If you had a brainstorm to take one of your products, make a really really big fabricated replica of it, maybe even with a slogan on it, and then set that up on display and call it sponsorship, rethink that idea. Big is not a strategy.
If you drove through Philadelphia during the holidays, you'd likely have seen this:
(It says, "You know you love it.") Yes, it's a giant noodle at a park in a prime location adjacent to an outdoor Christmas market. As far as I can tell, no sampling, no couponing, no interaction with the noodle makers. Just a big noodle.
In case you couldn't tell, this is a replica of a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese noodle. But a giant noodle replica does not make a successful sponsorship activation.
Apparently big is Kraft's strategy. Here is a photo I shot in 2006 when I was the managing director of the Essence Music Festival. Kraft was a sponsor and parked its Oscar Mayer Weiner Mobile in the festival.
Again, no sampling, no tour of the Mobile, no staff, just a big hot dog. [UPDATE: To be clear, Kraft did have a display area on the other side of the exhibition hall from the Mobile. The Big Hot Dog, however, was on its own.]
Yes, big gets noticed, but in our everyday bombardment of information, it's fleeting.
In a matter of months, Netflix went from beloved to beaten up.
Netflix customers have long raved about how easy it is to use its streaming and DVD services, and business leaders view its operations as a great model of a customer-centric approach to operations. (A client of mine, for example, recently referrenced Netflix in describing how she needed me to help her design and create a new initiative for her organization.)
This summer, however, Netflix made a series of missteps and bungled decisions, surely with all the best of intentions, that some (about a million) customers disliked. Really disliked. OK. Hated. It increased its pricing by 60 percent, separated its streaming video from its DVD shipping services, and then, the final wallup, announced a whole separate company for the DVD services, under the much maligned name, Qwikster. However, on Monday, the company hit the rewind button (except for the pricing changes), killed Qwikster, and announced to customers:
Dear Gail:
It is clear that for many of our members two websites would make things more difficult, so we are going to keep Netflix as one place to go for streaming and DVDs.
This means no change: one website, one account, one password…in other words, no Qwikster.
While the July price change was necessary, we are now done with price changes.
We're constantly improving our streaming selection. We've recently added hundreds of movies from Paramount, Sony, Universal, Fox, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, MGM and Miramax. Plus, in the last couple of weeks alone, we've added over 3,500 TV episodes from ABC, NBC, FOX, CBS, USA, E!, Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, ABC Family, Discovery Channel, TLC, SyFy, A&E, History, and PBS.
We value you as a member, and we are committed to making Netflix the best place to get your movies & TV shows.
Respectfully,
The Netflix Team
Clunky, awkward, uncomfortable, and very public, Netflix attempted to expand its services in ways it thought it was being valuable to customers. And it backfired. However, their reversal means they can begin again, regain customer confidence, and move forward.
Though no business wants to make mistakes so publicly, the Netflix case study is actually a great example of what hundreds of CMOs and CEOs are saying is "crucial" to their successes in the 21st century: "customer intimacy." That's according to a new study by IBM.
"The most proactive CMOs are trying to understand individuals as well as markets. Customer intimacy is crucial – and CEOs know it. In our last CEO study, we learned CEOs regard getting closer to customers as one of the three prerequisities for success in the twenty-first century. This sits squarely in the CMO's domain."
--IBM's From Stretched to Strenthened: Insights from the Global Chief Marketing Officer Study
Yes, of course, these leaders surely aspire to smoother, even more pleasant feelings of intimacy than this, but let's not forget, sometimes intimacy can be messy. Netflix deserves a lot of credit for putting its collective ego aside and responding to what its customers are saying. Er, screaming.
Let's also not forget another leader who encountered a similar situation: Steve Jobs and Apple. When the second iteration of the iPhone came out, customers who had most recently bought the first version received a $100 store credit for being early adopters of the new technology that had dropped in price by half. Mr. Jobs issued an open apology and made the correction.
