Newsletter: Nonprofits, Take Note: Barbie is Ripe For 'Causejacking' 💥; Balance a Lemon on Your Head, Insurance Company Will Donate to ALSF 🍋 ; RIP Pee-Wee Herman 😭
Barbie is everywhere - and not just in the movie theaters. People are writing about Barbie ("Ten Life Lessons from the First Ten Minutes of the Barbie Movie"). People are selling things with Barbie (Barbie Dreamhouse in Malibu listed on Airbnb). If you don't believe me, just Google "Barbie Movie" and see what happens!
BARBIE. IS. EVERYWHERE.
People and brands are newsjacking the Barbie movie.
Newsjacking is all about inserting yourself or your organization into trending news and stepping into the spotlight.
(BTW, this is my favorite example of Barbie newsjacking.)
Sure, newsjacking has risks. There was this from a local Subway store. However, newsjacking can be timely, relevant, and eye-catching.
For example, there was that time that Greenpeace newsjacked the hit HBO show Succession.
Heck, I newsjacked the Barbie movie just last week, and it was a hit with readers!
Newsjacking can be as easy as using a trending story in your weekly newsletter to make a legitimate point about your organization, mission, or challenges.
Now, for corporate partnerships and fundraising, there is something I call causejacking. This is when you insert yourself into trending news to raise money for a cause.
For example, Mattel and Save the Children are currently causejacking the Barbie movie to raise funds to help girls worldwide succeed.
Another example is when the San Antonio Zoo causejacked the impending retirement of the Toys R Us mascot giraffe to raise awareness and money to save giraffes in the wild.
The bottom line is that newsjacking or causejacking trending events can be wicked smahht if done strategically and thoughtfully. Plus, it's just fun and exciting.
Has your nonprofit used newsjacking and causejacking??? Send me the details and I'll share them in the newsletter!
✍️ Partnership Notes
1. A great graph to share with your partners in your corporate partnership newsletter. The four steps every business should take before conveying a stance on an issue.
2. Balance a lemon on your head during the next two weeks, and Northwestern Mutual will donate $10 toward childhood cancer research.
The partnership between Northwestern and Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation was one of the first case studies I wrote when I started my case study service several years back. Since then, I've written over 100! It's time to go back and update this one!
🤑 Marketing Your Cause
1. Surprisingly, many people ask me what they should do for the anniversary of their nonprofit's founding. I tell them all the same thing: I haven't a clue!
However, at least now I can point them to this successful anniversary celebration from the Arthritis Foundation. It included lighting up 50 iconic buildings and monuments in 22 states, including Boston City Hall. The effort garnered some good ROI!
"50% increase in traffic to arthritis.org from branded search, a tripling of traffic to a dedicated “We {Journey} Together” landing page, and a 60% increase in website leads generated. And a single press release brought 351 million impressions."
2. Does your nonprofit have a strong brand? Take this litmus test.
😎 Cool Jobs in Cause
1. Senior Assistant, Corporate Partnerships, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brookline, MA
2. Senior Manager, Strategic Partnerships, Kiva, Remote
🧠🍌 Brain Food
1. Every one of you should be building your personal brand. Here's how to do it while you are an employee at a nonprofit.
"Taking charge of your personal brand is a way to manage your reputation at scale. It’s the easiest way to expand and strengthen your network, differentiate among your competition, and create new opportunities for yourself."
2. Last week, I wrote about how companies are replacing their lawns with native plants. 🌱👏 Tito's Vodka took an even bigger step and turned its 14-care lot into a farm to feed its employees. Of course, it's amazing! 🤩
3. RIP Pee-Wee Herman.😭 My favorite scene from one of my favorite movies.
