The Davidoff Communications Network

Dwight Eisenhower: Mission Driver

2012-02-17T10:48:00.001-06:00

By: Stephen Delaney

President Eisenhower had a mission: defeating the Nazis. FedEx has a mission: delivering to any destination and as quickly as possible. It may seem silly to juxtapose the two, a world war and a commitment to rapid shipping. Yet in a post on Forbes titled “The Secret to Success? Stick to Your Mission,” Geoff Lotus, author of "LEAD LIKE IKE: Ten Business Strategies from the CEO of D-Day," draws parallels between the two.

To Lotus, success is achieved by ensuring that planning and operations, logistics and communications (specifically marketing) are all aligned behind mission. He views Eisenhower from a business perspective, examining how he kept all of those processes focused on mission. To illustrate, he names FDR and Churchill as Eisenhower’s bosses and the citizens of the United States, England and Canada as the majority shareholders.

Lotus’ message is simple: no matter the size of the challenge, the most important key to success is to stay on mission. Whether a president conducting an international war or a CEO directing his corporation, remaining mission-driven is the principal concern.

The Utility of Corporate Volunteering

2012-02-10T16:36:00.004-06:00

By: Stephen Delaney

In today’s economic climate, nonprofits are seeing an increased trend in corporate volunteerism. A recent article on Fast Company argues that corporations can provide more meaningful support if they lend their “manpower and expertise.” The author argues that financial contributions are not the best use of a corporation’s resources. Certainly, nonprofits can benefit from free training and other pro bono services a corporation could provide. Yet, it’s important to note that this article was written from a corporation’s perspective by Ali Marano, Vice President of Technology for Social Good at JPMorgan Chase.

Do nonprofits agree? Is corporate volunteerism an adequate substitute for dollars? Corporations may crave the PR they can whip up by saying they are taking an active role and accomplishing a concrete task for a nonprofit. Yet, what about the nonprofit’s ever-present financial demands for the less glamorous costs of administration and general operations?

Marano’s counter to this question is that organizations can redirect funds allocated for whatever project the corporation helps with and “invest them in other areas to directly meet their missions.”

What do you think?

For more information on corporate volunteering, you can see the story on Fast Company.

The State of Corporate Philanthropy: How Non-Profits Can Make the Most of Their Current Situation

2012-02-03T12:59:00.004-06:00

By: Gene Zlotnikov

At a recent Philanthropy Club meeting I had the chance to hear Kassie Davis, Executive Director of CME Group Foundation in Chicago, speak about corporate philanthropy. Ms. Davis shared her perspective on what non-profits should keep in mind as they reach out to corporate and foundation grant makers.

• Non-profits must be fully aware of what their mission is and be able to properly express their goals to grant makers.

• Do not reach out blindly to companies – do your research. Most corporate foundations have a website in which they clearly state how much money they give and exactly what they support.

• If there is no website or information to determine these specifics, non-profit executives should take initiative in reaching out to the appropriate person within the foundation to see if there is alignment for a partnership.

• The challenge facing grant-seekers is the constant struggle to get a foundation or corporation to listen to their message, let alone provide them with a grant.

Here is the good news: Ms. Davis says that although non-profits have seen funding shrink during the last few years because of the recession, corporate giving has been on the rise since 2010. Non-profits should be on the lookout for organizations that are passionate about the programs they are initiating. They must realize that they are unique and be able to effectively communicate their mission and vision to differentiate themselves from other organizations applying for grants.

To see what the CME Group Foundation supports please visit: http://www.cmegroupfoundation.org/

Is Social Innovation Really Here to Stay?

2012-01-25T21:03:00.004-06:00

By: Gene Zlotnikov

In a January 12th Forbes article titled, Social Innovation: Is it Really Here to Stay? Shannon Schuyler discusses how major companies have created social innovation positions within their ranks in order to provide future sustainability for their organization. As companies innovate and transform, building strong corporate & non-profit partnerships will become an essential part of their growth and sustainability. The most important change organizations will need to understand is that corporate giving and philanthropy should not be as cut and dry as handing out checks anymore; rather, companies must be willing to approach social problems by sharing thoughts with one another in order to leverage truly powerful ideas that will lead toward organizational transformation.

Schuyler highlights one specific example of a company using their resources and social ability to innovate and fulfill their mission. Goldman Sachs’ 10,000 Women Campaign, which is trying to provide widespread business education to underserved women, is pairing Goldman’s business expertise and financial resources with 80 academic and nonprofit partners to scale meaningful change and, eventually, success. They are acting upon the philosophy that strong partnerships are a way that will lead organizations to become their most potent selves as they strive to carry out their vision and mission.

For more information about Social Innovation you can read the original Forbes article here.

Help Your Organization Live Happily Ever After

2011-08-12T14:02:00.002-05:00

By: Jenny Barish

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a non-profit organization that was in need of help. Although the organization’s leaders were passionate, and their cause was relevant, they faced great challenges, like developing new revenue streams, implementing a new marketing plan, and facing fire-breathing dragons. The economy was troubled, and the villagers showed little interest in their services. After dozens of presentations in front of board members, CEOs, and fairy godmothers, the non-profit organization had lost all hope and had no one to turn to for help…

Intrigued? Classic story frames such as these have stood the test of time. And there’s a reason for “Once upon a time’s” longevity. People love stories: they usually have relatable characters, vivid settings, clear themes, natural plot progressions, and a unique voice. And according to Pon Angara, principal at Barkada Creative LLC, a Chicago-based visual branding business, these characteristics are not limited to fairy tales.

In Angara’s recent presentation at the Chicago Philanthropy Club, I was brought back to my kindergarten story time circle, and was happy to learn that the basic principles of storytelling can be applied to the marketing, development, and strategic vision of an organization. As consultants at Davidoff Communications, we are dedicated to the most effective articulation of our clients’ goals, mission, and impact. The associations, non-profits, and corporate clients we work with each have a story to tell, and we engage in this artistic medium of communication to help each tell their own in the most compelling way possible.