Intimacy requires an openness, receptivity, back and forth. And this openness is a requirement that all businesses – even nonprofits – must grow more comfortable with. Its an exchange that corporate sponsorship is an ideal medium for fostering.
In contrast, intimacy is not about rebuffing customers. Unfortunately, that's what I read in a quote by a spokesperson for a breast cancer organization in an AP article this morning about whether painting October pink, in support of breast cancer awareness month, had run its course. I (and others) have been saying that it has for years. But more importantly some women who have battled breast cancer hate the reminder. One woman in the article is quoted as saying the pink "drives her nuts." Yet the organizational spokesperson remains, "unapologetic." Not exactly openness.
The shifts we're facing in how we market to customers affects all of us. Learn from the Netflix and Apple examples. Foster a sense of openness and dialogue with your communities. And if you goof, respond. Don't rebuff.
We now live in a world without Steve Jobs, and an enormous void exists.
He leaves a legacy that will inspire millions of us for many reasons for generations. I offer three ways Mr. Jobs may inspire you:
Experience of the brand. If you've never been in an Apple store, visit one soon. It's more like an attraction than a retail experience. The feel, the vibe, the overall experience of an Apple store should be your inspiration for your sponsorship program. For businesses that sponsor events, your onsite component should be so compelling that it becomes an attraction or an event in and of itself. Eventgoers should gravitate to your area and want to hang out there, playing around with your products or chatting it up with your staff, without fear of being surveiled or pounced on by overzealous sales people. Be generous. Let people experience your brand.
For sponsorship sellers, guide your sponsors and prospects by developing ideas and ways to participate in your events so that your audiences have this level of experience with your sponsors' brand.
Speeches. Visit YouTube, search for "Steve Jobs," and spend some time watching his speeches, especially around product launches. Mr. Jobs clearly had a sense of humor, an eye for the dramatic, and a sincere way of drawing us in, expectantly. Do audiences at your events respond like this?
Joy of Apple Products. I noticed in the days following the news of Mr. Jobs' passing a strong sensation of a void in my life. I did not know Mr. Jobs, and though I've been a customer since 1987, this connection still didn't account for this void and the quality of the sorrow.
Countless other technology and cultural writers have written about creativity, innovation, and why we love Apple products; however, it was not until I read Peter Shankman's blog post about why we love Apple that it all started to make sense for me. Shankman describes how such a deep level of customer service is woven into the products that we trust – we have complete confidence that our Macintosh or iPhone or iPad or Apple TV – or other product by Apple – is going to work, a confidence we don't have in most products and services.
I'd take it one step further. I realized the void I was aware of is not just counting on the products to work but relying heavily on Apple to take care of my technology needs. I don't need to spend time wondering what I need. The design team at Apple has done the work for me and creates products that are intuitive, effortless, elegant, and truly personal. They are products that live with me in my home, in my office, and in my travels.
This is no easy task, but your organization – through its products, services, brand reputation, relationships with customers, events – might hold these same aspirations.
To Mr. Jobs' family, friends, and colleagues, my deepest sympathies. To the team at Apple, we're counting on you, and we know you have big shoes to fill. Trust your intuition and your heart.
Like you, I've got electronic gadgets. Sometimes they work great; other times, it's a big mystery why they don't.
The other night our Netflix account was completely inaccessible. We were unable to access it through Apple TV, by phone (busy signal), online (web page wouldn't load), and through an iPad app. We were shut out. In the scheme of life, of course, this is a very minor inconvenience, and whenever technology fails to work, I think about Louis CK's observation that everything's amazing and nobody's happy. So, life rolled along.
I put the technological hiccup out of my mind, until this morning when I received an email from Netflix:
Dear Gail,
Recently you may have had trouble instantly watching movies or TV episodes due to a technical issue on our end.
We are sorry for the inconvenience this may have caused. If you attempted and were unable to instantly watch TV episodes or movies yesterday, click on this account specific link in the next 7 days to apply a 3% credit to your next billing statement for your $7.99 a month Unlimited Streaming plan. Credit can only be applied once.
