I blogged  a couple months ago about the "pink glove dance" -- the so-cute breast cancer awareness video starring dancing hospital employees of all kinds-- that every healthcare marketer watched with envy (except its creators at Providence St. Vincent) as it spiraled to over 6 million YouTube views.  A marketing phenomenon of viral proportions.  Followed by the next marketing phenomenon: Colleagues saying, "We should do something like the pink glove dance!" Problem is while you can try to "go viral", you can't plan or guarantee viral.  Take for instance, this wannabe from another hospital.

I give them credit for trying, but it just doesn't have that pink glove viral quality. What do you think?

Awhile back, I wrote a blog post about cause marketing which sparked a bit of discussion.  I'm a pretty big fan of cause marketing from both a consumer point-of-view and a marketer point-of-view.  I understand that some organizations may be capitalizing on a cause for a few extra bucks but I have to believe most have only good intentions. 

I think about cause marketing a lot particularly during the month of October also known as Pinktober.  It's hard not to notice especially as a breast cancer survivor.  This morning, I was out running a few errands, and I went to 4 places. I was pretty much blown away with what I saw, and I kept kicking myself for leaving my camera at home.  My first stop was Target where I resisted buying most of the pink products but could not pass up the Multi-Grain Cheerios with the big Komen logo on the front.  Congratulations General Mills, it's been at least 5 years since I purchased this product and you caught my attention. 

My next stop was Beauty First and had I needed a new flat iron, I would have been all over the pink one also benefiting breast cancer.  After that, I went to Panera where it took a lot to pass up the pink bagel (I've tried them before and they are delicious btw) but I opted for a bowl of soup instead.  And my last stop was Caribou for my after lunch coffee.  They've named a whole program for Amy, a Barista, who lost her battle at age 33.  So yes, during October, it's hard to go anywhere without being surrounded in pink and I'll happily support those that support breast cancer.  They've made a connection to me whether their donation is big or small, whether it funds mammograms, research, treatment or anything in between. 

I love my collection of pink products and I love knowing that I supported my favorite cause.  Found any cool pink products that you couldn't live without?  Post a comment and share them with me.

In a recent blog post, Laurie Hix explained quite clearly the difference between social media, social marketing and cause marketing.  She's covered some great social marketing examples and our sister company, Ignite Social Media, has lots of examples of great social media marketing.  But we haven't talked too much about cause marketing. 

This past weekend, I walked the Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day.  That's right 60 miles over the course of 3 days and yes it was pushing 90 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.  Since I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I always support companies that support breast cancer.  I think most people touched by this disease feel the same way.  BTW, I don't limit my support to breast cancer.  If a company is donating to any charity that's important to me, I feel they deserve my business. 

As I was walking, I thought about the impact of the recession on charities. (I had lots of time to think about all kinds of things.)  The Michigan Breast Cancer 3-Day raised 4.7 million dollars this year.  Seems like a lot but it's under 70% of what was raised last year.  They have some great national and some local sponsors too like Superior Ambulance--the 3-Day wouldn't be the same without them.

But overall, what's happening in the cause marketing world and what does the future hold?  Are companies pulling their support in tough economic times and is this a smart marketing move?  I decided to do a bit more research on this topic and found an interesting blog post about the Power of Cause Marketing.  I'm happy to see that consumers feel very strongly about corporate participation with charities.  But I hope the companies continue to see the value.  What if they don't see an immediate lift in sales? Is brand recognition and brand preference equally as importat today as it once was?  These are tough questions.  I'm quick to buy anything with a pink ribbon but do the masses feel the same way when money is tight?   How can non profits help show for profits the value gained by their relationship?  Post a comment and share your thoughts with me. 

It's only fitting that I start my social media nonprofit blog series with the Breast Cancer 3-Day--an organization that is very close to my heart.  I'm a 3-Day walker and extremely passionate about raising money for Breast Cancer.  I spend a lot of time posting on my personal breast cancer blog about my efforts to raise money and my excitement about the big event.  The Breast Cancer 3-Day made a slam dunk when they contacted me and asked me if I would be an online ambassador.  I happily agreed, accepted my badge with honor and posted a blog about my fundraising efforts right away.  Within hours, my blog traffic shot up and I found they had linked to my blog on their Facebook page.  This inspired me to continue writing creating a win-win scenario.

Facebook fundraising application

The Breast Cancer 3-Day just recently launched a brand new application--I think it's great.  It works really well and posts in my news feed whenever I get a donation giving my friends updates on my fundraising progress.  Just yesterday I got a donation from a Facebook friend who I'm sure saw the post in her news feed.  Great addition to their social media work. Would love to see if they can link the news feed message directly back to my fundraising page.  

Social Networks

The Breast Cancer 3-Day has lots of places for discussion and interaction between walkers, crew and staff.  The 3-Day message boards are very active with posts on everything from personal stories, fundraising, training and what to pack.  There are lots of similar discussions on the Facebook fan page which has over 20,000 fans.  The benefit of the Fan page is the ability to post links to blogs, articles, videos and news stories and they do a great job of that.  There are also lots of active discussions on this page.  There's a small group on LinkedIn which doesn't seem overly active with a little over 300 members.

Twitter

The 3-Day Twitter page has close to 3,000 followers with lots of ongoing discussion, links to blogs, retweets and announcements about upcoming events.

YouTube and Flikr

I was glad to see so many videos on the YouTube channel and photos on the Flikr site.  Both provide lots of visuals to really show the experience.  Nothing beats being there, but I have to imagine the videos and photos inspire future walkers and donors.

Final Thoughts

All in all, the Breast Cancer 3-Day is doing a great job facilitating conversations and generating excitement about the events through their supporters.  As the 2009 walks approach, I'm curious to see what 2010 brings and how they will continue to inspire their ambassadors and supporters.  Would love to hear what you think about their efforts.  Post a comment and share your thoughts.