding of who they are. Or that a sleeker look to their marketing collateral will strengthen their brand. These thoughts are very frequently off-target. What they don’t understand is that a brand is made up of much more, and that it’s not just the physical appearance – brand is an “inside-out construct”. Your brand should live in everything you do – and everything you do supports your mission.

To reach and educate more people through means of strengthening your brand, you must strengthen your behavior and be crystal clear on who you are and what it is that you aim to do. To look at this from a wider point, think of your brand as an act of behavior, as Robbie Vitrano suggested. All artifacts like logo and color palette are secondary to message when it comes to the factors contributing to brand. Brand is really what your constituents perceive about your organization and what you do – it’s how the combination of all your actions are experienced by other people. As Michael Eisner of Disney put it, “A brand is a living entity – and it is enriched or undermined cumulatively over time, the product of a thousand small gestures.” 

Understanding the definition of brand and understanding what your brand means are crucial in the success of your not-for-profit organization or for-profit business. No matter who you are, brand is all-defining.

-Annie Sullivan

“The New Face(s) of Corporate Giving” Gave Great Advice

I had no idea that I would be learning rather than doling out information when I volunteered to be a panelist for the Ad Council’s “The New Face of Corporate Giving” nonprofit workshop. The page of notes I had prepared to present on had to be tossed out and I had to wing my presentation because the keynote speaker, Gina Testa, VP of Marketing at Xerox, was so amazing! She covered everything from how to strategically construct your message to how to effectively reach the decision makers and motivate them to act. After Gina’s address, fellow panelists and I shared success stories and explained what our companies’ procedures are for giving. Surprisingly, there were a lot of consistencies and common practices.

Read on for key points discussed in the workshop that I think are helpful for any organization:

• Fighting for Limited Dollars:
  • Marketing and philanthropic dollars are more commonly being combined into one budget.
  • A monetary ask has to have marketing value to the donor.
  • Try to match your target audience demographics to the donor company’s target audience.
  • Consider co-branding opportunities/promotions.
  • Donors want to take a more active role – get them involved from the beginning and customize packages to meet their needs.
• The Message Behind Your Ask:
  • Should be relevant to the donor.
  • Should be customized – utilize PURL’s (personal URL’s).
  • Will be noticed if you are creative!
• Reaching the Decision Maker:
  • Use an appropriate media mix for best results. Direct mail is still one of best tools with clutter of e-mail but everyone should also be utilizing social media, YouTube, e-mail, online banner ads, and traditional mediums as well. As Gina Testa said – “Technology is here to stay, so jump on board or you will get left behind.”
  • Reach out during non-ask times to build/maintain relationships.
  • Say thank you. Follow-up after an event and provide results (hits to website, # facebook fans hit/liked, # people who received newsletter, etc.). Make the results of their involvement tangible.
  • Reach out to employees – ask supporters to present on your behalf and rally support from within their companies.
  • Become viral – ask supporters and their friends to “like” you and support you via social media networks.

In conclusion, you may have one question:  Who is this “New Face of Corporate Giving?”

Answer: It depends on who you are and what you do.

Obtaining donor dollars in today’s market requires research and customizing to the donor’s needs. To learn more about “The New Face of Corporate Giving,” contact Annie Sullivan at annie@adcouncilroch.org to obtain Gina Testa’s PowerPoint presentation.

-Janice Sherman
Most Enlightened Panelist

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Janice Sherman is the Corporate Director of Marketing at Wilmorite Management Group. She is responsible for branding, marketing, advertising, public relations, community involvement, and market research for Wilmorite. Janice also directs mall marketing operations including the development and implementation of strategic marketing plans, advertising campaigns, sales analysis, retailer marketing, and public relations. Wilmorite is a member of the Ad Council and is a great supporter of the Ad Council’s work with nonprofits in the community.

Find Janice on LinkedIn.

An Egg McMuffin, Are You Sure That’s What You Want?

You know the scene. A slightly upscale café, metropolitan types sip pricey coffee while in earnest discussion over their laptops. One of them is me.  Then along comes an interruption. Here’s what followed:

Lady: ‘Can you spare some change please?’

Instead of fumbling for small change, I surprised myself by asking a question.

Me: ‘Would you like me to buy you something to eat?’

Lady: ‘Yes, please.’

Me: ‘What would you like?’ [I gesture at the array of fine pastries.]

Lady: ‘Can I have an Egg McMuffin? [She points at the McDonald’s next door.]

