Campaign: Guns Down

Company: Essence Magazine

Nonprofit Partner: None

Launch Date: April 8, 2013

Campaign Description:  

ESSENCE, a lifestyle magazine for African-American women, has launched a new message-focused cause marketing effort called GUNS DOWN. A three-part series in the magazine will tell stories of lives affected by gun violence and an advocacy campaign will encourage African-American women across the nation to join in the fight against gun violence. The May issue features a pre-written letter to President Barack Obama that readers can cut out and mail directly to the White House expressing support of the President's initiatives to curb gun violence. A social media campaign encourages readers to Tweet a picture of their signed letters with the hashtag #EsssenceGunsDown to show their support.

Our Take:  

Most cause marketing campaigns we come across involve consumer purchase or other action to trigger donation. Less frequent, but equally powerful, are what we've dubbed 'Message Focused Campaigns', where a company takes a stand to share a particular message, in this case, one of reducing gun violence. This particular campaign bypasses any relevant nonprofit and asks individuals to take a specific action (cutting out, signing and mailing a letter to the President). A magazine is particularly well-positioned to share poignant stories with readers around a particular message and ESSENCE appears to be making a strong commitment to this timely initiative. What do you think of their approach? Weigh in below! ************************************************************************************************************************* Welcome to Cause Update! Get new posts via RSS Feed or have them delivered to your inbox. More?  Also make sure to sign up for our free monthly newsletter. And check out CMF13 in Chicago May 29-30, 2013. Connect with us on Twitter and join our LinkedIn Group. Looking for more examples of cause marketing campaigns?  You'll find  2011 campaigns here and 2012 campaigns here.

Campaign: Support the Youth

Company: Akomplice Clothing

Nonprofit Partner: Young Audiences Arts for Learning, Starkey Hearing Foundation

Launch Date: January 16, 2012

Campaign Description:  

Akomplice Clothing has teamed with NFL tight end Vernon Davis of the San Francisco 49ers to buy cheap viagra

usemarketingforum.com/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=bkLUKcOTLkK4E&b=6430205&ct=11588649&notoc=1″>produce two limited edition T-shirts with proceeds from the sales to benefit children in the U.S. and Africa.  When the white version of the limited-edition t-shirt is purchased, 50% of the proceeds will go to Young Audiences Arts for Learning, a US-based arts education organization.  The purchase of a black T-shirt provides a free T-shirt for a child in Africa to be distributed by Starkey Hearing Foundation during an upcoming 2012 mission trip.

Our Take:  

This cause-related marketing campaign provides a unique concept in cause-branded products – by selecting something as simple as a t-shirt color, consumers choose how a charitable donation is directed.  Although the benefitting causes share a youth focus, the emphasis of each couldn't be more different than, well, black and white.  What's your take?  Share it with us in the comments below.

Campaign: One Million Miles to Charity

Company: United/Continental Airlines

Nonprofit Partner: Various Nonprofit Organizations

Launch Date: December 14, 2011

Campaign Description:  

United MileagePlus® and Continental OnePass® Members will have the opportunity to sh

are 10 million MileagePlus miles with their favorite charity this holiday season as part of a new cause marketing voting contest.  Charitable organizations around the world (more than 45 in the United States and 21 internationally) will receive a portion of the 10-million-mile grant based on their percentage of votes. Each organization will receive at least 25,000 miles.

Our Take:  

We're always pleased to see holidays and special occasions celebrated with a cause component.  This is a fantastic example of a company using its existing assets to benefit a cause.  In this case, the voting site also does a nice job of quickly sharing the mission of each of its selected beneficiary organizations with a simple click.  After voting, a nice additional touch is allowing users to donate their own miles.

Campaign: Premier Wine Imports Cause Branded Model

Company: Premier Wine Imports

Nonprofit Partner: Various Jewish Nonprofit Organizations

Launch Date: <span

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style=”color: #3097b9;”>October 2011

Campaign Description:  

Premier Wine Imports, a new business specializing in marketing boutique Israeli wines, will pair wines with Jewish nonprofit organizations and funnel 10 percent of every sale to those nonprofits as part of their business model.

Our Take:  

It's not often we see religion enter into the mainstream cause marketing realm.  For this highly-specialized product, it's a match made in heaven.  Have you seen campaigns that successfully incorporate religious charities into their cause marketing?  Tell us about them in the comments below.