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Can Creating a Cause Related Product Make it More Salable?
July 28, 2007
Yellow ribbons are worn to support the United States Troops. Pink ribbon products support breast cancer. Can creating a cause-related product make it more salable?
Most people have no problem purchasing a product when it’s for charity. Many jewelers in the retail industry, whom own design shops, have created limited-edition pieces for various causes. For example, Debra Savage, a fashion designer who launched Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Chad Allison Designs with partner David Goldstein in 1999, wanted to do something different and more substantial than the standard practice of donating money or sponsoring an event. She wanted to create jewelry dedicated solely to charity. She proposed the idea to NBCC officials, and they loved the concept of designing an entire collection, with the proceeds from each piece marked for a specific charity. The collection included items that ranged from small silver fashion pieces that retail for $25 to diamond-intensive pieces set in gold that sell for thousands of dollars. The collection did so well, signifying both the intrinsic and symbolic value of the pieces, that now it includes about a dozen items.
Some tips for creating something salable that is devoted to cause-related marketing.
- Be sure to check out the reputation of the charity as well as their willingness to actively work with you to get the word out about the product as well as the great cause it will benefit.
- You biggest audience is the people who are inclined to supporting the charity. Possibly locals who’ve been affected by a disease to which the proceeds will benefit.
- Publish information about your product and the cause it supports in the organizations newsletter.
- Mail materials to other donors and continuous supporters.
- Contact your local TV, radio stations, and newspaper to promote the cause. Remember, donating any amount of proceeds to a charity gives the product even more credibility and focuses less on the commercialization.
Posted by Shanu Singh Guliani on July 28, 2007 | Comments (0)
