Supporting What Interests You

When I worked for Target Stores back in the 1990s, we referred to any request by a non-profit organization for financial support as a cause marketing opportunity.  Simply put, if we were going to support something, we wanted credit for it.  Doing good was admirable.  Being seen doing good was good marketing.

When I worked at Target, the philanthropic focus was on families and education.  If a request did not in some way support families and education, we would politely decline to participate.  However, we made sure everyone we disappointed knew what we were supporting.

Target’s desired demographic was families with children.  The stores were geared entirely to families with children, aged newborn to college.  The typical Target shopper cared about families and their children’s education.  So, Target cared about families and education.  Being seen supporting family and education solidified our standing as good citizens in the eyes of our customers.

Some might think this approach cynical.  I think it is good business.  Good marketing makes more business, more business makes more money, more money makes more donations to the things we care about.  Cause marketing creates a virtuous cycle where everyone involved benefits in their own way.

We often hear business owners who do something nice, say something like, “We appreciate the chance to give back to our community.”  When I hear this, I always ask myself, what did they take? To be in the position to do something nice, they had to make investments, take risks, hire help, and serve their clients to the very best of their ability in good times and bad.  If they are successful, they have been giving to their community their entire careers by taking care of their customers, employees, and stakeholders.

Now before you write me off as a cranky old man, please know that I am all for participating in the community.  I am not, however, in favor of donating my time or money to things and causes that I am not personally passionate about.  So, my message to you is, go forth and support those causes that you are passionate about, and only those causes you are passionate about.  Provided your causes don’t conflict with our company values, we are with you.

I have my own ideas of causes I would like to support in the future.  Some directly relate to what I do for a living, and some do not.  I’d like to find something that I can get behind to help the homeless, something functional and immediate, intimate, as opposed to a grand gesture.  On a completely different tangent, I love the people I have met and the camaraderie I have experience participating in endurance events.  (It’s been 30 pounds or so since I last ran a marathon – but I like to relive my glory days.) I like the idea of sponsoring a series of local bike or foot races in the years ahead. 

What interests you?  Is there a way we support you?  Is there a way we can do it together?  I believe we are going to do great things in the years ahead, both within our industry and outside our industry.  Let’s do this.  I’d love to hear from you.  Email me at Chris@RealEstateBrandsLTD.com.