Celebrity Power

June 23, 2008

Of course not every nonprofit has access to a celebrity to help raise its profie … or fundraise.

But if you do, should you jump at the chance?

This article from the NY Times provides some excellent insights into the world of celebrity marketing. Does it work? You bet your Rihanna umbrella … your Patrick Demsey cologne … your Nicole Kidman perfume it does!

Here’s why.

First and foremost, sheer awareness … capturing attention:

“As consumers, we see over 3,156 images a day. We’re just not conscious of them,” says Marshal Cohen, from consumer research firm NPD Group. “Our subconscious records maybe 150, and only 30 or so reach our conscious behavior. If I have a celebrity as part of that message, I just accelerated the potential for my product to reach the conscious of the consumer.”

Second, emotional connecton trumps rationality:

Even savvy, skeptical consumers who understand that stars are paid to support a product may still rely on an endorsement and buy the brand anyway, says Robert Cialdini, a professor of psychology and marketing at Arizona State University.

“We’ve used our cognitive capacity to build a sophisticated informational and technological environment,” he says. But overloaded with information and stimulation, shoppers’ brains revert to a more primitive, raw association of celebrity and product, Mr. Cialdini explains.

So, should we all jump on the phone to Nicole Kidman’s agent? You wish!

Assuming you can access a celebrity, there are obvious issues of "fit" (Is there any actual compatibility between your nonprofit mission, your target audience and the celebrity, or relevance that connects the two "brands"?) and "durability" (What is the desired lifespan of this relationship and how might the affair turn sour?) that need to be assessed.

Is celebrity marketing limited to the "killer" brands of the nonprofit universe, like UNICEF and Amnesty International?

No, not at all.

Celebrities are defined by the pond in which they swim. If your nonprofit has a local or regional focus, there are still likely to be plenty of high profile personalities — outstanding athletes, media celebs, artists & performers — who just might help your nonprofit break through the clutter and help deliver your message.

And don’t forget … every star was born somewhere. It might just be your nonprofit’s hometown!

Happy celebrity hunting.

Tom

P.S. Don’t get your hopes up, Kidman was born in Australia. Rihanna in Barbados. But Patrick Dempsey … Lewiston, Maine!

 

Posted by tbelford | Filed Under Don't Miss these Posts, branding, cause marketing, celebrities, communications, fundraising | Leave a Comment 

What Does It Take?

May 16, 2007

I just read the results of a client's survey that, among other things, was seeking to identify the issues that respondents regard as “crucial to the well-being of the country.”

Out of eighteen issues offered to a constituency that tilted “liberal” on social issues, only 20% selected “fighting for a better life for disadvantaged Americans” as a crucial issue (they could have selected any number as crucial). Only 8% chose this as one of three to five issue challenges they wanted the next Administration to address when it takes office.

Then I read this Guy Kawasaki interview of Richard Stearns, Prez of World Vision, about the work of his group and the difficulties of interesting Americans in the global poverty issue.

Asked what are the biggest hurdles to alleviating poverty, Stearns answered: “One word: apathy.” He elaborated that the key obstacle is that poverty is often not personal.

In the face of general apathy, World Vision and similar groups like Save the Children and Christian Children's Fund do raise appreciable amounts of money because they do succeed in focusing donors on individual children with their “sponsorship” approach.

Still, when I see the survey results mentioned above, I wonder. Maybe one of these groups should launch a program where the donor “sponsors” not just a recipient child, but also the education of an apathetic American or two!

In the face of such apathy, it seems shockingly misguided (to say nothing of hypocritical in many cases) for so many folks to deride the involvement of celebrities like Bono, Madonna, Oprah and Jolie, and cause marketing efforts like the recent Idol Gives Back.

What does it take to get people with means to give a damn about other people they'll never know? Or to use their political voices on behalf of the disadvantaged?

Shouldn't we want more from our government than safe shores, cheap fuel and a comfortable retirement?

Tom

Posted by admin | Filed Under General Post, cause marketing, celebrities | Leave a Comment 

Madonna Deserves A Raise

October 25, 2006

Madonna is being villified for seeking to adopt an orphaned Malawi child. Here, from the Chicago Tribune, is a typical article, which disparagingly concludes:

“When the public tires of Madonna's latest exploit and the media moves on to something else, little will have changed for Malawi and the million orphans she left behind.”

To which I say, elephant poop!

It seems to me that the operative words in the Tribune reporter's conclusion are these: “When the public tires …” and “the media move on.” Isn't it rather disingenuous to somehow blame on Madonna the fact that the public and the media have the attention span of a gnat? If the U.S. media addressed the issues of human suffering in poor countries as rabidly as they cover homicides in America, maybe they'd inspire some real consciousness, interest in relevant public policies, and individual generosity.

Consider for a moment some of the reasons someone might decide NOT to give a damn about human misery in Africa:

    • Duh, Malawi … is that outside of Cleveland?
    • My puny contribution can't possibly make a difference given the magnitude of the problems.
    • Money has been “thrown” at Africa for decades, and the problems persist … they must be insoluble.
    • Governments in Africa are corrupt, violence prone and incompetent, they stand in the way of solutions, so why waste my money?
    • We have enough problems to tackle in our own backyard.

Given the prevalence of notions like these, it's astonishing that anyone gives a hoot or contributes anything to trying to improve the human condition in Africa.

So along comes Madonna. She decides to adopt one child. That's already more than what 99.9% of us are doing. Would we feel better if she anonymously sent $30 a month to Save The Children? My daughter Claire does that, and I think it's great. But I'm not displeased that Madonna can and does do more, and, of course, does it more visibly.

And, oh, by the way, she's also founded and committed to raising millions of dollars for the Raising Malawi charity to help Malawi's orphans.

Like she needs to do this to advance her career. Give me a break!

If it takes Madonna baring her breasts in Trafalgar Square to bring attention to the plight of millions of suffering human beings, then I'm all for it.

Commenting on what she calls “the Bono effect,” Heather Paul, CEO of Children's Villages-USA, which provides care for thousands of orphaned children in Malawi, says:

“We don't know what [their] intentions are, but we know that the orphans are in need. If through their actions they give us all cause to pause to see what each of us is doing to make the world a better place, if that thinking becomes a trend, that is wonderful.”

Absolutely.

Madonna, as far as I'm concerned, your concern and involvement is every bit as welcome as that of Claire Belford, Heather Paul, Bill Gates and, yes, Brad and Angelina. In fact, you deserve a raise.

I just hope that the knowledgable practitioners in the field, whether locals or outsiders, don't squander the precious visibility you bring to their cause.

Posted by admin | Filed Under You Deserve a Raise, celebrities | Leave a Comment