Tuesday, May 25, 2010

New Social Media Platform Uses Double Bottom Line Strategy

Double Bottom Line Tip: Partner with a charity or several charities to increase loyalty to your product or service.

Result? Sales go up. Customer retention goes up. Customer recruitment by existing customers goes up. It's a beautiful thing!

This new Social Media platform, YourNight appears to be a great case-study in how to build a tribe where everyone wins - consumers, producers, and great causes.

I love the fact that they are putting 5% back into charitable causes. Their goal is to raise $1 million in 2010 for charities. Now, I call that a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal via Jim Collins in Good to Great).

Disclosure: the link below is an affiliate link to the site (that means I might make a few bucks if people spend money there). http://www.yournight.com/GinaCarr

If you don't want to use my affiliate link, then just go directly to www.yournight.com.

Friday, May 21, 2010

Here's a thought "Give before you get"

Cause marketing refers to a type of marketing involving the cooperative efforts of a "for profit" business helping and giving to a "non profit business" for mutual benefit. The term is sometimes used more broadly to refer to any type of marketing effort for social good.

Numerous examples are available to show that cause marketing has helped to increase a company's profits. As an example, in the cause marketing campaign by American Express the company saw a 17% increase in new users and a 28% increase in card usage. By "doing good" American Express was well rewarded by the marketplace

Smart executives and entrepreneurs understand the wisdom : "Give the marketplace what it wants and you will get what you want".

I strongly believe however that "when you give you get" is not a marketing belief... but a law of nature, and of success. I have read Napoleon Hill for over 25 years and have employed in my life, and in my businesses the concepts in his book "Think and Grow Rich".

I teach his principles in my coaching at IDEAS-Institute and participate in two Master Mind groups. I know they work and I have seen them work for others. The core of his teachings are simple. "Think and you can achieve anything" you desire and then, "Do good- then get good."
It is not the other way around despite the beliefs of most businesses. Think also of St Francis who said "it is in giving that we receive" . Notice the sequence.... first give then receive.



At Double Bottom Line we not only teach and consult with businesses on how to grow their bottom line by doing good, but we employ that strategy and belief in our own business. At the end of the day when you employ Cause Marketing you actually get much more than you give. And you find that the more you give to help others succeed- the more you and your enterprise succeeds.

Double Bottom Line Book Recommendation: SuperCorp by Rosabeth Moss Kanter


In her latest book SuperCorp, Rosabeth Moss Kanter examines "How Vanguard Companies Create Innovation, Profits, Growth, and Social Good."

Although she doesn't use the term "The Double Bottom Line," the companies she profiles are clearly using a DBL strategy as I define it - doing well by doing good.

The book is based on a three-year investigation of what some of the most successful companies are doing to make the world a better place. In the process, they have increased their bottom line by building stronger tribes internally and externally.

I'm headed to Boston next week for my 20th Reunion from the Harvard Business School where Rosabeth Moss Kanter chairs the Harvard Advanced Leadership Initiative. I met her when she was in Atlanta recently presenting the book to the Harvard Business School Club of Atlanta.

I had been talking about The Double Bottom Line concept for years but listening to her and reading her book inspired me to focus on it more intently. Thus it is now the focus of my marketing consulting business.

Wikipedia Link for Rosabeth Moss Kanter: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosabeth_Moss_Kanter


Harvard Business Review: http://blogs.hbr.org/kanter



Thursday, May 20, 2010

Tribe Building on Steroids: P&G is using a power-packed Double Bottom Line strategy for marketing their Elations' line of "Joint Comfort" product.


I just love it when people do Cause Marketing so well!

Tribe Building on Steroids: P&G is using a power-packed Double Bottom Line strategy for marketing their Elations' line of "Joint Comfort" product.

Keys:

1. Very specific target - Baby Boomers

2. Good for Business, Good for Society Strategy: Boomers Building a Better America

3. Fabulous use of Social Media for marketing this: http://ht.ly/1NDQk

4. Celebrity Spokesperson that takes Boomers back to their "good 'ole days". (I'd been wondering what Nadia Comăneci had been up to lately?)