Ready to start watching again? Browse our selection.
Again, we apologize for any inconvenience and thank you for your understanding. If you need further assistance, please call us at 1-866-923-0898.
–The Netflix Team
Wow! Not only did I really appreciate the proactive distribution of information, but I was also impressed by their action – to refund customers' fees, however small the amount 3% would represent, to satisfy and be accountable for the problem. Great work, Netflix!
My experience with other technology providers is less than stellar. For example, my cell phone service for my iPhone is by At&T. Even though I live in the fifth largest city in the U.S., there are times when the service bar says, "No service," in my house. I have missed and dropped countless important calls because of AT&T's spotty service. And not only have I never received an email apology, I've had customer service representatives take zero responsibility on behalf of the company. I always wonder if the information escalates beyond the guy on the phone. Do AT&T technicians ever hear of these problems so they can make corrections?
The experience of a brand is the sum total of many interactions customers have with it. Communications can enhance those experiences, but small, sincere actions catapult the customer experience even farther.
On my drive out to work with a client in Central Pennsylvania, I popped into this Sheetz gas station/convenience store in Carlisle, Pa., to see if and how they took advantage of their movie sponsorship for POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
See what you think.
At the self-serve soda and beverage dispenser counter, you'll find the famous collectors' cups ("first time ever in a documentary," director Morgan Spurlock notes in the film) that Sheetz President and CEO Stan Sheetz enthusiastically snapped up. ("We're going to be on that like a wet t-shirt," he says in the film and trailer, which you can watch in my review of the film.)
I walked into the store in hot pursuit of the cups. Had I been more leisurely in my shop, I'd have been greeted by Morgan Spurlock, right in the center of the store.
Another sign dangled above the the cash register area.
Kudos to Sheetz for sponsoring the film and putting the brand out there so boldly, especially considering that the company has stores only in the mid-Atlantic area – in traditional media-buying terms that's "wasted circulation" – and for taking advantage of the sponsorship in-store.
However, since the film has not opened in the region and won't until Gettysburg's Majestic Theater nearby screens it late this month, does anyone in this quiet country town care? Do they even understand why the collectible cups are funny? Or why this man with an overly-logoed suit jacket is standing in their store?
Morgan Spurlock's new film,POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, is out today, and I urge you to check it out. It's hilarious and lots of fun to watch (see my full review). And there are so many lessons to be learned about sponsorship, if you're new to the medium, as either a buyer or seller, or need a refresher.
Here are a handful of observations I had, culled from the 30 or so I just shared in a teleseminar:
For Brands/Buyers:
Are you taking risks in your sponsorship decisions? Or are you doing the same old same old? Marketing is about getting noticed, getting attention, and changing behaviors or perceptions. If you sponsor the same thing all the time, people eventually tune out. Shake things up every now and then. Be open to new ideas. If your operation has impediments to ideas – an online application form, a voice mail morass, or heavy hierarchy, for example – you may want to peel back the layers and let some fresh thinking in.
Don't look to your ad agency for your sponsorship ideas. The first time I bought sponsorship, I was at an ad agency. One of my colleagues asked why I made this recommendation for my client: "What does the agency get out of this? Are we getting a commission?" No, no commission, just a happy client because it was a great idea and fit, plus lots of other related PR, advertising, and marketing communications projects that the agency created to support the sponsorship. And did I mention success for the client? Eventually, in my own work selling sponsorship, I found that attitude pervasively at agencies. And worse, they didn't even understand the medium. Were there exceptions? Yes. But mostly from PR teams.
Invest in your investment to get results. In the film, you'll see the sponsors confab and pull together resources to collectively promote the film and each of their involvements in it. Often times, I see "sponsors" listed on an event or organization's materials with no activation, no promotional support, no added effort in support of the sponsorship. What a waste! That's like buying a TV spot and not giving the station the spot. Use your investment wisely. Put all your effort around it. Get results.