With thousands of people trying to sell a new product, a brilliant social innovation, or a service, many organizations can get lost in the clutter. Using the classic components of storytelling to talk about your organization may forge a more personal or relatable bond with an audience. And according to Pon Angara, the best way to tell a story is through the “transformative power of the arts.” In Angara’s Philanthropy Club presentation, we closed our eyes and listened to music, and realized that a song has a powerful story to tell including all the essential elements. This idea was demonstrated through other mediums such theatre, art, and audiovisuals—engaging all human senses, connecting with people, and hopefully building rapport and support.

But how are all of these abstract ideas directly applicable to your organization? Strategically choosing music can communicate the mission or culture of a company at an office or at an event, a striking photo can say a lot in few words for an advertising campaign, and a video can bring an abstract idea, theme, or statement to life (Angara used this as an excellent example of theatrical storytelling).

As an avid lover of art, music, and culture, I think this concept is incredibly effective. As a learner, it’s hard to become passionate about the content in a flat PowerPoint presentation. But when I see the concepts illuminated through a painting, in a play, or with a song, I think longer and more deeply about the ideas presented. And as a consumer, I connect to the catchy melodies that I hear on the newest Apple commercial. It’s not necessarily the product that I fall so deeply in love with—it’s the story they are conveying through song, images, and characters. I can relate to the sounds, and I want not only to have the product or service, but to be a part of that company’s story.

Mr. Angara perfectly wrapped up his workshop with a quote from Maya Angelou,

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

People come in all shapes, sizes, and attitudes, but we all have a fundamental desire to feel, connect, and live happily every after.

Reviewing Your Social Media

2011-07-27T14:38:00.005-05:00

By: Elyssa Cherney

Nowadays, social media is synonymous with tweets and Facebook likes.
Both play a crucial role in forging your online reputation.

Although I am one of those savvy youths responsible for this digital explosion, and consider myself Facebook and Twitter literate, I still have trouble grasping exactly what social media means and what strategies should be used to support it.

So when I attended a technology lecture at the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce called “Is Social Media Making Your Business Anti-Social???” I expected to learn about muploads (that’s mobile uploads) and retweeting. However, what keynote speaker Steven Dimmitt spoke about shattered the strict borders I had imposed on the social media world.

As the CEO of abSRDdity, an online reputation management service, Dimmitt shared his insights about the shifting relationship between advertising and the current world.

Technological, economic, and psychological factors are all redrawing the lines in conventional marketing. What used to be a one-way dialogue, controlled by the business, has now morphed into a two-way communication that gives the consumer more power.

Because there are more options for just about everything today, the consumer controls more of this process. He chooses how to search or find businesses and, because of this, he doesn’t have to settle for anything less than a deal.

This has forced the business model to change, with an increased focus on engaging the consumer. Social media is one of the ways businesses can reach out to potential audiences and hold their attention.

So you’ve got your Facebook page, your Twitter, a LinkedIN profile, and maybe even a blog. With all those platforms, your SEO must be climbing the ranks. It should be that much closer to making it on the first page of a search.

But here’s the kicker: though you are creating all that content, 80 percent of search results are user-generated. Instead of exposing potential clients to the material you chose, they are seeing what others have written about you in reviews, blogs, and other posts.

And they’re listening.

About 84 percent of users say that consumer reviews influenced their purchasing.

The online review, a sector that completely escaped my thoughts before hearing from Dimmitt, is another huge component of your online identity.

Most business have a Google Place Page, a Yelp site, a Bing listing, or a City Search review where customers post their feelings about companies

Consumers are more likely to post their thoughts after an unpleasant experience, denouncing the business and the service in a public rant.

Dimmitt pointed out that one bad review can cost you up to 30 potential customers. For damage control, he recommends five good testimonials for every negative one.

But when you do your job correctly, and a person has a positive experience, they probably won’t feel as compelled to gush about you online. The challenge is getting them to do just that, though it might not be as hard as you thought.

Just ask. If you see a consumer who is satisfied, invite them to write a review in person and e-mail them the link to your review site. It’s that easy.

Don’t let social laziness cost you customers.

Dimmitt offered three steps to building the online brand of your dreams—Assess, repair, maintain.

Claim online venues, respond to current dialogue and be diligent about getting positive reviews.

Do not ignore negative reviews. If there is a bad post, digest it, respond, and e–mail your employees about what went wrong. Contact the author of the review, inquire about their experience, and personally apologize.

If there is a positive review, share it over your social media and propel it to reach as many people as possible.

While I admit I still don’t understand the inner workings of social media, I know enough to realize it can be one of the most powerful business tools of today.

If you don’t get it, hire someone who does. Dimmitt suggests assigning a full time role as social media manager to one of your employees.

At Davidoff Communications, we too are realizing the power of the online world and using our summer interns (that’s me!) to refresh and update our own social media efforts. Writing frequent blogs, such as this one, is one component of this much larger project, but we also have one intern manning our online board and getting our name out there through Twitter and Facebook.

And if that wasn’t enough, now we know to monitor our online reviews too.

Branding Basics: Go for the Tough Stuff

2011-07-13T11:43:00.002-05:00

By: Elyssa Cherney

The Bloomingdale’s signature “brown bag” is tightly clasped. Ray-Ban sunglasses coolly rest upon the heads of these eager shoppers who are fearlessly guided by a pair of Nike sneakers.

Yes, a stroll around my local mall reveals all things typical of an upper-middle class shopping center. From head to toe, these patrons flaunt their designer labels.

But in this brand-eat-brand world, we needn’t travel outside our own homes to witness this phenomenon.

By simply gazing in a mirror, we can see the brand we invest in the most: ourselves.

As I sat in on an internal marketing meeting at Davidoff Communications, I realized that the idea of branding penetrates much further than surface level impressions, and delves into deeply rooted ontological questions—ones that lie at the cornerstone of our identity.

How we brand ourselves—the image we project to the world based on the clothing we wear, the phrases we say, and attitudes we adopt—creates a defining label of who we are as humans.

