10 Marketing Commandments Balancing Compassion with Competence March

10 Marketing Commandments Balancing Compassion with Competence March 2011 Chris Boyle

What is a brand? A brand is a relationship between you and your target audiences that secures future earnings by securing preference and loyalty 2

Brand Building Drives Bottom-Line Results? Budweiser has always been the King of Beers. They communicate this brand building philosophy on every piece of communicationthey produce. No wonder Anheuser-Busch owns 48% of the beer category. 3

What did I learn? What Did I Learn Confronting the Brutal Facts? • Non-profits have strengths • Face real marketing challenges 4

Nonprofits Have Many Strengths ü ü ü ü Smart, dedicated and compassionate Take on most pressing social issues Tend to enjoy strong public trust Strong track record of positive change Are community and issue experts Focus on causes that inspire others Aren’t always experts at communicating the value of our work 5

And Some Real Marketing Challenges ü ü ü ü Underestimate the value of marketing as a function Don’t understand their target “customers” Think issues are too complex for simple messages Create materials based on assumptions Not tested, well-honed strategies Suffer from advanced case of “literal sclerosis” Default to tactics without going through strategy first 6

10 Marketing Commandments Balance Compassion with Competence 1. Clear, measurable goals 2. Know your target market 3. Craft clear, concise messages 4. Think strategy, then tactics 5. Don’t give vague instructions 6. Make the case for why action is needed now 7. Drama helps 8. Use the right messenger 9. Get expert firepower 10. Partner for success 7

1. Clear, Measurable Goals Landmines Many organizations were talking about the issue But determining the right goal seemed illusive Then someone said. . . “Why don’t we just ban the god damn things!” - Bobby Muller, Cofounder, International Campaign to Ban Landmines Bobby had just articulated his goal So clearly - everyone knew what his group was out to do 111 countries have signed the 1997 landmine treaty Clear, realistic, measurable! 8

2. Know Your Target Market “If you want to sell to fish, don’t use skywriting. Fish don’t read!” • Define your target audience ØNPOs have multiple audiences – donors, clients, board, etc. • Assess their belief system to find common ground ØIt’s easier to motivate someone around something they already believe than to convince them to change or do something new • Do not create messaging by committee ØResults in muffled, mediocre messages • Remember the target audience is message’s most important critic ØNot the leadership in your organization 9

What’s the Goal? Who’s the Target Audience? Which Ad was more Successful? 10

Don’t talk at ‘em, listen to them! 11

3. Craft Clear, Concise Messages • Good communication cuts through the clutter • Engage hearts first, then minds Ø Engage peoples’ passion Ø Plug into belief systems Ø Only then are minds open to education 12

Problem: Litter on Texas Highways Organization: TX Dept of Transportation Goal: Clean up Texas Highways Target: Young Men, 14 -24 Message: State Pride Most NPOs would sell: “Clean, pretty and safe highways that. . . ” Winning message: “DON’T MESS WITH TEXAS!” Ø Taps into Texans’ macho pride Ø Stop chuckin’ your trash out your pickups! 13

4. Think Strategy, then Tactics Develop a plan Ø Articulate goals, opportunity, target audience, messaging, messenger, distribution channels, etc. With each strategic and tactical choice ask: Ø Does this move me closer to my goal? Ø If not, don’t do it! Measure success Ø News clips, transactions, $s raised, behavioral changes, Web traffic, etc. 14

Avoid “Analysis Paralysis” • Seize market opportunities as they arise • This is as critical to nonprofits as it is to business • Many stuck in "analysis-paralysis" loop and take action too late Girls’ Justice Initiative: SF Chronicle spread, story broke by United Way partner, lost positioning opportunity. “Enlightened trial and error often outperforms the planning of flawless intellects. ” - Jeffrey Pfeiffer, Business 2. 0, Professor of Organizational Behavior at Stanford University's School of Business, 2005 15

5. Don’t Give Vague Instructions People have no idea how to: • “Stop Global Warming” • “Save Our Oceans” • “Justice For All” Make it short, sweet and easy to understand: • • “Don’t Drink and Drive” “Race for the Cure” 16

Clear Call to Action Breast Cancer Campaign Easy for people to get involved Ø Ø Race for the Cure/Cook for the Cure Wear a pink ribbon Buy “pink” products Get a mammogram Brand, campaign and call to action aligned with target audience Ø Women, pink, “our disease” The campaign met their goals (behavior/funding) 17