Me: ‘Course you can.’ [And at this point, I am actually walking away from the new business meeting I was having. Yes, I leave the new business meeting to go to McDonald’s.]

Me: ‘An Egg McMuffin, are you sure that’s what you want?’

Lady: ‘Can I have two?’

Me: ‘OK.’

Lady: ‘…and a sausage roll?’

Me: ‘Why don’t I just give you this?’ [I give her a fiver.]

Lady: ‘Thanks mister, you’re a diamond.’

Story excerpt from Derek Humphries (http://www.sofii.org/node/831)

When I came across this story, it struck me as very parallel to the Ad Council’s mission in more than one way.  First, we don’t just supply finished products to the nonprofits we serve.  We ask hard questions and dig deep to find out what the organization really needs and the outcomes they desire before providing a program or solution.  We look at the behavior or goal they really want to achieve and help the nonprofit to arrive there themselves – even if it’s in a way that might not be the easiest or most desired route.

Looking at the story another way, the Ad Council has identified real needs – nonprofits need marketing and communications support, and community issues need to be given a voice.  We also identify our closest friends who have a passion for marketing efficiencies and the propensity to give and volunteer – just like the lady in the story strategically picked whom she would approach for money.  We provide the donor and/or volunteer the opportunity to do something they feel good about – a chance to put their values, assets and good intention into the proactive.  And though we may not call them “diamonds,” we do refer to our supporters as something equally as flattering, like hero, treasure, or just plain awesome.

So before you embark on your year-end appeals in this fourth quarter, ask yourself, are you identifying the right target audience to ask for support?  Do they have a passion for your cause and a propensity to give?  And are you providing them with what they need (or want) to put their values into practice?  Or are you offering fine pastries to a potential donor that really is hungry for an Egg McMuffin?  Because let’s be honest (calories aside), if provided with the option, which would you choose?

-Shannon E. Struzik
Lover of efficient & effective fundraising, Egg McMuffins, and, of course, diamonds (being called one or the real thing)

Fashions May Come and Go but a Strategic Plan Never Goes Out of Style

The Ad Council staff, sans Todd Butler our fearless leader who stayed behind to mind the shop, had the good fortune of being able to attend marketing’s equivalent to Fashion Week in Boston - Future M, a city-wide event in Boston that spans 5 days of events, discussions and, my favorite, parties that explore and celebrate the future of marketing (and Massachusetts’ role in helping to realize it).  We weren’t so lucky to be there for the entire week but instead took advantage of one of Future M’s events, the Beyond Cause Marketing Summit held at the Microsoft NERD Center on the MIT campus in Cambridge.

So, if digital is the new black and blogging is the “must have” because “everyone’s going to have one” then cause marketing is that signature piece that lets your personal style shine through. Beyond Cause Marketing (BeyondCM) was dedicated to addressing social change within the context of cause marketing.  Participants included marketers, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, universities and public policy – a mash up some of the top players and innovators who have a role in defining and refining the impact their cause marketing effort can have on making real and measurable social change.

Aside from money (and fundraising), how else can a company through its cause marketing campaign improve health outcomes, strengthen communities, or improve graduation rates, etc… another words, if cause marketing in its current form isn’t helping to improve our community and the lives of our fellow human beings then what needs to change?

Brian Reich, SVP, Global Editor, Edelman Digital and Edelman.com, author of two books on technology and organizational behavior (Shift & Reset coming soon), contributor to Fast Company, and the moderator at the BeyondCM Summit, asked presenters, facilitators and participants to “Push the reset button.”  In other words, what one thing should an organization STOP doing (nonprofit or for profit) and what one thing should they START doing?

The presenters came back with a range of suggestions -

• Don’t start with the money, it’s the idea/mission (that you start with), Robbie Vitrano, Co-Founder & Brand Architect, Naked Pizza
• Let the brand support the cause, not the brand driving the cause - Brian Reich, SVP, Global Editor
• Give new technology a shot (nonprofits take a while to process change) – Adam Archer, CEO & Co-Founder, Games That Give

Many other responses were shared, as you can imagine, but I’m going to focus on focus.  Focus was a common theme that kept resurfacing whether it had to do with prioritizing activities that align with your core mission, focusing on having a measurable impact, or ensuring there is a strategic plan for growth and impact.

