Discovering Mission-Driven Marketing

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

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

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

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:

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

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

1. Developing insights based in truth by knowing your constituents, understanding your competition, innovating, and defining your value proposition
2. 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
3. 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.

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?

“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

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