6. Make the Case for Why Action is Needed Public wants to know: • What to do • How to do it • And why do it now “United Way’s annual survey has become a key barometer of the health of the Bay Area’s nonprofit sector. ” -Todd Wallack, SF Chronicle, April 2005 To answer “why now? ” • Find tipping point • Manufacture an opportunity - UWBA Nonprofit Pulse Survey • Check the legislative calendar - budget cuts • Leverage announcements, anniversaries - 1906 quake/UWBA 2 -1 -1 18

Literal Sclerosis “Nonprofits suffer from literal sclerosis. They are so literal about everything that they don’t translate things into language that people can understand. ” - Billy Shore, Share our Strength, Now Hear This, Fenton Communications, 2001 19

7. Drama Helps • Move from literal facts to framing impact • Translate “the what” to the “so what” • Avoid industry jargon and buzzwords – Skip "capacity building" and "technical assistance” – “Collaborating Agencies Responding to Disasters (CARD)” – If your mother read it, would she get it? If not, clarify and simplify. • It’s OK to legitimately dramatize impact – We transform people’s lives (e. g. , Susan’s story) 20

Make Bold Claims • Typical nonprofit marketing response – Is that really the best part of waking up? – Argue this question for weeks • Hold a summit on it? – Decide cannot claim without more documentation • Change communication – Outline many physical, psychological benefits of caffeine – NPOs would produce pages of comprehensive data and charts • One method sells coffee. The other puts people to sleep! 21

8. Use the Right Messenger • Having the right strategy and messages isn’t enough – You need the right messenger • People listen to people and not organizations – Princess Di - landmines – Oprah - book club • But choose carefully 22

Nancy Reagan and “Just Say No” • Right Messenger? – Wrong Messenger – Kids trust peers, not adults • Wrong Message – Overly simplistic • Failed Campaign – Drug use increased 23

Bombard your Target Audience From Multiple Directions • People learn through consistency, frequency and repetition – Nonprofits often use a one-shot news event – that is not enough • Get your message to the same person through multiple channels – Read about your issue in the newspaper or on the Internet – See it on the side of a bus, at your movie theater or on TV – Hear about it from a co-worker, neighbor or friend – Get a letter in the mail 24

9. Get Expert Firepower • Critical marketing issues require firepower – Consult with experts, internal or external • Doesn’t mean expensive ad agencies or consultants – Find a board member, friend, issue advocate • Provide a mutual exchange of value for their time – Recognition – Resume/portfolio builder – Case study – New business reference/testimonial – Leadership development (e. g. , Blue Shield Project) 25

10. Partner for Success “Collaboration is becoming the rule rather than the exception for nonprofits. Going it alone is quickly moving to the endangered strategy list. ” -James Austin, Professor of Business Administration Harvard University Graduate School of Business 26

Messaging Workshop 27

To Mobilize Industries and Individuals to End Hunger • In one of the most prosperous regions in the nation, 1 in 4 Silicon Valley families go hungry every day. No child or family should go hungry. This is unacceptable! • Everyone has a part they can play to change the odds: companies, volunteers and everyday people who care. • The Second Harvest Food Bank connects families with food in the short term. We also mobilize community-wide resources to end hunger in the long term. • Since our inception, we raised $134 M, distributed 288 pounds of food and provided support for more than 700 local community groups and food programs working to end hunger. We do this by: − Providing leadership − Convening and collaborating − Raising funds increasing income − Providing educational programming − Promoting and conducting outreach − Monitoring, evaluating and reporting progress 28

5 Steps to Creating Your Marketing Message First, Describe What You Do. In one sentence. Use an active, precise adverb to begin your marketing message. Think about the following. . . STEP 1 – Identify your target market. – Ask, “Who is my target audience? ” STEP 2 – Identify the issue/problems that your organization seeks to improve. – Ask, “What problems are we working to change and what do I want my target audience to think, feel and know about my organization? ” STEP 3 – Present your solution to your market’s problem. – Ask, “What are the solutions that you have to offer? STEP 4 – Present the evidence/results you’ve produced. – Ask, “What are the results that my solutions have produced? ” STEP 5 – Explain what makes you different from your competitors. – Ask, “How am I different from my competitors? ” 29

Thank You! 30