When the question, “what one thing should organizations start doing?” was asked at the beginning of the summit, I had the chance to speak up for nonprofits (most of the responses up to that point were from business marketers and marketing firms) and emphasize the need for nonprofits, in particular, to have a strategic plan.  A solid plan can prevent an organization from just “following the money trail” and the next best fundraising trend that isn’t relevant to their mission.

A strategic plan gives a nonprofit a road map to follow and from a cause marketing standpoint, it helps nonprofits discern what co-branding opportunities align with their mission or their cause more “naturally” (by more natural, I mean better strategic fit or alignment between a nonprofit/cause and the company so as to give the appearance that the partnership was a natural fit between the two organizations) thus allowing the cause to lead the marketing effort and not the corporate brand.

A sound strategy also helps nonprofits stay true to their mission and maximize their resources. An organization that feeds the homeless might feel compelled to offer job training or emergency shelter services but a strategic plan keeps the mission intact and the limited resources (staff and money) focused.  Focused resources mean greater impact
So, as you look ahead to the fall fashion trends, go ahead and customize your facebook page, take a chance with a hack-a-thon or even gamification but always remember – a strategic plan flatters every body (or organization) type and is a classic look no matter what your style.and better outcomes.

-Susan Gilchrist

Cause Marketing Fashionista

Nonprofits Must React to the Changing Face of Corporate Giving

Many corporations are transitioning their community support from charitable giving to a marketing investment. Due to this change, it is very important that nonprofit professionals understand business-to-business marketing when requesting support from corporations. On Wednesday, September 28^th the Ad Council is hosting a workshop which will cater specifically to nonprofit professionals. The workshop is from 8:30am-12:00pm at the Strathallan Hotel and will focus on the new face of corporate funding.

Some of Rochester’s most prominent corporate giving officers will speak on the new face of corporate giving, how corporate support decisions are being made, and how to be more successful in this area as a nonprofit professional. I am one of the speakers and will be sharing some marketing trends and best practices that other nonprofit organizations have used and  how to leverage targeted and relevant communications campaigns in order to achieve your goals.

If there are specific topics on corporate giving that you would like to be addressed during the Nonprofit Workshop, please leave them as a comment on this blog, or on the event’s facebook page.

To register, go to www.adcouncilroch.org, or contact Annie Sullivan at asullivan@adcouncilroch.org or 585-442-0200 x208.

-Gina Testa
Expert on the Inside Scoop

Gina Testa is Vice President of the Graphic Communications Industry Business at Xerox. She has over 25 years of executive experience in financial, operational, product delivery and marketing roles. Gina also serves on the Board of Directors at the Ad Council of Rochester.

Follow Gina on Twitter: @XeroxGinaTesta

Don’t Be Schooled by Fundraising

It’s okay if you feel like this kid. We agree- it’s hard to believe that back-to-school time is here already.

Yet, there is no time to dwell on the summer past, especially as a nonprofit. Fundraising efforts are in full swing as always, and engaging local schools in Rochester is undeniably logical. Our community is an active participant in fundraising efforts that support our schools, and who can deny a cute kid?

Check out these helpful tips from CDS Global for Nonprofits on school-based fundraising programs. It’s a quick and easy read; after all, we wouldn’t want you to miss the bus on your first day.

-Annie Sullivan
Former Pupil of Rochester 

Rise Above the Brainstorms

To extract the most creativity and diversity of ideas from your group, start by zipping your lips.

When brainstorming, members of a group are likely to jump on the bandwagon with proposed ideas, or suggest only related ideas. Getting swept away on the same wave carries group members further away from many original ideas they might have had. They become much less likely to bring up ideas that are completely different than the direction of the brainstorming session. Within ten minutes, a group shuts down 99% of potential conversation paths (Smith, 2011). Hence, brainstorming can actually lead to reduced creativity. Three major shortcomings of brainstorming include:

1. Blocking: Only one person can speak at a time. Holding in an idea while another is speaking causes one to judge, edit, or forget their idea.
2. Evaluation Apprehension: It is easy to feel judged by superiors in the group and refrain from sharing ideas in fear of being “off the mark.”
3. Personality Faceoff: Clashing personalities have potential to cause unproductive behavior.

To create a greater plethora of ideas than a typical brainstorming session, try brainwriting. Brainwriting is an activity which a group can do that avoids the fundamental shortcomings of brainstorming while everyone in the group still simultaneously tackles the same problem.

