In cause campaign efforts, celebrity involvement can help catalyze momentum to reach and engage your audience when it is approached and strategized correctly. What does it really mean to find the right celebrity for your cause and collaborate together to create an authentic partnership? What is the best way to navigate the triangular dynamic between brand, cause, and celebrity? Nancy Gofus, the COO of Public Interest Registry, had the opportunity to explore this topic with a fantastic panel of experts at this year’s Cause Marketing Forum in Chicago on May 29, 2013:
Connie Fontaine, Director, Marketing Communications, Ford of Canada
Nancy Gofus, COO, Public Interest Registry
Joel Goldman, Director of Entertainment Industry Relations, Malaria No More
René Jones, Founding Director, United Talent Agency Foundation
The leading message of this panel was that in order for cause campaigns to be effective, stories need to be told; more importantly, they need to be authentic. Additionally, the ultimate goal for brands, nonprofits and celebrities is a win-win-win situation. In order to be successful, nonprofits and charities that are organizing cause campaigns need to identify an advocate that would not only be able to relate to and support their mission, but that would also be appealing to their audience.
There is a big difference between booking talent for a commercial cause marketing spot versus a public service announcement. For a commercial cause marketing spot, you need to find an advocate that is truly connected to the cause, who would be more willing to donate their time to show their support. Alternatively, talent agencies will be looking to collect heavy lump sums of money to book their clients, especially when the spot ad is for a large commercial brand.
From the brand perspective, you’ll want the talent to be proud to be affiliated with your company. Again, the relationship needs to grow organically and the story that you seek to tell needs to be authentic. When this relationship is met with a cause campaign, the dynamic becomes incredibly powerful and the potential to move audiences to demonstrate social good increases.
If you are either a brand or celebrity, or are working on a cause campaign, check out the video clip from the forum above. There are some great takeaways!
Public Interest Registry 