Great job Elations!

http://www.elations.com/categories/news-and-events/promotion.php

Monday, May 17, 2010

Can Delta Survive Lost Dog PR Crisis? A "Double Bottom Line" Strategy Would Help




Delta Airlines is in the midst of a public relations nightmare due to the way it has handled - or rather, mis-handled - the case of Paco, the mixed-breed dog that was lost en route from Mexico City to Detroit on May 3.

Paco, a cuddly Dachsund and Jack Russell Terrier mix was the new-found love of college student Josiah Allen and his girlfriend who had been vacationing in Puerta Vallarta.

After days of being given the runaround and what turned out to be false statements, Delta finally admitted that the dog had been lost.

Sadly, Delta did not come forth with the truth about Paco until a blog that helps consumers with problems, the consumerist.com, reported the story.

It appears that Delta made up for losing the dog by delivering extremely bad customer service.

Not a good strategy for winning the increasingly scarce travel dollars when consumers have many choices.

Over the years, Delta's "tribe" of loyal fans has dropped significantly from the glory days of the 1980's when people LOVED Delta.

If Delta execs are not careful, many pet-loving travelers are likely to add Delta to their "NEVER FLY AGAIN" list. Even if a pet lover never plans to fly with his or her pet, this socially conscious traveler will likely think twice before booking with Delta.

In a world where the consumer is overwhelmed with choices, ANY reason to take a company out of "the mix" and thus make the decision process easier is welcomed by many consumers.

The best way to combat this inevitable and irretrievable - once gone it is hard to get a customer back - loss of business is for Delta to use this public relations fiasco as an opportunity to show the world that they really love pets.

A great way to do this is to employ a Double Bottom Line marketing strategy that forges an alliance between Delta and a charity that helps pets. Delta can salvage it's relationship with pet owners by committing to donate money to a pet-friendly charity.

For example, Delta could co-venture with an existing animal welfare organization to donate a certain percentage of revenue to save pets in animal shelters.

Considering the reality that the world is filled with people who are absolutely passionate about their pets, Delta needs to pay attention to this significant opportunity to either gain or lose customers for life.

I don't think it was a coincidence that just last week, Frontier Airlines announced a new pet-friendly policy of allowing small pets to travel in the aircraft cabin for an additional $75. Clearly they are trying to win the hearts and purse-strings of the alienated Delta pet-loving flyer.

Will Delta take this opportunity to turn these lemons into champagne by developing an alliance that tells the world "we love pets"?

Or, will Delta find itself the "star" of a video similar to the one that severely damaged United Airlines' reputation when Dave Carroll's guitar was broken (Sons of Maxwell). As of this writing, Dave Carroll's viral Youtube video "United Breaks Guitars" has been viewed over 8 million times.

United's tribe has suffered greatly.

Will Delta do what is necessary to win back the hearts and minds of pet-loving travelers?

Only time will tell.

In the meantime, Delta execs better hope that Josiah Allen doesn't meet Dave Carroll.

Pepsi's Refresh Campaign - The Double Bottom Line on Steroids



Pepsi is using a powerful bottom line strategy for building a loyal tribe of raving fans.

Pepsi is looking for people, businesses, and non-profits with ideas that will have a positive impact. They are encouraging people around the world to look around their community and think about how they want to change it.

Pepsi is giving away millions to fund these great ideas. Pepsi makes it very easy to apply for the grants and to vote for specific causes.

Categories include: Health, Arts & Culture, Food & Shelter, The Planet, Neighborhoods, and Education.

Pepsi has done a phenomenal job of marketing this campaign and growing a loyal tribe through the use of the social marketing powerhouse Facebook.

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/refresheverything?v=app_7146470109#!/refresheverything?v=app_4949752878

Submit your idea, vote for your favorite cause or get more information at http://www.refresheverything.com/how-it-works