First, a problem or question to focus on is identified by the group. Everyone starts with one piece of paper. Each person writes down an idea to solve the problem or an answer to the question, and passes their paper to their left. When group members receive new pieces of paper, they read the ideas already recorded on that sheet and proceed to write down another idea, most likely sparked by what other individuals have recorded above. The earliest ideas will be the most creative and act as stimuli for the rest of the ideas. Brainwriting focuses on quantity as opposed to quality; all ideas are tolerated, as even the silliest idea may spark the idea for ultimate solution. Brainwriting continues until the sheets are filled up, or until it is seen fit to stop. All papers are then collected and ideas are presented altogether. A brainstorming session commences and the multitude of ideas procured in the brainwriting session are shared and pared down with the help of a moderator, to include only those with decidedly most potential.

Brainwriting>Traditional Brainstorming for the following reasons:

• Generation of exponentially more ideas
• Participants can still build on each others’ ideas while avoiding fundamental shortcomings of traditional brainstorming
• Ideas are recorded immediately; no waiting to share
• No one is overshadowed; everyone contributes equally
• Private environment squashes fear of judgment

Do yourself a favor and the next time you join a brainstorming session, make the executive decision that the group goes mum for some highly productive brainwriting.

-Annie Sullivan
AdRoc Brainiac

Events are Like Crack.

But Since Breaking This Addiction is Tough, Here’s How To Get the Best High.

One of my favorite fundraising bloggers, Pamela Grow, caught my attention with a recent article where she said, “Everyone seems to buy into that old Andy Hardy mantra of “let’s put on a show!” and many people view events as the be-all, end-all of fundraising.”  Coming from an event and entertainment background, I had always bought into this thinking as well – and I definitely wasn’t the only one.  Mention the word fundraising to anyone outside of the field, and their first suggestion will always be some type of event – be it a gala, golf tournament, walk, run, concert – you name it.  And in this community, you are hard-pressed to find a week or weekend when there isn’t some type of charity event taking place.

But never fear, those of you who bask in horror at the idea of cancelling a 25 year (or even a 5 year) running event that isn’t quite receiving the turnout that it did previously; there is another way.  This way, however, may be an even scarier proposition for some nonprofit professionals.  You must –  are you ready for this – take a risk.  Yes, a risk.  Stick your neck out and CHANGE UP your event.  If you’ve maxed out your target audience for your event, putting all your effort into doing the same thing is not going to generate more income for you – it will only cause you further aggravation when the numbers don’t measure up.  You must find a way to attract new “friends” to your event, and therefore create new revenue streams for your event – and ultimately, new donors for your organization.

Sound impossible and like way more work than you can handle?  It’s not.  It’s a matter of re-allocating your time and effort.  Yesterday, the Ad Council hosted it’s first-ever A Games, previously known as the Annual Pro-Ad Golf Tournament.  The tournament was reaching it’s 17^th year, and golf participation had decreased from selling out two golf courses to just 168 golfers between two courses last year.  Sponsorship for golf tournaments is increasingly difficult to secure in the current economy (no shock to my fundraising colleagues), and goals in this arena needed to be made more realistic for our organization.  Silent auctions and contests can only raise so much, especially when participation is dwindling.  So how were we going to fill the revenue gap to meet this budgetary goal?  If we put any more staff time and effort into the event, it would further decrease our net gain, so that wasn’t an option.  So instead we took a risk and repositioned our efforts on – of all things – people who don’t like to (or even despise to) golf.

A-Games 3rd Place Tie Breaker Competition in Ladder Golf

Yes, that’s right – a golf tournament that not only caters to golfers, but also non-golfers.  After the golfers set off at 10 am as usual, we got to work setting up a tournament of backyard games to begin at 2pm (KanJam, Bean Bag Toss, Ladder Ball, Darts, Bocce, and Wii Golf) for our new audience.  We priced these foursomes at half the price of golfer foursomes, and added beer and wine tasting to this portion of the event.  We hoped the A Games debut would draw 10 foursomes; we ended up with 16!  And everyone had a blast.  The event went smoothly, Mother Nature was on our side (that was part of my responsibility, of course), and the best part—watching the networking reception that followed.  Visors and golf shirts mixed with jeans and tank tops, all eating, drinking, and laughing together.  And we may not have increased our revenue from previous years, but we DID maintain our current level – with minimal extra effort.

