CaliberPulse

Now more than ever, your customers are being bombarded with messages from your competitors demanding their attention and motivating them to open their wallets. When consumers are presented with competing choices to your offerings that appear equal in price, benefits and quality, one sure way to stand out from your competition and gain customer loyalty is to support a charitable cause that your customers care about.

Research on eco-marketing has shown that women and men receive “green” messaging very differently. For marketers promoting green products, it is important to note this key challenge to creating messaging. Let’s take a brief look at consumer perceptions on the “green movement,” and why marketers must make note of these major incongruities. According to a recent survey from Crowd Science’s Just Ask!, women are the primary household spenders (80-85 percent of retail consumer goods) and prefer to be spoken to as a caretaker concerned about the fate of their environment. Unlike most men, women are driven by product reviews, real life improvements, and what it means to them and their families to live a sustainable lifestyle.

Our team at the Caliber Group believes that every good company should align with a worthy cause or non-profit organization. Socially responsible, for-profit companies recognize that their contributions serve those in need and help build their community. The serendipitous impact for business: Customers do purchase products or use services that support a cause or charity. For example, market research firm Mintel recently released a study that stated 35 percent of customers will pick an environmentally friendly product over one that isn't as "green," even if the "green" product costs more.

Are you in the business of selling handbags, electronics, books, furniture, clothes, or maybe even art? If your organization offers any of these types of products or nearly any other consumer good or service, an evolving trend known as “transumerism” may be making an impact on your industry and could affect the way you approach your market. Originally transumerism was a term applied to the purchase habits of consumers in transition – in other words, travelers and their purchasing behaviors in airports, hotels, etc. However, over time, non-travelers have also begun adopting transumer tendencies as society continually becomes increasingly experience and pleasure driven. Individuals are more inclined to prefer to rent, lease, or perhaps even share ownership of products and services, finding that these temporary possessions impose fewer constraints and offer greater opportunities for extravagance.

Cool post at SlipperyBrick.com! According to the blog, Cyclist Lance Armstrong has returned to the 2009 Tour de France to raise awareness of his Livestrong Campaign. And to cheer him on, Livestrong and Nike teamed up with DeepLocal and StandardRobot to create this robot that paints messages on the Tour de France path. The best part? You can send your own message of encouragement!

The “Made in America” slogan is starting to make its way back into marketing campaigns and hopefully into consumer hearts. Manufacturing for U.S. companies continues to be driven overseas, taking with it our jobs. With unemployment on the rise and consumer confidence shaken, a shift in consumer awareness of and preference for American-made goods is on the rise. And with that shift there are predictions among marketing professionals and advertising watchers alike that we will see more campaigns featuring “Made in America."

Happy Thursday and here's your latest Caliber Pulse kudos to a company that clearly understands how to get our attention. (You bunch of cheeky monkeys!) Apparently Air New Zealand was a bit concerned that passengers weren't paying attention to the safety demonstrations at the beginning of each domestic flight. So they hit on a novel way to grab, and maintain, passengers' attention.

“Buy low, sell high” applies just as well to market and mind share as it does to stocks. Astute marketers recognize that the current weakness in economic activity can be turned into an opportunity for growth. In fact, a recent global survey of chief executives conducted by McKinsey & Company found that 20% of organizations plan to increase their marketing budgets over the next year. Now, what do these firms know that the 45% planning to reduce budgets don’t? Simply that advertising investments during a recession can pay off handsomely.

I've experienced two great marketing campaigns in the last two days - both resulting in money for me! First up, my favorite local lunch destination when I need fast, comfort food: eegee's. They're giving away coupon cards for every $5 donation customers make. The coupon card gives you half off your lunch purchase once a month for a whole year. Not a bad exchange rate since I paid around $7 for my lunch yesterday. And in two months - my coupon card will have paid for itself. And the icing on the cake? The $5 donation benefits the CareGiver Training Institute, a nonprofit that trains individuals to be nursing assistants and caregivers. So not only do I get a once-a-month lunch discount, I get to feel good for helping pay for someone's education. The second impressive marketing campaign arrived on my Blackberry via e-mail yesterday - Starbucks credited $10 to my Starbucks Gold Card for being a valued customer. Now granted, I probably spend more than that in a week at Starbucks and should really have stock given how much I've single-handedly held up this company.

A non-existent marketing and advertising budget doesn’t mean your business is banished to the land of invisible. One of the most effective ways to keep your brand in the community’s mind is to support charitable causes near and dear to the community. “When a business supports nonprofits, it lets the community know the business is engaged in the community. They’re not just there for the customers,” said Deborah Dale, chief development officer at the Primavera Foundation, a local nonprofit supported by volunteers and donations. “They’re supporting the customers’ children or causes and that builds rapport with their customers.” Studies support the idea that customers respond to the businesses which support their pet causes. Find out what charities your customers or staff support and help out. Let your customers and staff know by inviting them to pick a charity to donate to through your business, suggested Dana Robbins-Murray, account director with Caliber Group. One example would be to host a canned food drive or pet supply collection for the Community Food Bank or Humane Society of Southern Arizona.