Thursday, November 3, 2011

Mid-Atlantic Chesapeake Conference

Jaya Bohlmann, Diana Mayhew

Jaya K. Bohlmann, MA, APR

Corporate Communication and

Design Consultant

Diana Mayhew

President, National Cherry Blossom Festival

Importance of CSR

Overview of Cause Marketing

Strategic selection of organizations to sponsor and partner

Criteria for “good” sponsor partners

Managing the partnership

Adding Value to Your Sponsorship ◦ Tips to engage your employees via event

sponsorship

◦ Maximizing sponsorship-driven visibility

Consumer trust in companies has hit an all time low

81% of consumers say companies have a responsibility to address key social and environmental issues beyond their local communities;

93% of consumers say companies must go beyond legal compliance to operate responsibly; and,

94% of consumers say companies must analyze and evolve their business practices to make their impact as positive as possible

Source: Cone Communications

Stakeholders expect organizations to live up to their stated values and to act on those values, especially in their communities (local, national, global) ◦ Corporate Social Responsibility has been linked to

brand loyalty, increased consumer base and a wider recruitment pool

Organizations MUST DEMONSTRATE their your mission and values ◦ How you act is much more important

than what you say!

How is your CSR program different from others?

How are you embodying your CSR programs as an organization?

Are you for real? Does your CSR program align with your corporate mission?

Are you involved with your causes or just writing checks?

Targeted cause or issue (make a difference)

Internal buy-in (executives, employees)

Realistic budget, resources and timeline

Clear goals (what difference do we want to make? Who do we want to impact?)

Roadmap for tactical accomplishment

NGO/influencer/third party partnerships

Cause marketing and outreach

Measurement, metrics, effectiveness

Consistent, creative, targeted communication

Cause marketing is a partnership between a nonprofit and a for-profit for mutual profit

Sponsor profit: greater favorability with consumers and, potentially, increased sales

Organization profit: Funds, branding/visibility

93% would buy a product associated with a cause; 65% have already purchased a cause-related product in the past 12 months.

A popular cause: 94% would buy a product that has an environmental benefit; 76% have already purchased an environmental product in the past 12 months.

Source: Cone Communications

Merck increased its total giving to $1.2 billion in 2010, up from $923 million the prior year, via philanthropic programs

Cause sponsorships to total $1.55B+ this year ◦ (among all types of sponsorships –sports, etc)

Sponsorships are key to demonstrating CSR

Credibility of the organization enhances your credibility

Opportunities to learn from the experts about your cause

Build a network within that cause area

Understand the subject matter better

Events create visibility opportunities

Increases your effectiveness on behalf of the cause

A Checklist

Respected and established Board of Directors and Executive teams are

experts, have a track record in the cause and organization

Financials are stable Have a donor and supporter base Are able to attract funds and additional

supporters Shared values (authenticity) Access to desired markets and audiences Are sponsor-savvy and friendly Desirably located (among your key audiences and

business geographies)

A Best Practice Sponsor Organization

•The National Cherry Blossom Festival, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to promoting the beauty of nature and international friendship through year-round programs, events, and educational initiatives that enhance our environment, showcase arts and culture, and build community spirit.

• Each year, the Festival produces the nation’s greatest springtime celebration in honor of the 1912 gift of trees from Tokyo to Washington, DC.

• The 2012 Centennial Celebration will honor 100 year anniversary of the gift of trees with a 5-week unprecedented tribute to the Festival’s history complemented by world-class events.

CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION March 20 – April 27, 2012

nationalcherryblossomfestival.org

In 2011: • Over 1 million attendees • Festival tourists generated over $126

million for the city • 7 week public relations and marketing

campaign valued at over $15 million • Significant media coverage throughout

the world with an estimated 175 million Nielsen audience domestically

• Aligning goals • Determining the objectives • Customizing packages • Building Personal relationships • Setting expectations • Reporting Results

Prominent placement throughout collateral

Media coverage

Exposure at events

Business networking

Access to VIPs (community and government)

We are passionate about the Festival and what it represents

We engage our Board

Constantly grow our network of contacts

We are patient (build relationships over years)

We are persistent

We understand it needs to make business sense for your company

We are business people ourselves

Organization Sponsor

Report results Pay attention and hold them accountable

Communicate consistently Track results to your goals

Be accessible Don’t overwhelm or demand (know your place)

Assign team members to clients Ask for creative solutions to your business needs

Ask good questions and listen/remember

Meet deadlines

Provide high quality promotional and publicity materials

Provide materials, messages, executives

Be organized Attend meetings and all events within your commitment

Engaging Employees and Maximizing Brand Visibility

Volunteering – teams or individuals

Employee/executive attendance (especially at hosted events)

Publicize internally via newsletters, intranet, company blogs

Ask/coordinate employee efforts on various related online communities and blogs;

◦ give them tools, photos, videos, message guidance, encouragement to do so

Choose program areas in your sponsorship that are yours exclusively

Do your part to help make the overall event successful (sell tickets, reach out to your network, provide testimonials)

Do your own media outreach, including social media

Send press releases about your sponsorship; follow up with more information as the event date gets closer

Create corporate blog posts about your involvement; get guest bloggers to support and enhance your posts

Take photos and videos of all events and post them to your organization’s Facebook, Twitter, corporate blogs and other social media platforms

Invite your media contacts to attend events

Lessons You Can Use Today

Align your CSR strategy with business goals and implement among audiences and in communities that make sense for your business

Choose the right cause strategy for you – products or events

Select partner organizations with the right attributes

Maximize your sponsorship-related visibility

Engage your employees related to the sponsorship (morale-boosting, publicity)

Measure results and communicate

DISCUSSION

http://www.sponsorship.com/ (IEG)

www.coneinc.com/2011globalcrrelease

http://www.prnewsonline.com/store/47.html (PR News'

Guide to Best Practices in CSR & Green PR)

www.linkedin.com/in/jayabohlmann

www.nationalcherryblossom.org

http://libguides.stanford.edu/content.php?pid=170779&sid=1438250 (top CSR blogs ranked by Stanford University)

Jaya.bohlmann@verizon.net

diana@downtowndc.org