i like it when it makes sense

So you’ve probably seen several of your female Facebook friends post status updates such as:

• “I like it on the kitchen table.”
• “I like it on a chair at the bar.”
• “I like it on the floor of my van.”

While on the surface, this seems like a titillating reveal of personal information; it’s actually very mundane. The status updates refer to where the person puts down her purse when she gets home.

(Sidenote: I saw one woman post “I like it in the shower” which would imply one of two things. Either she has a wet purse or she went T.M.I. because she didn’t understand what was happening.)

The purse location meme supposedly is to raise awareness that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. Compare this to the bra color status Facebook meme earlier this year.

The bra color status event was very clever because … you know … breasts and bras … they kind of go together like peas and carrots. But what do purses have to do with breast cancer? Yes, most women carry a purse and most have breasts, but is that a strong connection to breast cancer awareness? How does the location of a purse get a woman to have a mammogram or do a lump check?

Before someone posts the inevitable comment that I don’t care about breast cancer, please know that I do. But the purse thing has two major considerations that may hurt the cause.

Several women’s groups are raising the question of whether things like this are contributing to some of the backlash and fatigue over breast cancer awareness month.

And even if you make a connection between purses and breast cancer, the thing that strikes me the most about the purse meme is just the sheer copycat nature of it.

You can’t make lightning strike twice by astroturfing a mediocre replacement of a previously successful grassroots viral meme.

And btw – my wife likes it on the hearth of the fireplace.

that’s just great

Attention Non-profits (and for-profits):
Maybe this is the reason you aren’t getting decent media coverage.

If you’re not putting in the effort to get a pertinent message to the proper media outlet, why should they put in the effort to publicize your cause?

This came from a local office of one of the major national non-profits…

(click to make it bigger)

the great hoosier nonprofit tour

If you’re involved in the management of a non-profit organization, you’ll want to make plans to attend one of these events in January.

I will be presenting my keynote entitled — Selling Good Works : Fundamentals of Marketing a Non-Profit Organization on two consecutive days in Northern and East Central Indiana.

On Thursday, Jan 10, I will be presenting it to the Advertising Federation of Fort Wayne. And then the next day on Jan 11, I will be presenting the same program for the Muncie AdFed of East Central Indiana.

My non-profit marketing presentation addresses the unique marketing opportunities and challenges faced by charities, public service agencies, and other types of non-profit organizations. More information about the topic can be found on my speaking page.

Both organizations have opened the meetings up so that all non-profits in the area can attend. But you will need to RSVP. Instructions for doing so are in the links above.

Mr Splashy Pants

Greenpeace has been running a poll to name some whales that are traveling in the Pacific.

29 of the 30 nominations are for either mythical, Zen-ish, or new-age-type names like Kaimana, Shanti, and Aurora.

And then scanning down the list, you see “Mr. Splashy Pants“.

And he’s winning the vote. Overwhelmingly.

While there was some noted vote tampering (votes that are not going to be counted), the reason that Mr. Splashy Pants is winning is because he went viral on the net through blogs and other forms of social media.

Greenpeace saw the opportunity and grabbed it. They’ve extended the voting to capitalize on the buzz. They quickly mobilized to develop Mr. Splashy Pants merchandise. They’re embracing it on their blog.

The entire affair is getting lots of press and it will probably pop up in the MSM in next few days. It’s an immeasureable PR coup for the cause.

But when you read through the comments on their blog and posts on other blogs, you’ll find some Greenpeace supporters who are not happy at all about the name.

One of the main reasons that so many non-profits (and for-profit businesses) languish is that they spend most of their time talking to the people who are already familiar with the cause and are already ardent supporters. While it’s important to cultivate your core, you have to find new people in order to grow. For some of the inside core, this feels like outsiders are hijacking the organization.

Some people are so comfortable and locked up in the “normalcy” of the cause or the business that they can’t see the massive opportunities right below the surface.

This seems obvious — but the best way to get attention is to stand out from the crowd.

Marketing a Non-Profit Organization

Mark your calendars…I’ll be presenting a program for the United Way of Southern Kentucky on August 10 from 2-4pm entitled “Marketing a Non-Profit Organization.

We’ll address the unique marketing opportunities and challenges faced by charities, public service agencies, and other types of non-profit organizations. Along with an overall look at marketing basics, we’ll dig into specifics such as: how to build a marketing plan, getting your message out, and low-cost publicity methods. Even if you’re not a non-profit, there’s information you can use.

If you’re a non-profit or other organization who can make it to Bowling Green, KY on August 10, I urge you to attend this presentation. Call the United Way in Bowling Green at (270) 843-3205 for reservations.

tags:: marketing, keynote speaker, nonprofit