How did we do it?  We moved to just one golf course (maximum 144 golfers) and promoted this to those who have been our loyal participants.  Then, we put all of our extra effort into creating this fun, new, and different games event by focusing on the non-golfer and companies who may be more willing to give their employees a ½ day out of the office instead of a full one (and pay almost ½ the price to send a foursome).  We leveraged the team-building that results from sending a foursome of staff or staff-and-client teams to compete together in a tournament.  And we all stuck our necks out and took the responsibility for the change – success or failure.

I will say that I’m the last person on earth to promote a NEW event as a means of fundraising for nonprofits.  In the words of Peter Drucker, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”  But if you really can’t bear the withdrawal of a currently running event, and, most importantly, your event still has a decent amount of ROI, there are ways to breathe new life into your fundraiser to increase to and/or maintain the levels of success you previously enjoyed.  To maintain the best high, sometimes you have to modify your addiction.

-Shannon Struzik

Director of EA (Eventaholics Anonymous)

Disclaimer: This article in no way encourages drug use at your events – even if it would make your silent auction more successful.

PS Special thanks to everyone who made the first Ad Council A Games a smashing success!!

PPS What have you done to shake up your long-standing events?  Please share!

Work Is Work and Fun is Fun, But…

How do you combine them and still maintain a productive and professional work environment?

There isn’t one answer for everyone, but there are companies that are making the mix work, to improve morale, efficiency and teamwork within their organization.  One of our core values at Butler Till Media Services is “Work without fun is drudgery- and we won’t stand for drudgery.”  Team-Building and Team-Recreation have been incorporated into the everyday work life for the employees.  Butler Till has a “Fun committee” that puts together a list of activities that would make a cruise ship director envious.  This is a list of events our “Fun committee” has organized for this year:

• January – “Good-bye to Monroe Avenue” get-together.  Champagne toast.
• February – Super Bowl Pool.
• March – Oscars Contest.  Ballots will be available for everyone to pick Oscars winners.  Prize will be a movie themed gift basket.
• April – Annual Easter Egg Hunt
• May – Annual Cinco de Mayo party
• May- September – Grilling Wednesday
• June – B/T Breakfast
• July – Annual Field Days
• August/September – Bowling Party / BT Breakfast/Garbage Plates as part of grilling Wednesday.
• October – Halloween Party
• November – Turkey Bowling
• December – In-house Christmas party

Not all the fun has to happen on-site either- once a year we send a team of employees to the United Way Day of Caring, where we have done yard work for a local group home – it’s a way to develop bonds and teamwork among co workers while helping others, demonstrating another of B/T’s core values, “We gratefully give back to our communities.”

Healthy competition can also bring about teamwork.  During our participation in  Wegman’s  “Eat Well – Live Well” campaign, we organized employees into several teams to compete against each other in healthy habits and gave them names like “Cauliflower Superpower”.   In addition, there are spontaneous weekly games of basketball and waffle ball behind the building at lunch that keep the team relaxed and tension free. After long hours spent putting together cutting-edge media plans, meeting with a digital vendor on the latest trends in rich media or assembling in depth market research for a new client, physical release is in order.  Hey, it’s not all fun (that’s why they call it work), but the right amount of fun mixed into the work day or work week helps staff keep on the top of their game, which, in return provides our clients with the best and most enriching experience.

Looking for a way to do some team building this summer?  The A-Games at Shadow Pines, previously known as the Pro Ad Golf Tournament, provide an opportunity to send a foursome to play in the golf tournament – great for co workers or to bring out a client.  Additionally, new this year is the opportunity to send a foursome of “gamers” to participate in fun, team-building backyard games including Ladder Golf, Darts, KanJam, Wii Golf, Bocce, and Bean Bag Toss. The A-Games will take place on Monday, August 22 at Shadow Pines Golf Course with registration at 9AM.  The team games portion is from 2-6pm and during that time there will be a Beer & Wine Tasting with Rohrbach Brewing Company, Genesee Brewing Company, Casa Larga Vineyards, and Atwater Estate Vineyards, hors d’oeuvres, a raffle, a silent auction, awards, networking opportunities and a cash bar. To register for this event, contact Annie Sullivan at asullivan@adcouncilroch.org or 585-442-0200 x208.

-George Heissenberger

Leader of the Anti-Drudgery Movement

George Heissenberger is Senior Media Manager at Butler Till Media Services, which was selected by Advertising Age as one of the Best Places to Work in Marketing & Media 2010. He is a media veteran with over 30 years in Advertising and Marketing, working with all media from Print and Radio to Outdoor and Digital.  George has worked at some of Rochester’s top media companies including Butler Till, Messenger Post Media and the Democrat and Chronicle.  George is on the Board of Directors for the Ad Council and has been a dedicated Ad Council volunteer since 1987.

