Post on 16-May-2015
description
Cause Branding and Community Building With Social Networking Tools
A Strategic Approach to Corporate Philanthropic Engagement
Ed Nicholson, APRDirector of Community Relations
@TysonFoodshttp://www.facebook.com/TysonHungerReliefhttp://www.tysonhungerrelief.com
• Tyson Case Study—What worked for us
• Finding a strategic fit—the 4-step
process
• Cause marketing/Cause branding
• Finding and Engaging Communities and
Stakeholders
• Effective Tactics
Where we’ll go today
•Began formally working in hunger relief in 2000.
•Prior to had donated food; also involved in many other worthy philanthropic efforts.
• “Executive pets”•Efforts were spread thin.
Initial strategy
• We’re a food company. Feeding people is in our DNA.
• We are “hard-wired” into national food distribution channels.
• Food, as an in-kind resource, is more readily available than cash.
• Protein is desperately needed by hunger relief agencies.
• Tyson can be recognized as a leader in this cause.
Why?
• Goals• Get positive attention (primarily MS media) for the contributions we were making.
• Early approach was very publicity-focused; brand-centric; brand protective; competitive.
• Let the agency do most of the heavy lifting.
• One partnership: Share Our Strength• Wanted to be recognized by the hunger movement, but engagement and involvement wasn’t a critical part of the strategy
• Had a campaign mindset
Initial strategy—2000-2005
Tyson hunger relief strategy—brand-centric early approach
•There is a phenomenal community already engaged in the issue (room for online community)
• Inspiring people doing selfless work (not always recognized)
•Can’t be accepted into the community overnight. Can’t “buy” your way in
Tyson hunger relief strategy—how it evolved—what we learned
•As we became engaged, our culture and our expectations changed
•Became more collaborative, more outwardly-focused
•No longer just a campaign for us
Tyson hunger relief strategy—how it evolved—what we learned
The more we give in a genuine way—the more we become truly and authentically
engaged—the more we get back.
Hunger:
A complex, misunderstood issue.
What we learned
Awareness an issue
• Reviewed and revised strategy in 2005(w/ Mitchell Communications Group)– Expanded partnerships– Became more collaborative and outwardly
focused– Became more engaged, directly involved– Started engaging stakeholders
• Team Members—104K in U.S.• Customers• Communities• Elected officials
How Nonprofits and BusinessesSucceed Through Strategic Alliances
The Collaboration ChallengeJames E. Austin
The Collaboration Continuum*
*James Austin—The Collaboration Challenge
Philanthropic:Charity, Little Stakeholder Engagement/RelationshipsNo Strategic Imperative, Minimal Expectations
Transactional:Increased Understanding and Trust,Value Delivered, More Relationships, Expectations
Integrative: “We” mentality, High Mission Mesh, Broad Strategic Fit, Deep Personal Relationships, High Employee Engagement
Stages of Corporate/Non-Profit Partnerships
The Collaboration ContinuumStages of Partnerships Philanthropic
Transactional Integrative
Engagement level Low
High
Importance to Mission Peripheral
Strategic
Magnitude of Resources Small
Big
Scope of Activities Narrow
Broad
Interaction Level Infrequent
Intensive
Managerial Complexity Simple
Complex
Strategic Value Modest
Major
*James Austin—The Collaboration Challenge
Recent Approach---More collaborative, outwardly-focused
Cause Marketing/ Cause Branding
Cause marketing—by itself
• Transactional• Strategic philanthropy• Campaign focused• Looks for the quick win• Proprietary/competitive• Focus on organizational objectives• More often tactical
Cause Marketing/ Cause Branding
Cause branding. • Long-term commitment• Leadership Collaborative Engagement• Can’t write a check for it; buy it • Senior level support and ENGAGEMENT • Strategic fit for the business • How can a broader set of organizational resources be applied? Not just cash: in-kind, people, functional expertise.
• Takes a mature-thinking/acting non-profit to engage with a company truly committed to cause branding. Requires them to leverage resources beyond cash; work with partners to fit their work into the cause, sometimes beyond existing programs.
Cause Marketing/ Cause Branding
Can have cause marketing activity within cause branding program: KRAFT.
Quite often, very successful cause branding start out as cause marketing efforts (transactional) and evolve (integrative).
The 4-step process is important
Research—Knowing the landscape. Knowing the community. Knowing the issue. Listening !
Planning—Developing a strategy based on all factors, not simply organizational objectives.
Execution—Are we employing effective tactics?
Evaluation—Where are we? Is it where we want to be? What have we accomplished? ROI?
Hunger Almanac Sponsorship Primary Research
Research
Research: Listening and monitoring
Research: Listening and monitoring
Research: Listening and monitoring
• Engage our people in very productive and visible ways.
• Makes them feel good about the company. Creates people dedicated to the cause.
• Is another step toward being more authentically involved; humanizing the brand.
Strategies
•Leverage donations to go beyond publicity for Tyson.