It comes down to several critical questions that we all must ask ourselves—Who do I want to be? How do I want others to perceive me? What are the types of things that I want associated with my name?

While this introspective process happens acutely on a personal level, it occurs even more furiously on a larger-scale, within the business sector.

The impact of branding is reflected by the exorbitant amount of money that corporations are willing to invest in marketing.

According to TheList.com, the internet’s largest relational database of marketing and advertising decision makers in North America, major companies like General Motors and AT&T spend over two billion dollars on advertisements to build their respective images.

Traditionally, businesses are advised to consider several factors when deciding which resources should be allocated to marketing. Some businesses set a flat dollar rate, others calculate a sales-revenue ratio, and many follow the plans of their competitors.

Still, some maintain that there should be no monetary cap on marketing.

“For startups and small businesses, branding can often take a backseat to other considerations, such as funding and product development,” reads a 2009 column from businessweek.com that appeared in The New York Times. “This is a mistake, as a company's brand can be key to its success. Dollar for dollar, it is as important and vital as any other early steps.”

But the marketing landscape is forever changing. First came the Internet and now it’s the dawn of the social media era.

More than half of businesses with marketing budgets under $1000 are adopting social media practices rooted in Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter (in that order), reported a 2010 GrowBiz Media study called entitled “SMB Marketing Practices: Small to Midsized Business Survey Results, 2010.” The same report, which surveyed 751 small businesses of less than 1,000 employees from across the country, also found that nearly 40 percent of respondents are spending more than one fifth of their marketing budgets on websites.

In these tumultuous times, constantly being redrawn by technology, the effort to define the face of your business becomes increasingly difficult.

But there is one overarching constant: revisiting those tough questions. The challenge is to apply this process of self-questioning to our businesses.

The daily struggles and often-agonizing truths we must confront about ourselves act as a model for branding a company, a service, or a product.

We must maintain the same self-awareness and objectivity that serve as personal checks to evaluate the image our business presents to the rest of humanity.

Stagnancy is failure. If we simply accept our faults and do not try to change them, we will not build our moral and social character. Likewise, building a brand requires constant recalibration.

Change is not a sign of weakness; it is a mark of strength. We must have the courage to recognize when a problem exists and the creativity to find the best possible solution.

It will take time, but by remaining cognizant of these fundamentals, your business can furnish its own unique brand—one that is differentiated from the sea of your competitors and highlights the specific talents that only you offer.

Only then will your vision for your business match what the rest of the world sees, its reflection staring squarely back at you from that mirror.

Discovering Mission-Driven Marketing

2011-07-05T11:29:00.011-05:00

By: Jenny Barish

Marketing has always played an integral role in my life. As a youngster, I was always receptive to television ads, and I was easily swayed by commercials, begging my mother for the newest Princess Barbie (much to my mother’s dismay) or Tamagachi (remember those?). In high school, I took a sports marketing course and found that the concepts came naturally. And for the Chicago Metro History Fair my junior year of high school, I chose to further explore the world of marketing—persuading my all- female project -mates to research Bill Veeck, the infamous manger of the Chicago White Sox who revolutionized promotional glitz and glamour. We made it all the way to the national competition, and my affinity to the marketing industry grew even stronger. Marketing seemed to be my niche. I loved the innovation, excitement, and psychology of it all, and at the young age of 17, there was no question that this was my calling.

When it came time to pick a college, I found my place at Ithaca College, a midsize private institution in central New York with killer views and an even more killer communications program. But as I studied business theories and the strategic model of communication alongside women’s studies and environmental destruction, I came to a quarter-life existential crisis. This all sounds very typical— the whole adolescent-coming-to-an-end-of-childhood-moment-and wants to fight against the system type of thing. But it was a real conundrum, and the more I learned about economic imbalance and over-consumption, the more I started to question the whole field of marketing. Was I just feeding the beast? I didn’t want to sell people more products and help contribute to more environmental crises or create more media-influenced perceptions about economic worth or gender norms (whew, as you can see this was quite the aha moment). Were all my childhood aspirations completely false and misinformed?

After my panic passed, I sat down and did what I do best: Facebook stalking. I came across an Alumni Group for Ithaca College, and I found that someone had responded to a posting I had made months ago about wishing to pursue a summer internship. It was John Davidoff, and he directed me to his company’s website, a “mission-driven marketing” firm based in Chicago that specialized in strategic non-profit/corporate partnership, sales consulting, and integrated marketing. I had no idea that this even existed, and as I further researched Davidoff Communications I was not only educated about an entire new sector of the communication industry, but I was reassured that I could be in marketing and not be a part of everything I had grown to hate. As I continue my work at Davidoff, my faith in cause marketing is constantly reaffirmed. I have seen how our work positively impacts the non-profit clients that work so hard to make a difference, and my hunger to use my research, rhetoric, and strategic thinking for good has grown even stronger.

A Marketing Awakening

2011-06-28T14:02:00.010-05:00

By: Elyssa Cherney

As a journalism major, I didn’t think I was cut out for the harsh world of marketing.

Journalists seek truth; marketing executives distort it. While journalists spur progressive change, the marketing industry is too caught up in the glitz and glamour of their 401ks to genuinely care about improving society.

Or so I thought before starting a summer internship with Davidoff Communications.

While I expected to do my share of filing, I didn’t count on having an experience that revolutionized my way of thinking. It took only one week to shatter my prior perceptions of the marketing industry and the way it fits into the world.

I was warmly welcomed on my first day at Davidoff Communications and immediately became part of the team. Instead of doing mindless tasks, I was entrusted with real work and I was counted on to deliver results.

It became clear that my coworkers would not just be cold faces I pass in the office—they were people who genuinely cared about me and would make an effort to be involved in my life both professionally and personally.

After I discovered that real human beings worked in marketing, I soon realized what they were working for.

While Davidoff Communications helps for-profit companies develop strategic plans and strengthen their brand, they also do a great deal of work with nonprofits. After attending a retreat with one of their nonprofit clients, I realized the colossal significance of firms like this.

