November 2008
In these tough economic times, it's understandably difficult for many of us to be focused on the greater good—when all we really want to hear is some good news for our pocketbooks. With the reality of the struggles in the housing market, stock market, and businesses alike, our and the media's attention tends to turn away from important social issues. Societal problems can find it difficult to capture the general public's conscience even during great prosperity; this problem is only magnified during tough economic times—when attention and dollars are focused elsewhere.
While the current state of our economy may seem a bit grim, those of us
that work to help elevate the many important issues affecting the nation
and the world can find our solace in contributing to the greater good. At
JDG, our team likes to say that we do "marketing that matters." These
projects, of course, do not come with the virtually unlimited budgets many
think of when watching Mad Men or conjuring images of corporate marketing
and advertising. Still, it's the challenge of creating real results with
limited resources while playing a small part in helping societal change
that makes what we do truly invaluable.
In this issue of Brand News, we'll share some of our team's lessons learned in our social marketing efforts that can help you succeed with a similar project. We'll also highlight one of our most recent success stories where we created marketing materials that are not just attention-getting, but address issues that really matter.
Sincerely,
Len Johnson, President and CEO
JDG Communications
(703) 207-0933 x101
ljohnson@jdgcommunications.com
Pushing the Limits, Stretching Resources
Finding new and innovative ways to create effective
marketing results for clients with limited resources is not a
challenge restricted to communicating for the social good. Here are some
recommendations to consider when approaching a government or non-profit
social marketing project—or any resource-sensitive marketing endeavor:
Never underestimate the importance of timing. Even if you can expedite your internal approval process and development of materials, be sure to consider the outside factors that can make or break your return on investment:
- External deadlines, such as buying media space
- Congressional recess and typical federal employee holidays
- Donation cycles, including Combined Federal Campaigns and the general public's giving habits
- News cycles—If you're communicating about childhood obesity, for example, take note of the "back to school" media focus and the likely mention and possible tie-in to school lunches and after school snacks.
Even when budgets are tight, the importance and value of research is worth the investment. It might be tempting to save a few dollars by jumping right into color brochures or buying ad space, but look for ways to scale back on research without eliminating it completely—and potentially losing out on refining your goals and understanding your audience:
- Hold message workshops with local staff and conduct individual phone interviews with those in the field to avoid travel costs
- If focus groups aren't in the budget, work towards a more robust communications materials audit and information gathering phase.
Find ways to save a few dollars—without sacrificing quality or process.
- If you require stock photography for your marketing materials or website, look into building your own image library through the purchase of stock photo CDs, rather than purchasing costly individual photos for one-time use.
- Aim to collect multiple materials when turning to a professional printer; gang printing, or printing multiple projects on one sheet, is an easy way to save costs and achieve the same quality—with the added benefit of reducing waste.
Our case study below is an example of how JDG stretched limited resources to support a local charity's efforts to create awareness of the critical issue of child obesity.
Putting a Face on Community Issues
Regardless of the state of our economy, countless number of non-profit organizations dedicated to worthy causes must continue to rely heavily on generous donations from the public through annual fundraising campaigns. One such organization is the United Way of the National Capital area, whose annual fundraising campaign generates millions of dollars that are then distributed to over 900 United Way National Capital Area partners providing health and human services programs to area residents. When embarking upon the strategic planning of its 2008 Annual Fundraising Campaign, the United Way sought a partner to develop materials that would resonate with individual donors, member agencies, and community centers. The campaign would also need to make an impact by shedding light on a number of important issues including childhood wellness and affordable housing—concerns of grave importance to so many in the affected Washington, DC metro region.
To help raise awareness, JDG developed inserts that define critical
issues and what the United Way of the National Capital Area is doing to
help improve the lives of the area's residents. After conducting research,
JDG pursued a creative approach that would focus the inserts on a personal
story about those most likely to be affected by the community problems the
United Way is dedicated to improving. Through the use of first names, black
and white imagery, statistics, and a narrative approach, inserts were
created that would resonate and make an impact with the donor audience.
The success of the unique United Way inserts was largely in the way it allowed for a cohesive outreach campaign that highlighted multiple community issues. Initial feedback to the inserts has been extremely positive. To date, more than 4,000 inserts have been distributed to prospective donors, member agencies, and community centers.
JDG Offers Free Confidential Needs Analysis
JDG Communications is offering your company a free Integrated Brand Communications Confidential Needs Analysis. JDG staff will come to your office and conduct a one-hour discovery meeting. Based on the information gathered at this meeting, JDG Communications will then prepare a Confidential Needs Analysis that outlines recommendations for your company. Our staff will return to your office to present out findings and see how we might help you.
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