For Sellers/Properties
Outsourcing sponsorship sales is absurd! If you think about nothing else while watching this film, ask yourself, "Would Morgan Spurlock have been successful if he'd outsourced sponsorship sales to a third party?" I suggest: NO WAY!! He's got the vision, the passion, the flexibility, the integrity, and the drive to sell for himself and more importantly cultivate his own relationships. That's what it's all about. Can someone else replicate your passion, vision and integrity? Do you want someone else in control of your sponsor relationships?
Do your homework and show up with ideas. Of course we don't know what wound up on the proverbial cutting room floor, but what we see is Morgan Spurlock in action with several great and specific ideas for his prospects. No Gold-Silver-Bronze packages. No generic. Instead, lots of effort, commitment, and specifics. Is every idea perfect? No, but it gets a discussion going, it provides a starting point, and gets the prospect excited. The rest, hopefully, is co-creation.
Get comfortable with rejection. According to Morgan Spurlock and a Q&A he did after the Philadelphia Cinefest screening I saw last Thursday, he called 600 brands to finally get 22 sponsors. If he feared rejection, he'd still be shriveled up in a corner somewhere. In the film, he actually seems to enjoy it. Or at least moments when the rejections were particularly dramatic. Example: watch for the spark in Spurlock's eye at 1 minute 13 seconds in the trailer (which you'll find embedded into the previous post). You don't need every corporation as your partner, just the right ones.
I could spend hours chatting up sponsorship best and worst practices in the film. I want to know what you saw. What did you learn from the film?
In 2004, shortly after seeing Morgan Spurlock's first film, Supersize Me, his cinematic experiment eating nothing but McDonald's three meals a day for 30 days, I headed off to New Orleans to the Essence Music Festival. I served as managing director for the daytime activities at the New Orleans Convention Center of the festival, the "Purpose" part of the "Party with a Purpose."
McDonald's was a major sponsor (and still is) and that year focused its activation on promoting its new healthier menu options. According to news reports at the time, McDonald's new menu had nothing to do with the film, and the company's history notes the introduction of Premium Fresh Salads to its menu in 2003. Still, I imagine not even company spokespeople could deny the synchronistic timing.
The vague trepidation I felt heading off to the 2004 Festival, wondering what impact the film might have for the Festival and its sponsor – would people rally? would festivalgoers protest? would there be a firestorm of media condemnation? – returned for me Thursday night when I went to see Spurlock's newest film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold. What would Spurlock say about marketing and sponsorship, the fields I'm in? What impact would it have?
In both cases, my trepidation was unfounded. No one protested McDonald's or the Essence Music Festival, and whether the film had any influence or not on McDonald's menu, who cares? The film raised excellent points; McDonald's has evolved its menu; and we each, as individuals, still must take responsibility for our own eating and nutritional information-gathering habits.
The new film is hilarious. Every industry has absurdities about it, and marketing is right up there. Spurlock pokes fun at it all – including at himself. POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold is the story of Spurlock's attempts to secure sponsors for the film while bringing us a glimpse behind the scenes of the sophistication of modern day marketing and uncovering the dark side.
What a different film this would have been in the hands of another filmmaker, like Michael Moore, for example. Consistent with his own branding profile, Spurlock is equal parts "mindful" and "playful" about the story and issues, right down to the musical score. Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, about the hunter and the hunted, couldn't be a more perfect composition. Take a look at the trailer.
The film takes us through the whole process of sponsorship development, though in this case in the form of "brand integration," modern lingo for product placement, a tactic used by major brands to have their products embedded into the storylines of films and television shows. (Seinfeld was a master at this. Can you name all the brands, from Rice Krispies to Junior Mints, woven into the storylines? Sometimes the scripts read just like the press releases, making it even funnier.)