By helping nonprofits reorganize and run more effectively as a whole, Davidoff Communications spreads the good these groups devote themselves to. In bettering the internal structure and external image of nonprofits, the firm betters the way that nonprofits communicate with and interact in our world.

In this sense, they play a crucial role in our society. They give back by helping these nonprofits give back more efficiently.

What I originally thought of as a self-serving industry turned out to be extremely selfless—devoting its resources to and aligning itself with important causes.

While I realize this reflection may seem like an overt advertisement for Davidoff Communications, I want to make it clear that publicity is not my intention here.

As a journalist we are taught to share stories and I think the story of Davidoff Communications is one worth telling. Over the next three months I hope to document my experience as an intern—one who was a complete outsider to marketing just a few days ago.

Along the way I hope to share my insights about the marketing industry, nonprofit work, and maybe some occasional complaints about filing. So, with all seriousness, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for the ride.

“The Shift” from Marketer to Growth Leader

2010-11-02T14:36:00.008-05:00

I recently had the opportunity to hear Scott Davis, Senior Partner of the strategic brand and marketing consultancy, Prophet, speak about his new book “The Shift: The Transformation of Today’s Marketers into Tomorrow’s Growth Leaders.” During his speech Mr. Davis shared personal stories that underscored the powerful loyalty that can be inspired in people when a brand delivers well on its promise. He went on to dive into the core theme expressed in his book: marketing is more than discretionary spending to build awareness – it is a powerful tool to affect change and drive strategic objectives. Marketing, at its best, has the most to offer in support of growth agendas because it is closer to the customers and competition. For marketing to be effective, it must have a good understanding of its audience and who else is trying to reach that audience. Leveraging these insights in support of strategy is where marketing can prove its value as growth leader.

Mr. Davis went on to highlight the five key shifts marketers should strive to make in order to change their profile from marketer to Growth Leader driving Visionary Marketing.

The 5 Shifts:

Transforming the Role of Marketing in Nonprofit Organizations

2010-10-29T18:50:00.007-05:00

At the recent Nonprofit Marketing Conference presented by the American Marketing Association the tone was defined by a white paper issued by the 2010 Senior Nonprofit Marketers’ Summit. “Nonprofit CMO’s Call for a Transformation of Marketing”, co-authored by 18 senior marketing executives in the nonprofit sector, underscored the need for Marketing Transformation to redefine the perception and role of marketing in nonprofits. This call to action comes at a time when many organizations, nonprofit and for-profit alike, are looking at ways to transform at many levels in order to stay lean, efficient and relevant in the new economy.

According the white paper, one of the challenges faced by many nonprofit marketers is that their role in marketing for their organizations is “too narrowly defined as focusing on advertising, brand guideline, and market research.” Rather than being seen as an integral piece of the strategic puzzle to help drive organization growth, and enhance impact, marketing in nonprofits has been relegated to a “tactical management function.” Shifting our perspective around marketing allows us to see beyond the brand enhancing capabilities of marketing and start to understand how marketing can be a powerful tool to support strategic growth by “developing strategies to generate and sustain the passion people have for [an organization’s] mission and connecting them” in meaningful ways to an organization.

The white paper identified eight myths of nonprofit marketing that define our current perception of marketing as well as laid out key areas of focus for creating a more influential role for marketing at the leadership table.

Myths:

Marketing is just tactical
Good fundraisers don’t need marketing
Good marketing can fix everything
You can’t measure marketing
Marketing segmentation is not practical for most nonprofits
Competition doesn’t apply to charities
If the board likes the advertising, it must be good marketing
Good marketing takes money…and lots of it

Key Area of Focus for Enhancing Marketing’s Role at the Leadership Table:

Developing insights based in truth by knowing your constituents, understanding your competition, innovating, and defining your value proposition
Building adequate resources needed to implement the insights by building infrastructure, collaborating with internal allies in the “C-Suite” who are advocates for marketing, and leveraging connections
Showing value for the investment using solid metrics and accurate assessment

For information about how you can get a copy of the white paper, “Nonprofit CMO’s call for a Transformation of Marketing” contact Jessica Thurmond at the American Marketing Association, 312-542-9015.

Top ingredient for success in today’s work force is brains, not muscle.

2010-10-12T16:10:00.006-05:00

Devry University President and CEO Daniel Hamburger spoke at the Executives' Club of Chicago’s CEO Breakfast Series this morning at the Fairmont Hotel…a valuable forum for Chicagoans to learn more about some of the innovative local companies here. Hamburger’s key message: watch for a significant increase in privately owned post-secondary education organizations.

Current trends:

Sector	Market Share	Total Students
Public sector schools (i.e. University of Illinois)	72%	18 million
Independent schools (i.e. Northwestern University)	16%	4 million
Private sector schools (i.e. Devry)	12%	3 million

Other highlights:

The percentage of people in China attending college has increased from 3% of population in 1980 to 20% today.
Percentage of jobs in the U.S. requiring post-secondary education has increased from 28% in 1973 to 58% today.

Watch: Brazil is trend setter with 50% of college students attending private sector schools.

Slow or Reverse?

2010-08-27T10:33:00.004-05:00

“Davidoff!,” my junior high school gym teach would shout at me. “You’ve got two speeds. Slow and reverse!” Not coming from a sports-minded upbringing, those words have stuck with me for over 35 years. My coach’s wisdom was never more applicable than it is today.

We live in a time mandating transformation. Individuals and organizations are either evolving and progressing to meet new demands or they are slipping. There is no in-between. Use it or lose it.

One of the most engaging aspects of our work at Davidoff Communications is that our clients ask us to help move their organizations forward. Through our Mission-Driven Marketing™ methodology, we provide a comprehensive assessment of our clients' organizations and the competitive marketplace in which they function. Mission-Driven Marketing helps us work with our clients to identify a game that they can win, leveraging the unique skills, strengths, expertise and assets of the organization. It helps uncover the pathways that will take our clients successfully from their current state to their ideal state, connecting the dots along the way between their mission, message, marketing, bottom-line and relationships with their stakeholders.

