Feb 3rd is National Wear Red Day. It is a creation of the American Heart Association to create awareness of heart disease among women. Heart disease kills more women than does breast cancer.
Go Red is the overarching campaign, of which National Wear Red Day is a part, and it is a model of cause-marketing.
Cass Wheeler, long-time CEO of the American Heart Association, told the story of the Go Red campaign in his book, You've Gotta Have Heart: Achieving Purpose Beyond Profit in the Social Sector.
Wheeler said the organization worked with the leader in cause-marketing, Cone Inc., to develop "the most far-reaching, comprehensive marketing campaign in nonprofit history." But he also pointed out that nonprofits should not be intimidated by the sheer size of this program. Many of its branding, marketing and promotion strategies can be replicated by even small nonprofits.
Those strategies include:
- Viral marketing, encompassing social media such as Facebook and Twitter; and real-world items and actions such as shareable ribbon or plastic bracelets, red lighting on office buildings, distribution of red dress pins, and the simple act of people wearing red.
- Media relations. Go Red results in national and local media coverage. There have been national science news conferences, and magazines have run articles about how to prevent heart disease.
- Paid advertising. The American Heart Association has not shied away from mixing business practices with traditional nonprofit marketing practices.
- Corporate sponsorships. Macy's is among the national sponsors for the Go Red campaign, but many other companies are involved as well.
- A National Wear Red Day that requires collaboration with all the organization's regional affiliates. The first Friday in February, participating companies encourage their employees to wear red clothing to work, and to donate to the AHA.
It is hard to miss the Go Red campaign. The resulting awareness, contributions, and branding of the AHA have set an example worth emulating.
Go Red is one of the cause marketing campaigns that guest author, and cause marketing expert, Joe Waters identifies as a "signature" program. Developing such a program means that the nonprofit owns it and multiple business partners support it. It can also be the cause marketing key to success for smaller, more local nonprofits just as it has been for large, national organizations.
Joe writes about signature programs and two other ways to promote your cause marketing program...More...
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