Throughout the sponsorship sales and execution process, Spurlock shares with us, the viewers, and his advisors his concerns, especially where to draw the line between selling out and not. Of course Noam Chomsky and Ralph Nader portend a dreadful future of Corporatized Morgan Spurlock, imploring him to rise above. With a mischievous sparkle in his eyes, Spurlock counters by hawking his sponsored shoes, Merrell's, to Nader. (Film tip: don't leave before the credits end for a great interaction with Nader.)
Spurlock keeps it light and defines the line quite clearly for his own work. In a post-screening discussion on Thursday, the closing film for Philadelphia's Cinefest, Spurlock said he pushed back on sponsor requests to approve the film before it opened and to see a financial return.
"Being in the film" was the sponsors' return, he said. Exactly!
Overall, I found the film thoroughly enjoyable, laugh-out-loud funny, with plenty to learn for both sponsorship buyers and sellers, as well as life-long students of marketing. It opens next weekend, and I urge you to see it.
I will say, however, that one critique I have is also where Spurlock did sell out. Or rather, enabled someone else's sell out. One of the more serious threads in the film is about marketing messages in places where maybe they don't belong – public schools.
"Schools should be sacred," a Broward County school representative says, while she discusses with Spurlock the challenges of balancing a decreasing budget with demands for new programs. Banner advertising on the school fence line and truck fleet and in school buses is one solution. By the end of the film, POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold joins the ranks of the district's advertisers by purchasing all three vehicles.
(It also bought the naming rights to the city of Altoona, Pa., home to another sponsor, Sheetz. The filmmakers reportedly purchased the rights for $25,000, and for 60 days, a drive through Pennsylvania, 130 miles west of Harrisburg and about 40 miles southwest of State College, will take you to POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold, Pa. As the New York Times reports: “Clearly, the people of Altoona have a sense of humor,” Bill Schirf, the mayor, said in a statement, “and an asking price.”)
Apparently Google doesn't know about Altoona's temporary name change; as of this writing, you can still find Altoona. View Larger Map
By advertising through the school's banner and bus billboard program, the filmmakers stepped on those sacred grounds at the same time they exposed the problem. Wouldn't it have been better for the film to simply have made a contribution to the school system, even an anonymous one? Or developed a cause marketing campaign?
Perhaps this seems like a minor infraction in an overall enjoyable film, but a donation or cause marketing campaign would have been more aligned with the point of the film's social side.
POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold opens next weekend. Go see it, have fun, and feel free to share your thoughts by clicking on "comments" below to let me know what you think!
[In honor of transparency: I paid full price for movie tickets for my friend and me, and I own several pairs of Merrell's that I paid for on my own. I have drunk POM Wonderful I paid for, eaten foods from Amy's I bought, have been in the airport on Aruba enroute to Granada on business, never worn Ban (that I'm aware of), don't own Carrera's, never shopped at Solstice, never heard of Get It for Free Online till now, have paid for my own rooms at Hyatt, don't live in a city served by jetBlue, never purchased a KDF car wrap, never purchased Mane 'n Tail (nor do I have a kid or Shetland pony to try it on), have purchased a few items at Old Navy, have never shopped at Petland, have purchased my own Seventh Generation products, have purchased my own gas and snacks at Sheetz, own no clothing by Ted Baker, may have dabbed at teenage blemishes with Thayer's Witch Hazel purchased by my mother, and was not influenced by any of these film sponsors while writing this blog. I did just enjoy mentioning them all however!]
Today's Philadelphia Inquirer reports that PNC Bank will no longer sponsor the Philadelphia International Flower Show, a decision they'd made and informed the Flower Show of two years ago. The bank is looking to sponsor other opportunities, and new leadership at the Flower Show is positive about its ideas to partner with the corporate sector in 2012 and beyond, according to the article.
These will be tough shoes to fill, for both sides. From outward appearances, PNC Bank was a great partner, growing with the event, committed in all the right ways, and taking full advantage of the opportunity. A true partner.