During these challenging economic times, many of our clients have told us that it feels like the world is passing them by. Newer, younger, more progressive competitors are emerging. Companies are not keeping up with best practices in sales and marketing. That’s a perfect situation for the kind of consulting we do at Davidoff Communications.

One of the reasons we’re effective consultants is because we practice what we preach. Just like our clients, change is inherent in our business too. We must continually develop ourselves individually and as an organization. That’s why we ask our employees and interns to participate in the "More Life Personal Transformational Experience" weekend training offered by the Wright Leadership Institute. This personal growth and leadership development program, led by Drs. Bob and Judith Wright, offers participants the opportunity to learn from the Wrights' 30 years of studying what makes people and organizations effective and satisfied. The next More Life Personal Transformational Experience will be held in Chicago, September 24-26th. To learn more or to register visit www.MoreLifeTraining.com or call 312-329-1200.

Regards,

John

My Trip to Guadalajara

2010-07-23T15:07:00.005-05:00

I am just back from a trip to Guadalajara, Mexico where I was given a working tour of the four Children International community centers. Davidoff Communications has been using its Mission-Driven Marketing methodology to support Children International with its cause marketing and corporate sponsorship program since 2007.

Guadalajara is big. Five million people! In addition, it’s the Silicon Valley of Mexico, serving as home to every major international technology company with manufacturing plants in Mexico.

In this photo, I am learning about Children International’s new sports program that teaches parents to coach different sports so that their kids can learn to play competitively. This is just one of many tremendous benefits that Children International provides for children who come from significantly impoverished homes. Many families live on less than $300/month. I have been sponsoring a 10 year old boy from India through Children International for several years now. Maybe you should consider sponsoring a child as well? Sign-up at www.Children.org.

--John Davidoff, Founder and Managing Director

Social Initiative Proposes 'R' Rating for Smoking in Movies

2010-03-04T17:09:00.004-06:00

Bottom line: Smoking kills.

Another bottom line: Movies influence behavior.

Smoking in movies encourages smoking which leads to people dying. That’s why Smoke Free Movies has proposed that movies showing smoking should receive an ‘R’ rating from the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) – the same rating that already applies to movies showing extensive violence and death.

Smoke Free Movies is a project started at the University of California/San Francisco. Its idea is backed by a consortium of NGOs, including the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, and the American Medical Association. Recently, an advertisement advocating for the new ‘R’ rating criteria ran in the New York Times.

The Power of the People or Not?

2010-03-02T10:28:00.005-06:00

Today's full page ad from JP Morgan Chase promoting the "Chase Community Giving" program on Facebook says that over two million Facebook users voted on the distribution of $5 million in grants. We also learn that an "Advisory Board" helped determine the winning charities.

So what first sounds like a bold move of using democratic process to give away a chunk of cash is then nulled by the control of this Advisory Board. We have to assume the Advisory Board gets the final say. Or does it? Maybe Chase executives get the final say as to which charities received donations. We are left needing to dig a little deeper to see how transparent this supposed cause marketing/corporate citizen/corporate social responsibility program really is. In the meantime, we applaud Chase for promoting philanthropy and for even being willing to include the public some way, some how.

Corporate Sponsorships and the New Consumer

2010-01-28T09:39:00.011-06:00

A recent webcast titled “How Sponsorships Add True Purpose to Marketing Efforts” delved into the future of Cause/Non-Profit Marketing and its implications for traditional business models. The webcast, hosted by Dan Kowitz of IEG Sponsorship Consulting provided an interesting look at developing consumer trends and opinions.

For instance, 90% of Americans surveyed want companies to increase sponsorship for cause-sensitive campaigns or organizations. Furthermore, more than two-thirds of those surveyed globally said they would switch brands if the makers of a similar product supported social causes or nonprofit organizations.

What does this mean for businesses?

• Consumers are becoming more market-savvy and, consequently, independent. We now have an abundance of resources at our fingertips – message boards, blogs and watchdog sites, to name a few – and consumers use these to learn about the companies, share opinions and develop their brand recognition independent of traditional advertising.

• Consumers are socially aware. They support – and applaud – corporations who take an active interest in social change and cause-related marketing. Conversely, the new consumer can sniff out insincere marketing tactics or less than authentic concern from corporate social marketing efforts

Businesses that are authentic in their corporate sponsorship of and participation in cause marketing campaigns receive a generous bump in brand recognition and sales. As an example, in the five years since YoPlait began its ‘Save Lids to Save Lives' partnership with Susan G. Komen for the Cure, the company’s sales have steadily increased and even developed previously nonexistent seasonal sales spikes. Yoplait embraced the cause and, in turn, consumers embraced Yoplait.

Pepsi is hitting the ground running with this new aspect of the marketing mix. By declining to participate in the annual Super Bowl ad wars, and instead instituting its 'Pepsi Refresh Project' to fund cause-related, community-building campaigns and organizations, Pepsi has recognized that it may have more to gain in today’s consumer-savvy, cause-aware world by building a socially responsible brand.

Contributed by Kevin Barbeau

What Did We Learn in 2009?

2010-01-11T12:53:00.002-06:00

It’s really important to take our learns from a really challenging year and go forward wiser into the New Year – 2010. Here are some of our lessons:

We are All in this Together
Is there anyone or any organization that was not affected by the economic challenges that started in 2008 and created tougher times in 2009? With a little inspiration from Ben Lee’s High School Musical song "We're All In This Together" it’s really important to share our situations and get support for working through them. It’s also important to take solace in knowing, while we each have our lessons to learn and changes to make, we were all affected one way or another.

Flat is the New Up
It’s a popular catch phrase and enough of us experienced it to have some truth. Still we must be careful to not use the phrase again in 2010 to explain, rationalize or justify negative trends in key performance metrics.

Run Harder to Stay in Place
There is no question that most of us are having to do more to sustain our base income: such as working more than one job or juggling more responsibilities with the same resources. In our sales coaching and, even in our own firm, we’ve encouraged people to increase weekly business development activity. I increased my own touch points with prospects from 50 to 75 per week in the back half of last year and it made a big difference. So I upped my outbound dials and e-mails for 2010 to 100 each week.

