One of the highlights so far of the chicken/egg year has been the remarkable success of our ‘Bahlsen Break’ award campaign.
Sponsoring good causes has always had huge a positive outcome for companies who benefit from the positive associations brought to their brand. From a local shop donating raffle prizes for the school fete to global corporate sponsorship, the associated positive ‘free’ advertising, increase in brand loyalty and fulfilment of corporate responsibility are evident.
Simple sponsorship is undoubtedly worthwhile, but benefits can be maximised for a specific brand by structuring the support given to a cause in a way which brings the most advantage to the client, rather than just ‘piggy-backing’ on an existing charity or event.
For Bahlsen, we created the ‘Bahlsen Break’ which invited members of the public to nominate someone they felt was deserving of a reward or ‘break’ for their good work. The winner received £500 worth of Spa vouchers so they could treat themselves and 4 further selected runners up each won a hamper of Bahlsen biscuits, (further positioning the product as a luxurious and desirable item – a ‘treat’).
There were many worthy nominations, but ultimately the winner was mum-of-three, Lucy Mayer, who launched a lending-library of baby clothes called With a Little Love. She was delighted to have won, but her charity also benefited from the publicity which we were able to bring, which has included local press, national glossy coverage plus a TV interview! Bahlsen both supported and raised awareness for a worthwhile charity while also being associated with the indulgence of the prize.
The runners up included a husband caring for his ill wife, a foster mother who looked after scores of children and a twin who had given up her job to care for her severely disabled sister. In each case the recipient was delighted to have been chosen and their stories brought traffic and content to Bahlsen related blogs, SM content and press coverage.
Campaigns such as these do not necessarily focus on the product but are a valuable marketing tool as well as genuinely making the world a better place – the perfect example of a win-win situation. An element of cynicism surrounds any corporate sponsorship, but had Bahlsen Break not been created, these worthwhile causes would not have been recognised and the deserving winners, would not have received a much deserved ‘break’.
As long as it’s well-thought out, original and relevant campaigns such as Bahlsen Break can be the holy grail of responsible marketing.