The PA Horticulture Society, producer of the Flower Show, too, are a terrific partner. Its approach to meeting sponsor objectives, by bringing its partners' businesses to life artfully within the context of the event, never losing sight of its mission, set a high standard for future partners. I can imagine through this 20-year partnership, the two organizations learned a great deal about the sponsorship medium and about its own and each other's strengths.
Future corporate partners of the event will benefit from that accumulated knowledge. Rise to the occasion. Be bold. Explore all the possibilities that one of Philadelphia's best events has to offer you. One of the greatest failings I see corporations make is investing in sponsorship and not fully leveraging that investment. It's like paying for TV advertising and not giving the stations the TV spot. Take advantage of the full value of sponsorship.
And to future partners of PNC Bank, you have a sophisticated client. Deepen your understanding and creativity with sponsorship so that you meet the bank's needs and your organization, too, benefits fully.
It's spring, time of renewal, new beginnings, and I, for one, am eager to see what's ahead for both organizations. At the same time, I'm always fascinated by businesses' decisions to end long-term sponsorship, forgoing the brand equity invested over time.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. Have you experienced this type of parting? Corporate readers, have you made these decisions? Please share your thinking and strategizing.
No matter whether we are sponsoring an event or initiative or working with the sponsors of our events or initiatives, we want things to go well. Really well. Yet some things are out of our control. . . or are they?
The other day a group of protestors led a demonstration against PNC Bank, the presenting sponsor of the Pennsylvania Horticulture Society's Philadelphia International Flower Show, which runs through this weekend. Besides the event being an exceptional one, The Flower Show is one of the best examples of event sponsorship in Philadelphia. Check it out if you're in town.
PNC Bank has been a sponsor for many years and, from what I can see, enjoys the brand equity they've invested in this long partnership. You can see a few photos of their participation in my post from 2010.
Having a protest break out at its slice of an event has got to be a corporation's worst fear, and on the event side, I can tell you, it's also nausea-triggering. But, lucky for we Americans that we have the right to free speech and assembly.
It's difficult to understand what's what about the issues the protestors, the Earth Quaker Action Team, have with PNC and what PNC's position is. EQAT's goal was to raise awareness for and have PNC claim responsibility for their investment in mountaintop removal (MTR) practices for coal mining, which you can read more about and see images of at their site.
According to a story in the Philadelphia Inquirer, a PNC representative declined comment. I found nothing about the protest at PNC's web site, nor anything about its MTR practices, except a very brief comment in their corporate social responsibility report (see the bottom of page 4). A wider search online pulled up an Associated Press story from November 2010 in which PNC said they would stop financing mountaintop removal projects. AP was unable to determine whether PNC "was moving to dissolve its current investments in mountaintop removal companies or applying the policy only to future projects." A PNC spokesperson at the time declined further comment.
So here's the thing. I am looking for a statement, for information, and cannot find anything that balances out the picture. What are consumers supposed to think and wonder, especially in our sound bite culture?
Corporations benefit enormously from aligning their branding, CSR, community relations, and other initiatives with organizations and events that will enhance it, and that affiliation provides tremendous credibility. However that credibility is gone in an instant when cognitive dissonance occurs.
Our shifting values as a culture coupled with technology's openness require – impose – transparency and integrity on our business practices. I don't know what the truth is in this PNC Bank story, but I do know they invest a lot in education and the arts and do a lot of good in Philadelphia and beyond. I also know that if businesses want to be trusted they must act in trustworthy manners. Similarly, sponsorship seekers must use integrity about the businesses with which they align.
In Pennsylvania natural gas drilling in Marcellus Shale areas is the new gold rush. Energy and gas companies are eager to earn the good graces of legislators, community leaders, and residents, and Pennsylvania is eager to have these companies. Gov. Corbett announced Tuesday that he was slicing and dicing the budget, but not taxing natural gas extraction, even though he says he wants Pennsylvania to be "more like Texas." Actually this is exactly the opposite of what Texas did. Congress there set aside land in West Texas where they eventually found oil that endowed the state university system as well as elementary and secondary public schools.
