Marketing Tips Taught by Awareness Organizations

Is there any American who doesn't know that October is Breast Cancer Awareness month? While there is an innumerable amount of other great causes, joining the fight against breast cancer is one of the most recognizable cause-related initiatives to date. One reason for this is that the principal organizations leading the battle have been extremely successful at creating constant reminders. Using traditional forms of radio, print and television advertisements, combined with a series of large fundraising events and clever use of promotional products, they have generated world-wide awareness of their mission. In fact, they are so good that their efforts have created a society where any use by any person of any shade of pink, produces an instant association with their cause. Their success is not only something that can be envied by marketers everywhere; it is also something we can all learn from.

Give and Take
The highest grossing Non-Profits have demonstrated that offering a gift, even something small, motivates many people to give more. While these organizations spend most of their money on research efforts and programs in their communities, gifts-with-donation have proven well worth their cost. Offering customized products like pins, ribbons, totes and t-shirts as a gift for any minimum contribution has been incredibly effective at increasing donations and upping their bottom line.

Be Visual
For breast cancer organizations, pink is more than a corporate color. They have made it a principal factor of everything they do. It is used on almost every piece of printed marketing materials, they wear pink apparel at events, they use pink products for any giveaway and they even use the word itself in cute catch phrases like Think Pink. These organizations center entire marketing campaigns around this color, and their combined efforts have made it an everyday part of our culture. Who amongst us doesn't know that Pink = Breast Cancer Awareness?

Stay Positive
While there are few things more frightening than a disease that kills thousands of people every year, breast cancer organizations don't harp on the negative. They don't try to scare people into opening their wallets because they understand the human nature to run from things that make you feel bad and flock to things that make you feel good. Instead they preach the positive and educate potential donors on all of the wonderful things they do. They share breakthroughs in science they have helped accomplish and remind people of the immediate good they do in each community such as funding mammograms for people who cannot afford them or arranging rides to treatment for those currently fighting the disease.

Have Fun
Even though cancer is a serious subject, fundraising events are focused on fun. Non-profit organizations understand better than anyone that if an event isn't enjoyable, no one will come. They'll do anything possible to ensure that each event is not only inspiring, educational and profitable, but that everyone attending has a good time. This is what makes people actually want to participate and is the only way to ensure that their donors will keep coming back and keep giving.

Make a Personal Connection
When trying to convince people to get involved, breast cancer organizations always remind people of everyone they know that has been or will be affected by the disease. They don't just spit out statistics of how many suffer every year. They make it personal by asking everyone to think about mothers, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, wives and friends who have been diagnosed. Then they share all the good things the organization has done to help all these loved ones. They also recruit ambassadors to tell their own personal and inspiring story of survival to really hit home what each donation helps accomplish.


While it's true that non-profit organizations operate in a very different way than for-profit companies, these key principals can easily be applied by any business in any industry. Keep them in mind as you plan your next marketing campaign.