Cause Talk Radio

This week Megan and Joe talk to Lori George Billingsley, Vice President, Community Relations for Coca-Cola on a new interactive vending machine that allows consumers to buy their favorite beverage and support a good cause. Coca-Cola is testing the machines in its home city of Atlanta in a partnership with the American Red Cross. Engaging consumers where they are and when they care is the future of cause marketing. Tune in now!

Today on Cause Talk Radio, Dr. Samantha King, author of Pink Ribbons, Inc. shares her take on Pinktober and the overflow of corporate support for breast cancer "awareness". Samantha, Joe and Megan navigate the history of National Breast Cancer Awareness Month (you might be surprised to discover who is behind this effort), whether the "awareness" created is doing any good and what an ideal "Pinktober" might look like. Also: how consumers should be vigilant in selecting pink products this month and what alternatives exist to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Today Megan and Joe chat with Rachel Armbruster, a nonprofit strategist and author. Her book, Banding Together for a Cause, gives an insider's look at the development of the Livestrong wristband campaign that raised more than $100 million for their cause. We discuss the progression of a corporate partner from minor donor to major partner and how nonprofits can create a celebrity brand - minus the celebrity. Join us for a lively, informative discussion.

On today's show, Megan and Joe talk to Bruce Burtch, an earlier pioneer of cause marketing who was creating cause marketing programs well before the 1983 American Express campaign that's credited with starting it all. Bruce is even credited with coining the term "Do Well by Doing Good" - a motto many companies and nonprofits live by today. Bruce talks about the beginnings of cause marketing, how it's changed...and what hasn't changed. These are timeless lessons from someone we call The Father of Cause Marketing. Listen now!

On today's show, Megan and Joe talk to Jeff Freedman, Founder & CEO of Small Army & Small Army for a Cause. Jeff and his agency are behind Be Bold, Go Bald!, an effort that has supporters nationwide wearing bald caps to raise money for 25 cancer organizations. Since its inception in 2009, participants have raised $500,000. Jeff shares his powerful story of starting Be Bold, Go Bald! after the co-founder of Small Army passed away from cancer following a two year battle. He also has advice for companies that want to commit to a cause.

Today Joe and Megan interview researcher Stefanie Robinson on a recently-released series of studies about consumer choice in cause marketing campaigns. We learn that giving consumers a choice is often (but not always) a good idea in cause campaigns, particularly when the consumers are collectivists (don't know what a collectivist is? Tune in to find out!). Stefanie walks us through the situations researchers found to be detrimental to consumer choice and why disclosing too much information too early in a campaign can also harm participation.

Today, Megan and Joe chat with Sarah Harris, Vice President & Founder of Incite, about her firms work with nonprofits and companies on cause marketing partnerships. We also discussIncite's new whitepaper: The Cause Marketing Triangle: A New Approach to Cause Marketing. Finally, Sarah talks about her recent trip to Africa and how it reinforced that cause always comes before the marketing.

Today Joe and Megan chat with Jenna Reck of Target who explains 'Give With Target', the retailer's first-ever initiative that combines cause with back to school marketing, giving $2.5 million in grants as well as $2.5 million directly to schools via a Facebook voting initiative. Then Artis Stevens with Boys and Girls Clubs shares some of the smart strategy behind their comprehensive 'Tools for Back to School' campaign involving multiple brands executing a variety of cause-related marketing tactics. It's an action-packed show today, not to be missed!

Today, Megan and Joe chat with Ian Simpson, Co-Founder of Tevolution, a cause business that donates back to nonprofits when consumers buy their iced tea and text a code to donate to one of four charities. Ian discusses the challenges of starting and running a cause business and the relentless drive to raise money and to get Tevolution in to more stores. He also reveals how a busy entrepreneur squeezes more hours into his day by removing a real time suck: sleep. Tune in for an episode that will change the way you look at your summertime iced tea...and how you sleep at night!

Today Joe and Megan chat with Christina Bennett of Elizabeth Arden about their bang-up new cause marketing campaign on Pinterest, Pin It To Give It, in partnership with nonprofit Look Good Feel Better. Christina shares how the campaign plans to reach their donation goal of 10,000 eyeliners (valued at $16-$18 each) to Look Good Feel Better by early fall via a very integrated campaign bridging multiple channels and how this campaign may inform the brand's future efforts on Pinterest. We also learn about Elizabeth's Arden's other cause marketing efforts, including a partnership with nonprofit Pencil, focused on employee engagement in local schools.

This week, Megan and Joe talk with Stuart Elliott, advertising columnist at The New York Times about his recent article on "Seeking Success by Helping to Feed the Hungry." In it, Stuart profiles a new campaign called Run 10 Feed 10. Each person who registers to run in 10-kilometer races to be held in 11 cities this fall will trigger 10 meals to people in need in the runner’s community. The partners in the initiative are Unilever, on behalf of four brands, Degree Women, Ragú, Simple and Vaseline; Women’s Health magazine, published by Rodale; the Feed Foundation; and Crowdrise, a Web site that uses social networking and crowdsourcing to help raise money for charities. We discuss how this new campaign may represent a new area of opportunity for media companies that have previously let brands take center stage with cause marketing initiatives. Stuart also reflects on the growth of cause marketing the past few years and where the industry may be headed.

This week Joe and Megan discuss 5 cause marketing trends as highlighted in Network for Good's latest white paper. From crowdsourced philanthropy to social enterprise spin-offs, examples of relevant, effective cause marketing that helps business do well by doing good abound in today's episode. We explore how (and why) companies transform "one off" cause-related products into signature cause platforms, how "invisible" sustainability initiatives comes to life through consumer-facing cause efforts and why local activation is still a powerful weapon in a cause marketer's arsenal.

Today on Cause Talk Radio, Megan Strand and Joe Waters chat with cause-preneur Jonah Lupton about his new business Cauzly.com. A serial entrepreneur, Jonah shares his insights on starting a cause businesses and the unexpected—yet rewarding—challenges. He also talks about his prolific tweeting, how it benefits his business and how you can grow your own following to rival his—over 200,000 strong!

Today on Cause Talk Radio, we chat with legal experts Kristalyn Loson and Jonathan Pompan, both lawyers in the advertising and nonprofit practice at Venable LLP. From the basics of commercial co-ventures and unrelated business income tax (UBIT) to common legal mistakes made by cause marketers, Kristalyn and Jonathan bring an important perspective to today’s episode. Think your cause marketing’s not going to attract the attention of attorneys general? Think again and get up to speed by listening to today’s episode of Cause Talk Radio.

In today’s episode, Joe and Megan chat with Alexander Chernev, Professor of Marketing at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, about a new study on whether social goodwill sways consumer beliefs. Does cause marketing really allow companies to do well AND good? Find out the answer on today’s show!