urchase with “the Card.” Ultimately, American Express contributed $1.7 million to the Ellis Island Foundation. This ground-breaking Cause Marketing program was a marketing triumph that provided American Express with a high degree of visibility and favorable recognition.

There was, however, one element of the program that was out of kilter. While social r

Many companies allocate a portion of their marketing budgets to support non-profit organizations. This activity, which has become known as Cause Marketing, provides abundant benefits for both the funding companies and the causes being served. Cause Marketing—i.e., “Doing well while doing good”—adds a socially responsible component to a company’s marketing plan and can enhance brand image and reputation by accelerating corporate awareness within desirable market segments.

Cause Marketing is fundamentally about believing—in what is good and what is possible. It enables a corporation to make meaningful statements concerning social responsibility, ethics and the public interest. There are hundreds of worthy social issues—e.g., the environment, education, the elderly, diseases, the homeless, children and poverty—that have received much-needed support from Cause Marketing. In turn, supporting a cause provides the corporation with the opportunity to garner appreciation and recognition from new constituencies who are interested in or loyal to that issue.

One of the first organizations to practice Cause Marketing on a national basis was American Express. After experiencing considerable public relations benefits from their support of regional causes, they created a highly promoted national program. American Express pledged to make a donation to support the reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty every time a member made a purchase with “the Card.” Ultimately, American Express contributed $1.7 million to the Ellis Island Foundation. This ground-breaking Cause Marketing program was a marketing triumph that provided American Express with a high degree of visibility and favorable recognition.

There was, however, one element of the program that was out of kilter. While social re

and can enhance brand image and reputation by accelerating corporate awareness within desirable market segments.

Cause Marketing is fundamentally about believing—in what is good and what is possible. It enables a corporation to make meaningful statements concerning social responsibility, ethics and the public interest. There are hundreds of worthy social issues—e.g., the environment, education, the elderly, diseases, the homeless, children and poverty—that have received much-needed support from Cause Marketing. In turn, supporting a cause provides the corporation with the opportunity to garner appreciation and recognition from new constituencies who are interested in or loyal to that issue.

One of the first organizations to practice Cause Marketing on a national basis was American Express. After experiencing considerable public relations benefits from their support of regional causes, they created a highly promoted national program. American Express pledged to make a donation to support the reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty every time a member made a purchase with “the Card.” Ultimately, American Express contributed $1.7 million to the Ellis Island Foundation. This ground-breaking Cause Marketing program was a marketing triumph that provided American Express with a high degree of visibility and favorable recognition.

There was, however, one element of the program that was out of kilter. While social r

l issues—e.g., the environment, education, the elderly, diseases, the homeless, children and poverty—that have received much-needed support from Cause Marketing. In turn, supporting a cause provides the corporation with the opportunity to garner appreciation and recognition from new constituencies who are interested in or loyal to that issue.

One of the first organizations to practice Cause Marketing on a national basis was American Express. After experiencing considerable public relations benefits from their support of regional causes, they created a highly promoted national program. American Express pledged to make a donation to support the reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty every time a member made a purchase with “the Card.” Ultimately, American Express contributed $1.7 million to the Ellis Island Foundation. This ground-breaking Cause Marketing program was a marketing triumph that provided American Express with a high degree of visibility and favorable recognition.

There was, however, one element of the program that was out of kilter. While social r

irst organizations to practice Cause Marketing on a national basis was American Express. After experiencing considerable public relations benefits from their support of regional causes, they created a highly promoted national program. American Express pledged to make a donation to support the reconstruction of the Statue of Liberty every time a member made a purchase with “the Card.” Ultimately, American Express contributed $1.7 million to the Ellis Island Foundation. This ground-breaking Cause Marketing program was a marketing triumph that provided American Express with a high degree of visibility and favorable recognition.

There was, however, one element of the program that was out of kilter. While social r

urchase with “the Card.” Ultimately, American Express contributed $1.7 million to the Ellis Island Foundation. This ground-breaking Cause Marketing program was a marketing triumph that provided American Express with a high degree of visibility and favorable recognition.

There was, however, one element of the program that was out of kilter. While social responsibility implies a certain degree of humility that correlates with the perception of a corporation’s sincere support for the cause, American Express reportedly spent about $6 million publicizing this program. While their contribution to the cause was undoubtedly generous, critics suggested that it might have been better if the Foundation had received $6 million and $1.7 million was spent on publicity.

As corporate/non-profit partnerships have become less of a novelty, a new balance between promotion and benevolence has resulted. However, the corporate end-game remains the same—to accomplish a marketing objective while supporting a worthy cause. If properly managed this is not exploitation, but rather a valuable partnership that provides significant mutual benefits.

There are key components to developing a relevant and successful Cause Marketing campaign:

• Partner. A Cause Marketing program starts with choosing the right partner. A safe, non-controversial approach is to partner with a mainstream non-profit organization that has high name recognition and strong public acceptance. The downside of this approach is that it does not provide much marketplace distinction, since many companies provide comparable sponsorships.

Organizations seeking to develop more creative and distinctive approaches should listen to the market to find appropriate Cause Marketing partners that address under-served public nee