Drink Water. Do Good.

S'Well Water Bottles Celebrates World Water Day

In 2010, Sarah Kauss launched S’well in hopes of ridding the world of plastic bottles. What she didn’t know at the time is how deeply she could help those who are disadvantaged through her company.

Clean water is something that is very heavily taken advantage of in our society. We turn on the faucet without even giving it a second thought. The accessibility of water is something we take for granted daily. Some people are not that lucky. There are many people in the world who do not have this access to clean drinking water. S’well is setting out to change that.

Since 2015 S’well has donated more than $200,000 to UNICEF provide clean water to the world’s most vulnerable children. With only $1 UNICEF can provide safe, clean water to a child for a whole month. UNICEF works in more than 100 countries.

In honor of World Water day, S’well will donate 20% of your purchase online to UNICEF to help provide access to clean water to underprivileged children worldwide.

Get your bottle today and donate 20% of the proceeds to UNICEF by visiting S'well's website.

Cones for a Cause: How to Score Free Ice Cream at Dairy Queen

I scream, you scream, we all scream for FREE ice cream.

Tuesday, March 15, Dairy Queen locations all over the nation will be providing free cones to anyone who visits  a participating store. The infamous ice cream company is offering one free small vanilla soft serve cone per customer all day long. All they ask in return is a small donation (hint: cones regularly cost $1.99) to the Children's Miracle Network, much like IHOP's Free Pancake Day.

Since 1984, DQ has raised more than $110 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals. Last year alone each Dairy Queen handed out an average of around 1,330 cones and collectively raised a total of $140,000.

So, go get yourself a free cone and support a good cause! And, as always, if ice cream isn't your cup of tea you can make a donation to the Children's Miracle Network by following this link.

6 Tips for a Successful Cause Marketing Campaign

1. Select an area or topic you would like to focus your mission on.
Make sure the topic you choose aligns with your the goals and mission of your organization.

2. Evaluate your competitors.
Knowing what your core competitors are focusing their cause related campaigns on can help you determine what social causes already being heavily funded. This will allow you to reach social markets that are not already drowning with other corporations fighting for their attention.

3. Choose your partners.
When choosing partners you need to assure their values and mission align with yours. Try to set out for a multi-year relationship to extend value.

4. Leverage both companies' assets.
When it comes to cause related marketing, assets come in many different forms. Assets may include in-kind donations, volunteers for events, event space, and advertising resources. One of the most important assets I came across in my research for this post is emotion. The ability (or inability) to connect with your consumer on an emotional level can make or break your campaign.

5. Implement the campaign
Select the channels you believe would work best for your campaign and go for it. Use as many media channels as possible, especially if your campaign is very interactive. Try to think beyond the typical traditional media and consider spokespersons, the endorsements of celebrities, or even special events. The more creative and innovative the campaign, the better.

6. Engage
Interaction with consumers during the campaign is very important. Through this communication you are able to see what is and isn't working in terms of your marketing channels and tactics and can also stir up interest in your brand through conversations online.

Pancakes with Purpose: IHOP Celebrates National Pancake Day

FREE PANCAKES!

As many of you may have heard, today, March 8, is National Pancake Day. What better way to celebrate than to go to the International House of Pancakes and get yourself a free short stack of their legendary pancakes! All they ask in return is a free will donation.

IHOP started it's National Pancake Day back in 2006. Since then, it has raised more than $20 million dollars for local Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and various other charities in the communities in which they operate.

This year marks the 11th annual National Pancake Day and IHOP was determined to make it a year to remember. The legendary breakfast food chain set a lofty goal of raising $3.5 million dollars for charity! Talk about great cause marketing! 

If pancakes aren't your forte, but you are still interested in donating to the Children's Miracle Network to commemorate the day, or just because, you can click on this link.


Learn more about National Pancake Day here.