Join Butler Till’s conversation on media today, visit their blog: Media Mosaic

Connect with Butler Till on LinkedIn

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“Sometimes Your Apple is an Orange”

In Other Words, Your Target Audience Isn’t Always Your Population of Focus

“Your population of focus isn’t necessarily your target audience” is a statement that crosses our lips on a regular basis at the Ad Council.  A nonprofit that spends any significant amount of time with us will hear that at least once, if not more, especially if we’re working together in a Brand Development Workshop or a Communications Plan.  And, Social Marketing initiatives like, reducing underage drinking, lowering ER (emergency room) usage among Medicaid patients or increasing the adoption of birth control among women (see the article referenced below for details “In Nigeria, Selling Birth Control is an Uphill Battle”), often need to include other groups of people that are not the population of focus.

Sometimes it’s a no-brainer and it’s an apples-to-apples comparison – your target audience is the same as your population of focus like, if you’re promoting a parenting class directly to parents.  But, what if it’s more effective to promote your parenting class among daycare providers because they can reach more parents than your organization; or what if they’re more influential in helping parents decide if your class is worth it?  Then your target audience is no longer your population of focus – parents – it’s daycare providers.

Marketers have understood this difference for a long time.  They’ve understood that the buyers of a product or service are often making purchasing decisions based on the advice and recommendation of those surrounding him or her.  Marketers called them “the influencer(s)” to the decision maker and these individuals quickly became recognized as an equally important group to go after.

Even children, despite their increased buying power as consumers, are marketed to because of their influential power over parents when it comes to cereals, snacks and even cars – advertisers know that parents listen to their kids about what to buy (read more about “Pester Power”).

This recent NPR blog post, “In Nigeria, Selling Men on Birth Control is an Uphill Battle” really warmed my marketing heart because even though there is still a lot of work to be done around improving the adoption of birth control among Nigerian families, there was a strategic shift in the Society for Family Health‘s approach to the issue.

The communication outreach and birth control program re-focused its effort and is now including targeting husbands. After all, husbands have the greatest influence on their wives in Nigerian households when it comes to family planning.  In most cases, even if a wife wants to take birth control she won’t do it without the support from her husband.  This is an excellent example of re-assessing the effectiveness of a program by analyzing other potential target audience segments beyond the population of focus.

In order for nonprofits to identify target audiences beyond the population they’re serving, it’s important to step outside the organization’s mission and the program(s) being delivered – and be objective.

So, before you set your sights on another mailing to individual donors (because that’s what you’ve always done), offer another program aimed at serving low income mothers (in hopes to engage more mothers) or create another flyer to post in local community centers, ask yourself these questions:

“Who do we depend on to be successful (in the delivery of our program(s)?”
“Who or what other groups are the greatest influencers to achieving successful outcomes among our population of focus?”
“If we didn’t exist, who else (besides the population we’re serving) would care about the void our organization would leave behind?”

Use whatever data you have or can get your hands on in order to provide you with an accurate picture.  Where are your referrals coming from?  Who else plays a significant role in the life of the people you’re serving?  Who are you receiving donations from and how are they hearing about you?  You may find that WHO you’re talking to needs to change and/or you may identify and prioritize an entirely new group of people but either way, you’ve put the time and effort into thinking more strategically about your organization and your program(s).

One last example, is a local community coalition that redefined its strategy by changing its target audience.  An underage substance abuse prevention coalition in Wyoming County set out to reach all young people with a message about underage drinking.  However, they soon realized that they couldn’t effectively reach all youth and do so in a way that would result in the behavior change that would help them reach their goals: increasing the age of first use (when a youth has their first drink) and decreasing the number of kids who report having a drink within the past 30 days.

With some additional research the Ad Council helped the community coalition define their population of focus more narrowly to be middle school age children.  And, with more research, we helped them identify their target audience… the parents.  Why parents?  Because, among other reasons, research showed that the parents of middle schoolers continue to have the greatest potential of influencing their child about whether or not to drink.

So, sure, sometimes your target audience is your population of focus, but often your target audience is an orange. (If you skipped to the end of this post, go back and re-read – it’ll make sense, I promise.)

-Susan Gilchrist

Cornucopia of Marketing Advice