September 27, 2007 | Read Time: 1 minute
Advertising agencies and other marketing companies that work with charities often miss the mark in coming up with effective messages, writes Paul Jones in his Cause-Related Marketing blog.
Many companies care more about coming up with catchy taglines and winning communications awards than they do about the nonprofit group’s mission and goals, Mr. Jones writes.
As an example, he points to a public-safety campaign called “Zero Fatalities” in Utah, which aims to prevent highway deaths. The tagline of the campaign: “It’s a goal we can all live with.”
“Does a campaign like this really call for puns?” Mr. Jones writes. “The job of the agency isn’t to be clever for the sake of being clever. The agency’s job is to help create a campaign that works.”
What do you think? Do some charity marketing efforts go too far? Click on the comments box below to share your thoughts.
