Cause-related marketing: who cares wins 689
million for UK breast cancer charities since
- This money has helped to fund both the
first dedicated research centre in the UK to
focus on the causes and treatments of breast
cancer, and 15 breast cancer nurses.
Through a strategic partnership with
Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Macmillan
Cancer Relief, Avon’s cause-related marketing
strategy has been implemented using a number
of different elements of the marketing mix. The
Crusade has involved sales of products where a
proportion of the price is donated to charity. It
has also included sales of charity fundraising
products, sponsorship of Fashion Targets Breast
Cancer and political lobbying via consumer
petitions. Avon has benefited greatly from this
association, enhancing their corporate profile,
engaging new and existing customers, receiv-
ing enormous publicity, fostering feelings of
affiliation amongst staff, representatives and
customers, bringing the company’s vision to
life (for more details, please refer to Adkins,
1999a, Chapter 17).
To assure our future success Avon is committed
to high performance in every aspect of our
business operation. Through the Avon Breast
Cancer Crusade we have raised over $190
million around the world to help the fight
against breast cancer, whilst harnessing all
elements of our business and making a positive
impact on the company’s corporate profile and
overall image.
Andrea Slater, Vice President Marketing,
Avon UK
Breakthrough Breast Cancer and Avon have
been partners for more than eight years. At the
outset Breakthrough needed a major corporate
supporter to help establish us at a time when
neither breasts nor cancer were mentioned in
the boardroom. Avon have raised more than £8
million which has helped to establish the first
dedicated breast cancer research centre in the
UK. The Avon Kiss Goodbye to Breast Cancer
campaign in 1999 firmly established Avon as
one the leaders in cause-related marketing in
this country.
Delyth Morgan, Chief Executive,
Breakthrough Breast CancerCentrica plc: the British Gas and
Help the Aged partnership
British Gas has raised more than £4 million for
Help the Aged since the partnership was
launched in 1999, through a combination of
direct funding, in-kind support and customer
fundraising. Already the partnership has
delivered benefits to more than 400 000 older
people.
British Gas embarked on a long-term
cause-related marketing partnership with
Help the Aged to reduce the number of
unnecessary winter deaths and to make the
lives of older people warmer and less iso-
lated. In 1998/99, the deaths of 44 000 older
people in the UK could be directly attributed
to cold-related diseases. The partnership has
developed a solutions-based approach to the
issues facing vulnerable older people. It
seeks to provide long-term solutions to fuel
poverty and isolation to save lives, allied to
practical short-term measures for immediate
impact.
British Gas has communicated the issues of
excess winter deaths and isolation to a national
audience through advertising and direct mar-
keting. It has also delivered a combination of
traditional sponsorship activity and new, inno-
vative fundraising. It has generated huge
employee support, external media coverage
and has been particularly beneficial in reinforc-
ing British Gas’s brand attributes in a number
of competitive product markets (for more
details, please refer to Adkins, 1999, Chapter
16).The partnership is one of unique strength. Both
partners bring to the relationship different skills
and expertise, but together it is a union of
tremendous potency. The partnership has
already helped thousands of vulnerable older
people, providing direct help and support to
those who need it most. We are literally saving
lives – now and in the future.
Mike Lake, Help the Aged
Director General