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An Airplane Magazine, Through Non-Profit Eyes: Part 5 of 5: Craig Allen & Jason Kreher
I rarely read the airlines' magazines when flying because I'm generally doing one of the following: reading something I brought along for the flight, sleeping, or working on my computer. For some reason (even though I had the capability of doing any of these preferred activities), the July 2010 issue of Delta's Sky magazine caught my eye on a recent Baltimore-NYC-Boston trip. Well, not just "some reason," but the fact that the cover story was entitled The Mad, Mad World of Advertising. The magazine tied interviews with leading advertising professionals in with an article about the hit show, Mad Men.
I found some great material from those interviewed in the magazine and bring you the following quotes, Through Non-Profit Eyes. The direct quotes are from Sky.
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Sky: Two of the creatives who have helped transform Old Spice from the cologne your grandfather wears into the not new hipster scent, Allen & Kreher are two of the bright young minds at W+K.
More Donors Blog: The firm has offices in Portland, New York, London, Amsterdam, Tokyo, New Delhi and Shanghai. It is widely recognized as one of the leading firms in the world and recently caused waves with the Old Spice Guy campaign.
Some of the firm's work:
Craig Allen: I think people buy things from brands they like. When a brand makes someone laugh, they like it more. They're more willing to listen to what the commercial is selling.
MD: There have been many attempts by non-profits to be humorous... and many (probably most) have failed. Why? Well... selling deodorant & body wash lends itself to humor better than feeding the hungry, cleaning the gulf, sending students to college, etc. That being said, the non-profit industry often forgets the first part of Allen's answer: People buy things from brands they like. There are two ways to look at this statement through non-profit eyes:
- People support causes they like.
- People support non-profit organizations they like.
I think the first is remembered by those marketing NPOs. The second interpretation, however, is often assumed to go hand-in-hand with the first. Just because someone believes in supporting efforts to bring clean water to those in Africa doesn't mean they necessarily like charity:water, The Water Project, or the African Well Fund. Your marketing materials & your staff must work to make your organization likable. It sounds very basic, but it is often forgotten. Check yourself: What has your NPO (or one of your faves) done lately to be personable and likable? Being personable is one of the reasons I encourage NPOs to give a personal face to Twitter accounts (like @humanesociety).
S: How do you define "smart" humor?
Jason Kreher: I don't think it's my place to define smart humor.
CA: That is a tough one. I'm not sure there is an exact definition. I think humor is at its best when it makes a person think. Consumers are smart; they want to feel like they're in on the joke.
MD: Try this translation: "Donors are smart; they want to feel like they're in on the solution." It also is not your place to define what they care about and what works at gaining support.
You must communicate with your audience and conduct appropriate research to judge who your constituents want to hear from (your CEO, those you aid/support, a fellow donor, etc.), what they want to hear (the challenges, statistics, success stories, etc.), when they want to hear from you, and via what channel (email, mail, phone, events, etc.).
Having this information will help fine-tune your fundraising and communication efforts and avoid falling into the trap of producing materials and solicitations that would work on you but not necessarily your audience.
photos courtesy of W+K & Sky
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