Natural gas drilling companies may seem likely prospects for sponsorship. "The People of America's Oil and Natural Gas Industries" ran a full-page ad in yesterday's Philadelphia Inquirer touting jobs. But meanwhile, environmentalists and legislators continue to debate the environmental impact to both the air and water of fracking, the technique used for extracting natural gas. A big gap exists between the two sides.
So, corporations, as you develop guidelines and policies to support your strategies and business operations, they must be aligned with the values you pledge are at the heart of your practices. Sponsorship seekers, you, too, must use discretion about the businesses you select as partners. When situations – or protests – crop up, as they sometimes do, your responses can more easily and truthfully be delivered.
My friend and colleague Joe Brooks, president & COO of the USO of Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey, writes in with details of a great partnership his organization has with Dunkin' Donuts. If you're in Philadelphia, tune in to Fox tomorrow morning, Veteran's Day, at 7:15 to see Joe in action. In the meantime, here's what Joe has to say:
Today and tomorrow the USO of Pennsylvania & Southern New Jersey (Liberty USO) and Dunkin Donuts (DD) call attention to their “November is USO Month” promotion.
With 6 ABC covering the event this morning, DD’s Louis Conte, left, presented [Joe Brooks of] Liberty USO with an initial donation of 250 pounds of coffee. Today’s donation is a small gesture towards a much larger donation to come at the conclusion of the promotion.
The event, held at their 1500 Spring Garden St. location, also generated dozens of “Thank You” cards signed by customers appreciative of the protection our armed forces provide to us. The cards will be shipped to troops as part of a holiday care package program we’re undertaking with the support of Lockheed Martin.
The same scene will play out again tomorrow morning outside of Fox 29’s studios as Liberty USO and Dunkin Donuts will ask the general public to again sign the cards. In addition, I will be interviewed at 7:15 a.m. to talk about the DD promotion and of course the USO!
As a reminder the program offers a wonderful benefit to our troops:
November is Free Medium Coffee for the Military Month! Yes, every Tuesday in November active duty military & our veterans (with ID) will receive one free cup of medium coffee at participating Dunkin Donuts.
Buy 2 Pounds of Coffee and 1 Pound gets donated to the USO! Yes, between November 1 – 14 (just 4 days left) the purchase of 2 pounds of delicious Dunkin Donuts coffee triggers the 1 pound donation for our troops. Nationwide DD has committed to donating 100,000 pounds of coffee to our men & women in uniform. Let’s make sure the patriotic communities in Pennsylvania and Southern New Jersey participate in force
The promotion has generated awareness of Liberty USO, will raise the morale of our troops via the Thank You cards, provide care to these same troops from the coffee donation and further advances Liberty USO as a strong promotional partner.
The tie engages Dunkin' Donuts customers, drives traffic to area (and national) stores, encourages sales, generates publicity for both organizations, fulfills Liberty USO's mission, and provides a bit of home to soldiers far from American soil.
Gail Bower is president of Bower & Co. Consulting LLC, a firm that specializes in dramatically raising the visibility, revenue, and impact of non-profit organizations. She’s a professional consultant, writer, and speaker, with more than 20 years of experience managing some of the country’s most important events, festivals and sponsorships and implementing marketing programs for clients. Launched in 1987, today Bower & Co. improves the effectiveness and results of clients’ marketing, events, and corporate sponsorship programs.
Does the recent economic upheaval that sent seismic shifts through our culture have you wondering what to do next with your sponsorship development efforts? Marketing and sponsorship specialist Gail Bower wrote this short guidebook for you. Get the confidence, perspective, and techniques you need to jump-start your sponsorship strategy today.
“A professional GPS system to keep you on a successful track.”
- Steven Wood Schmader, CFEE,
President & CEO
International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA
World)