Social Media Networking is for Everyone
2009 was definitely the year I started taking Facebook and LinkedIn more seriously. It’s helped our firm get to hard-to-reach people for both our client projects and ourselves. We have been getting coached by social media network guru Dean DeLisle this past year as part of the curriculum offered by the Wright Business Institute. Now, in addition to my daily exercising and meditation discipline, I do my 20 minutes of networking online. Let’s connect at on my Facebook page or on my LinkedIn page.

Cause Marketing and Corporate Social Responsibility
are On the Rise
Close to home for our firm’s interest in Mission-Driven Marketing (TM), we are encouraged to see more companies and social causes turning to corporate/not-for-profit partnerships to collaborate on ways to create a better world. We appreciated Mike Swenson's Advertising Age column this past week which speaks to this.

Fly Southwest
We are “nuts” about Southwest. We’ve been able to build our business because of Southwest’s Chicago hub at Midway airport, its low airfares and its continually expanding the list of cities it flies to. (They added Boston, Minneapolis and LaGuardia this year!) While even this stellar brand took it on the chin financially in 2009, our money is still on Southwest.

Here’s to learning more lessons in 2010.

--John Davidoff, Founder and Managing Director

Jerry Davidoff profiled as "Drum Major for Social Justice" in Hartford Courant

2009-12-22T18:07:00.006-06:00

(Jerry Davidoff, 1926-2009)

John's dad, Jerry Davidoff - who passed away November 7, 2009 - was profiled this past weekend in the Hartford Courant's "Extraordinary Life" column. Click here to read the story: "Drum Major for Social Justice"

(See below to read John's tribute to his Dad...an obviously great influence on John's life and the mission of Davidoff Communications.)

Tribute to Jerry Davidoff, July 1, 1926 - November 7, 2009

2009-12-11T13:56:00.006-06:00

(John Davidoff, left, with his father Jerry in 2006)

Note: This is the eulogy John delivered at his Dad's memorial service on November 28, 2009.

Hi Dad. It’s John. “Big John!” as you bellowed out my whole life.

It’s been three weeks since your last breath, and I am moved by the hundreds of e-mails and notes paying tribute to the ways you invested in people…as a friend, mentor, elder, counselor and champion of civil liberties

Since your passing three weeks ago Dad, in the very hospital, where almost fifty years earlier I was born…I have been taking stock of my own life, in relationship to yours, and reflecting on where I go from here…in carrying out the part of your legacy that is mine now to move forward.

Dad, I thank you. You were a warrior of the heart and an amazing romantic and dreamer. I will never forget when, just ten years old, you led our family all the way to Paris, to the Louvre, to stand below one of the most celebrated sculptures in the world -- the Winged Victory – that all powerful feminine tribute to a sea battle…where you, Dad, told Doug and me of your wish that we would see “her…the Victoire” every morning on our way to school such that we would grow up to be strong and confident men. What an impression that has made on my life…still, here and now, almost forty years later.

And, Dad, there was the evening when I was about fourteen and you took me, just me, into New York City to a performance of the celebrated Spanish classical guitarist Andres Segovia. We sat in the last row of the very top balcony at Avery Fisher Hall. We shared your binoculars. You taught me, that evening, how to sit still and witness the expressiveness of a gifted artist…revealing one man’s deep insight and commitments to life through each pluck of a string.

Dad, there were endless lessons like these. My IPod is full of your teachings: from Paul Robeson and Wynton Marsalis, to the Canadian Brass, to organ works, choral pieces, the great classics and more. But, nothing was more moving to you than the annual holiday Candlelight concert at Staples High School when choir members would process through the aisles, in blue robes, candles in hand, the lights low and the sung words to “Sing We Noel.” “Dost now we remember the prophets of old…that whose most wondrous stories told.” Every year Dad, you watched in tears for you were so very moved by the innocence of the moment…the innocence of life.

At age 19, in 1979, when I was a sophomore at Ithaca College, you introduced me to the writing of Kahlil Gibran. Here’s the copy of The Prophet you bought for me…inscribed in your own handwriting: For John. Because this book, like you, has beauty, reality and strength.

Gibran wrote: “Your children come through you, but not from you. You may give them your love, but not your thoughts. For they have their own thoughts. You may house their bodies, but not their souls, for their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow, which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.”

Dad, you nailed your job as a parent…in your own way and in partnership with Mom. You did so despite the many challenges you faced personally, especially during my early and formative childhood years. Many know that being Jerry Davidoff’s kid was no easy life. But, life was not easy for you. You seemed to have spent your entire life wrestling with your sense of self worth…never completely finding that affirming parental voice inside you, no matter how much or how well you did. And, perhaps, Dad, I and others failed you by not pushing back in the early years, the years when you were most intimidating. How well I and others could have served you if we had known how to push back and help you find another way. Perhaps it was generational. Perhaps it was a lack of the teachings about personal development we have today. No matter what, you were so alone, yet you cared so much.

Dad, in one of my final visits with you at your hospital bed side, I thanked you for all you have done to parent me. You did your best, and your best was better than most. You were your own man. You were an unusual and exceptional man in so many ways, as beautifully shared and witnessed here this evening. I also told you that I believed that each of us must take responsibility for developing ourselves to our fullest potential, to uncover our own gifts and share them far and wide. I also thanked you Dad for the lifelong fights you fought. And, I told you I had my own fights and I would continue fighting them, holding your spirit close.

I close with these words from Paul Coehlo’s “The Pilgrimage”…an anthem of sorts I use in my own development as the son and warrior of Jerry Davidoff…picking up where you left off. Coehlo wrote:
We must never stop dreaming. Dreams provide nourishment for the soul, just as a meal does for the body. Many times in our lives we see our dreams shattered and our desires frustrated, but we have to continue dreaming. If we don’t, our soul dies and agape (love) cannot reach it (because we have ceased to fight the good fight). The good fight is the one we fight because our heart asks it of us. The good fight is the one that’s fought in the name of our dreams.