• Generate awareness of the issue of hunger and of people and orgs.
• Create events that have innovative and attractive news angles.
• Bask in reflected light.
Strategies
• Utilize our communications resources to create awareness and build community around the issue. Social media tools have been very effective toward this end.
Strategies
Goals:• Humanize the brand• Establish the company as a thought leader in
the cause of hunger• Grow a community that will recognize our
voice as credible—and might defend us when we need it
• Leverage our in-kind donations• Engage and nurture relationships with key
stakeholders—the hunger community, team members, community leaders, advocacy partners
• Utilize our own publishing platforms in a credible, productive way—for others and ourselves
Executing the Strategy Online
Http://HungerRelief.Tyson.com
Online in 2007Goals—• Tell stories of people working in hunger relief—Ours and others’—Archive those stories.
• Expand awareness of and engagement in the issue
• Help bring the existing community involved in hunger relief online
Tyson Foods Social Media – Twitter
Tools and Tactics – YouTube
Tools and Tactics– Flickr
Engaging the hunger community
Expanded PartnershipsShare Our Strength—DC-based hunger relief org that raises money and provides strategic grants to hunger relief
Feeding America—Nation’s largest
network of food banksLift Up America—Partnerships with professional and college sports teams and athletes in creating hunger and poverty awareness
The Hunger Community
• National organizations—SOS, Feeding America
• Policy Advocates—FRAC, Cong. Hunger Center
• Lawmakers—House and Cong. Hunger Caucus, Sen. Blanche Lincoln
• Local organizations—Food banks• Local agencies—63,000• Inspired, inspiring individuals—Hunger All-Stars
Hunger All-Star
Hunger All-Star
Hunger All-Star
Social Media Informing and Validating
Social Media Informing and Validating
Tools—Facebook
Engage influencers–Guest posts
Engaging and connecting influencers
Engage Influencers
Engage Influencers
Engage Influencers
Engage Influencers
Engage Influencers
Engage Influencers
Tools and Tactics– Flickr, YouTube
Engaging and contributing to the community—be a connector
Engaging and contributing to the community—be a connector
Engaging stakeholders
Engaging stakeholders--customers
Engaging the Online Community (many new to hunger)
Comment for Food Efforts
Engaging and informing—WeCanEndThisC
Is this stuff worth the effort? How we evaluate.
• Online activity: Site traffic, blog posts, Twitter and Facebook activity
• Social media feeding mainstream media
• Continually updated archive of Tyson’s activity within the issue
• Reputation and relationships--
Measuring—Blog posts/reposts
Measuring—Blog posts/reposts
Measuring—Blog posts/reposts
Measuring--Retweets
Results: Mainstream media• Events: 80 visual and engaging events• Coverage:
– Quantitative: 40 million impressions, 260 stories including: Chicago Sun Times, Arizona Republic, New York Daily News, Richmond Times Dispatch, dozens of TV hits, online and special audience media
– Qualitative: Is our brand front and center?• 98% positive tone• 85% mention Tyson in the top third of the story• 41% mention Tyson’s ongoing commitment to hunger relief
• Sales: Case volume increased 14.9% in test markets
Other good corporate examples
Other good corporate examples
Many of the same principals of community-building we discovered as we integrated into our own communities and the hunger community worked well with integrating into online communities.
Listening Responding Engaging ContributingLeading
Lessons learned
IMHO• It’s difficult for agencies to develop community
for us. We need to be part of the process when it happens.
• What they can do:– Help create strategy.– Help create content.– Walk alongside as participants in the conversation. Use
their credibility to support.• If key agency people are not participating as
thought leaders in the space, should they be advising you? They need street cred themselves.
• Takes time to build credibility and community. Can’t buy your way in.
• You can’t “control the message” (you never really could). But you can influence it. – You can control what you say.– Saying nothing speaks pretty loudly sometimes.
Relationships and reputations transcend and survive technology changes.
There’s continuity in community.
The tools will continue to evolve
• Find the strategic fit• Utilize all of your resources, especially in-kind• Engage your stakeholders, especially your own employees—be a connector
• Adopt a long-term vision--think beyond the campaign• Realize it takes time to develop communities
• Find the communities already engaged• Listen to them—try to move beyond philanthropic expectations• Become engaged with them• Determine how you can make a contribution
• Find and engage influencers—reward them for their engagement• Celebrate and archive your successes
Connect with ushttp://www.tysonhungerrelief.comhttp://twitter.com/TysonFoodshttp://www.facebook.com/TysonHungerReliefhttp://youtube.com/TysonCommunityed.nicholson@tyson.com
Takeaways
Questions? Complaints?Suggestions?
http://twitter.com/TysonFoodshttp://twitter.com/ederdn
http://www.youtube.com/tysoncommunity
ed.nicholson@tyson.comExtension 4591
Flat Building—Southwest Corner
Thank You
Support your local Food Bank
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