Dad, thank you for the dreamer you have been. Thank you for the warrior you were. Thank you for the lover of life you have been. Thank you for the fights you fought. I promise you, Dad, to continue the legacy of Jerry Davidoff’s love of life, rooted in faith and lived in celebration of all that is good and just.

Blessings on you my dear Dad,
Big John

Please Touch Museum

2009-06-11T11:34:00.006-05:00

I attended the Association of Children's Museums' annual conference in Philadelphia this past April. The theme was "Declare Your Impact/Interactivity 2009." Here I am at one of the evening receptions hosted by the just recently opened Please Touch Museum. Davidoff Communications has consulted with the National Children's Museum on its fund-raising, marketing and corporation partnership planning. We also work for the world's largest children's museum, The Children's Museum of Indianapolis.

Wright Foundation for Transformational Leadership

2009-06-11T11:21:00.010-05:00

On April 17, 2009 Davidoff Communiations sponsored the first annual Wright Foundation For Transformational Leadership Award gala. The 2009 award was presented to Brad Anderson, CEO of Best Buy. It was an exciting night for me and a phenomenal team of people I worked with in my capacity as President of the Foundation and Producer and Emcee of the Gala. Stay tuned for information on a symposium we're planning for this fall with cutting edge human development and transformational leadership thought leaders. As you might imagine, we've also begun planning the 2010 Transformational Leadership Award Gala. Hope to see you there.

An Inspiring Bite of the Big Apple

2008-09-04T12:12:00.009-05:00

On a recent trip to New York City, I had the privilege of taking a detour from my packed schedule to visit with some teenagers whose inspiring stories and smiles of joy made me reconsider how I experienced the city that day.

The four teens I met were aged 16 to 19, and traveled to NYC from India, the Philippines, the Dominican Republic and Little Rock, Arkansas, to attend the annual Youth Assembly at the United Nations. The youths were representatives for Children International, a humanitarian nonprofit organization and client of Davidoff Communications, that provides health, education and life skills building programs for more than 300,000 children and youth living in poverty in 11 countries.

As part of the UN World Youth Day, these four amazing teens offered a workshop on the successes of their Youth Empowerment Funds, a unique component of Children International’s Youth Program, which equip youth with grants to plan, implement, and evaluate their own projects to improve the education and environment for kids like them and their communities.

The highlight of my trip came when I arranged to host the four youth and their chaperones on a VIP express tour of one of NYC’s signature landmarks, The Empire State Building. We all enjoyed stunning views of Central Park, the Hudson and East Rivers, Brooklyn and even the Statue of Liberty, which the Children International teens had visited earlier that day.

As these youth had never ventured very far from their villages, their trip to NYC was a big deal…but it may have been a bigger deal for me to have spent part of the afternoon hosting these very ambitious, bright youth and seeing their beaming smiles as they gazed from the top of the Empire State Building. It made me more proud to not only have Children International as a client, but also to call myself a sponsor as well. (I sponsor a 9 year old boy from Calcutta, India named Bikrim through Children International).

Children International has applied our Mission-Driven Marketing methodology to the development of a brand new corporate partnership program. I would encourage any company, consulting firm or other organization looking to expand philanthropic initiatives to consider Children International as a partner. I would also encourage everyone to sponsor one or more children or youth. It just might make you reconsider how you experience your day.

Why Green is the New Black

2007-12-17T13:14:00.003-06:00

Do the terms eco-efficiency or sustainability mean anything to you? Is your brand embracing the “green movement?” Do you even recycle?

If these questions don’t seem to have much relevancy to you, they soon will. That was the message of the Green Marketing Conference, “Good and Green” I attended here in Chicago a few weeks ago.

If you’re a marketing, advertising or PR professional in today’s “what does it mean to me” world, you’ve probably experienced how much harder it is to get someone to do something for the sake of helping the planet versus helping with a personal need. Consumers are being hit from every angle today with green marketing, and as they become more educated and concerned about the fate of their planet, they are demanding more responsibility from brands.

The inspiring words of Conference Chair Nan McCann are still echoing in my head as I recall the green marketing wisdom she shared. In addressing the “what does it mean to me” world, she said if we make the green incentives small and accessible, consumers will respond. “Green fatigue is real,” but we have the opportunity to move people into the modern green marketplace. McCann recognized the conference sponsor Discovery Planet Green, a new “24-hour television network exclusively for the environmentally conscious lifestyle,” as an emerging strong catalyst for moving people into this green marketplace.

Planet Green wants to get people talking by providing relevant content they can relate to, and to present it in an entertaining way that is engaging. McCann said their demographic is psychographic rather than demographic. The target audience consists of “bright greens,” people aware of the situation our world faces and who recognize that we need to address climate change, sustainability and other environmental issues. The bright greens are people in a life stage: the idealistic college graduate, a new parent aware of what she is feeding her baby, a baby boomer questioning the meaning of his life.

With programs like Planet Green, we’re seeing the beginning of a new era. One thing the conference harped on was how much education we have to do today. Green is the face of our future. It’s the “new black.” The implications of green marketing will soon be added to every marketing professional’s consciousness.

Our current perspective is unique in that we realize we are “in it together.” This green consciousness has created potentially the largest consumer interest group if we get it right. Bringing corporations, media groups and NGOs together to take small steps and do practical projects is the best chance we have to make steady, noticeable changes. It may be fashionable to go green, and many of doing it, but it takes courage to ask/demand that corporations change their environmental footprints, and to encourage those we do business with to do the same. (Take a page out of Walmart’s commitment to sustainability book).

As mission-driven marketers, I’ve always prided our firm on our ability to teach, not just sell. At the end of the day, it is not about who is perfect. It’s about collaboration toward the healing of our planet. Spread the word. Green is the new black.

YouTube Nonprofit Channel

2007-11-30T11:48:00.002-06:00

YouTube, the leader in online video sharing, has announced a new way for people to kill time. In a good way, that is. Perhaps best known for costing companies millions of dollars in lost productivity to “educational entertainment,” YouTube will no longer just be the go to hub for the popular funny cat and exploding diet Coke and Mentos videos.

With the launch of the YouTube Nonprofit Program, the online world of video sharing is redefining “educational entertainment.” At the end of September, YouTube announced at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) the new nonprofit program that makes it even easier for supporters, volunteers and donors to connect with their organizations.

Wielding the title “Broadcast Your Cause,” the YouTube Nonprofit Program is a commitment from YouTube to the 2007/2008 CGI to enable nonprofits that register to receive a free nonprofit specific channel where they can customize a home page and upload videos, public service announcements and calls to action. The channel also allows nonprofits the option to drive fundraising using the new (and free) Google Checkout for Nonprofits.

To be fair, I will point out that several hundred nonprofit organizations did utilize YouTube to tell the world about their causes prior to the new nonprofit channel. But most of this content gets lost in the clutter. The new initiative provides a unique platform that opens new doors for nonprofits to reach mass audiences without even glancing at their budgets.

At its launch, there were a dozen nonprofits with a specific YouTube nonprofit channel. About a month later, it doesn’t look like very many nonprofits are jumping at the opportunity. Need some motivation? Currently, YouTube is in the range of 200 million video views per day (with about 200,000 new videos uploaded daily). By the end of 2008, it’s looking pretty likely that YouTube could reach the 1 billion views per day milestone.

We encourage all our clients to seize opportunities like these, and it doesn’t just apply to nonprofits. We’re working on mission-driven marketing campaigns that bridge the gap between nonprofits’ causes and for-profits’ corporate philanthropic initiatives. The world of cause branding is win-win and we’re striving to bring our expertise in mission-driven marketing to companies looking to take advantage of channels like these. Stay tuned.

2007 ANA “Masters of Marketing” Conference

2007-11-05T15:43:00.002-06:00

I had the privilege of attending the 97^th annual conference of the Association of National Advertisers a few weeks ago in Phoenix, Arizona. 1,200 gathered to network and listen to some of the most powerful minds in marketing and advertising address the theme “Transforming the Marketing Landscape.” I took away several key messages about this transformation that I think are quite timely and have implications for anyone with marketing responsibilities.

Jim Stengel, global marketing officer for Proctor & Gamble, said building brand advocacy is the key to sustaining loyalty among today’s consumer. Stengel sees brand advocacy as action-oriented marketing. This is in comparison to traditional, but passive, brand awareness efforts. Turning consumers and customers into brand champions, enabling them to be the most vocal and visible advocates for your brand, is also a great way to create emotional connections between consumers and the brands they support. I was especially interested in brand advocacy as it is essentially the product of mission-driven marketing. It’s the heart of the work our firm is doing for many of our for-profit and not-for-profit clients.

Chuck Brymer, president & CEO of DDB, a firm I spent 12 years at, talked about the present challenges of today’s marketer to find ways to change the way people think and the best ways to influence people’s behavior. As we move full speed ahead through the 21^st century, technology has truly transformed the marketing landscape. Nontraditional media has exploded, creating what he calls “swarm behavior.” He related it to how fish in the sea move together even though there is no leader. The key is figuring out how we can influence the swarm.

Brymer added that not everything has changed. We still need to address “the herd:” to create awareness, build brand images and connect emotionally with a passive audience watching TV or reading a magazine. But more and more we will need to learn to work closely with a highly engaged, active swarm. It is not an audience in the traditional form. It is not looking to marketers to be influenced. The real new media, the swarm, is you and me, people talking to one another.

To engage the swarm, we need to move from creating communications to creating communities, increasingly focused on creating relationships with connected groups of people. Tying this back to what Stengel said about building brand advocacy, we need to think about the way we’re reaching out to our brands’ passionate advocates to help spread messages from peer to peer. By mobilizing and influencing the swarm to take action for the brands they support via conviction, collaboration and creativity, today’s marketer can begin to face the biggest challenge of swarm behavior: to get the swarm to move toward you.

Don't Talk Trash - Pick it Up

2007-09-20T11:53:00.004-05:00

Eleven pounds of trash. Just 2/3 of a kitchen-size trash bag. The result of my sons and me taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC), an annual event produced by our Davidoff Communications’ client The Ocean Conservancy.

We were just three of the 50 or so volunteers at our Evanston, Illinois neighborhood beach, Lighthouse Beach. More so, we were just three of approximately 450,000 volunteers around the world who are taking part in the International Coastal Cleanup. I use the present tense, “taking part” because the ICC is more than just a one-time clean up. The nearly half million people who cleaned up beaches, rivers and other waterways Saturday are really part of an ongoing effort to help find solutions for reducing marine debris.

Other members of the Davidoff Communications team also joined the clean up effort.

Evan Terry and his friend, Colleen, picked up four pounds of total trash combing the sand of another Evanston beach for the small, unsightly items: cigarette butts, bottle caps and glass pieces. The highlight of their day came when passersby walking along the shore began to lend helping hands, picking up small pieces of plastic along the way. To Evan, it was an indication that the ICC was making strides toward the ultimate goal of changing people’s behavior.

Our third staff member to join the effort proved that the ICC is not just a beach clean up. Lynette Morris helped beautify a site without sand or rocky coastline. She traveled to the Lincoln Park Zoo to join 65 other volunteers on land and in paddle boats to clean up the South Pond. Lynette collected about five pounds of cigarette butts, broken sunglasses, aluminum cans and other “picnic leftovers.”

Last year, over 380,000 volunteers cleaned up almost 40,000 miles of coastlines and waterways, collecting over 7 million pounds of trash in 68 different countries. The data collected on Saturday’s cleanup including the official number of volunteers, pounds of trash collected, miles cleaned and a breakdown of what was found will be available in early 2008.

It’s a really impressive program and our firm is proud to be working with The Ocean Conservancy on expanding its corporate partnerships and cause marketing program support from socially conscious marketers.