Monthly Archives: May 2015

Why we don’t need another domestic violence awareness campaign

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Updated Tuesday May 12 2015 (Budget night)

social marketing

Not enough, yet too much.

Recent violence against women and children has the community appalled and politicians grappling for a response. Predictably our political leaders have swung behind an awareness campaign. The Federal Government pledged $16.7 million over three years in last night’s budget and COAG will throw in about $13 million more. It’s not often that you hear a marketer say this: but this time maybe more marketing isn’t the answer.

When non-marketing people refer to an awareness campaign, they usually mean advertising, typically on television, perhaps with a letterbox drop and celebrity YouTube thrown in. Badges are likely too.

domestic violence awareness campaign

Really? Do we really have to pay for this? On prime time TV? Save your money and build us a levy.

Politicians are drawn to advertising as it’s easily understood and highly visible. Politicians of all persuasions are drawn to measures that help them to be seen to be doing something. Taxpayer funded advertising has recently asked us to stop smoking, get moving, screen for cancers, work safely and curb alcohol consumption in front of children. The list goes on. One oddly-specific campaign even warns us of the perils of swimming in flood waters. Do these campaigns work? To some degree, surely they do. However if they worked as well as agencies and their clients argued they do, we’d all be thinner, richer and happier than we currently are.

It’s true that long-term, high-priced marketing campaigns have helped us dramatically turn-around levels of smoking and driving fatalities but it’s too easy to give marketing all the credit. Changing drink-driving from a skill to a socially unacceptable behavior took education but has been underpinned by constant enforcement and legislation. Hard-hitting, award-winning and incredibly expensive television commercials are all well and good but booze buses, speed cameras, demerit points, court appearances and licence loss are the true secret weapons of that success.

Smoking rates have plummeted. Do we have marketing to thank? Partly; though government’s ability to squeeze smokers over the availability, cost and convenience of their vice is key. The fact that cigarettes lead to cancer hasn’t hurt either. Anti-smoking and road safety campaign briefs are a relative doddle when compared to domestic violence – and progress still took decades. Changing attitudes and behaviours to domestic violence is far more challenging and far less likely to succeed. It’s the Everest of social marketing campaigns.

Social ills such as drink-driving, smoking and obesity are topics that most of us – even those of us guilty of the ‘crime’- can discuss. Smokers admit to failed attempts to quit, the plump lament their excess kilos, those living in bushfire zones confess to their indecision to stay or go. This is bread and butter barbeque conversation with little social backlash.

australia says no campaign

Another high profile campaign. Now loooong gone. We say NO to short-term, broad-based awareness raising.

Domestic violence is usually a dirty secret for victims and almost always so for perpetrators. Domestic violence has not has lacked for awareness-raising campaigns: The ‘Australia Says No’ campaign was a high-profile TV-driven campaign of the Federal Howard government. Did it help?

More recently police, media outlets and sporting codes have lent their support to the cause. This is great of course. White Ribbon Day is a now major national happening. The ribbon has become synonymous with violence against women – we see it on the lapels of the powerful, on our public buildings and at major sporting events.

We’ve had a flurry of celebrity ambassadors and confessions, social media outrage and even a twice-yearly White Ribbon Cup between two AFL teams. This all helps create a culture that is unaccepting of violence and it should continue but there comes a time when marketing ends and reality begins. Domestic violence is well and truly on the agenda. What next?

Marketing has limits when it comes to changing attitudes and behaviors. Even under the best of circumstances, a good campaign must be long-term and specifically targeted to the key audiences and must evolve overtime to help people make a change. A good campaign leads to specific actions.

family violence website development

Hume region family violence alliance website by Hootville. Cost about the same as a full page ad.

Experts with whom Hootville works tell us that enforcement and services are paramount. And that services are overwhelmed by demand. Campaigns eat up money. Awareness-raising campaigns are empty calories; feeling good in the short-term but amounting to nothing. Funds end up with consultants rather than services. And let us not forget that it is government that is accountable for the level of service and priority this issue and its victims receive. Will government be happy to see a campaign that lobbies for better services? We think not.

What would our desired actions be for a family violence campaign? Is it to encourage victims to leave to abusive situations? To inspire more reporting to police by family, friends and work-mates? How about tools for parents to raise less violent boys and less tolerant girls?

The ultimate creator of perception is reality. Every inadequate court sentence handed down to a violent criminal sends the message – ‘Violence is okay!’ Every video game aimed at young men with no female characters demonstrates that women don’t count. (Video games in which you can kill female prostitutes are surely an urban myth.) Every overflowing refuge says: “our care is finite.”

domestic violence campaigns

Fiona McCormack put her finger on the root cause of domestic violence. It won’t be easy to tackle.

The CEO of Domestic Violence Victoria, Fiona McCormack put it beautifully in an interview on ABC1’s 7.30 when she explained the link between misogynistic attitudes and domestic violence. She compared it to the connection between increased levels of homophobia and attacks on gay people. This concept may be a bridge too far for some people.

Most professionals in the domestic violence sector would rather see money diverted from additional awareness-raising to bolstering the range of services offered to victims.

Whenever a victim of family violence summons the courage to leave, she needs shelter, services and support immediately and indefinitely.  We need a justice system resourced and nimble enough to protect the innocent and deal with perpetrators. And when a victim reports a crime; she must feel confident that she will be believed, supported and protected. These are complex issues far beyond the remit of any marketing agency.

social marketing campaign

Working on some ideas for the little ladies. Seriously – this is EXACTLY how ad agency people are today. In Australia. In 2014.

“Can’t we have both services and marketing?” you ask. Well, based on the current inadequacy of services we can’t even get half of that mix right. Too often money that goes into campaigns directly comes out of services budgets.

Let’s leave the TV commercials and billboards for upcoming election campaigns. That said; there will be big ad agencies lining up to raise awareness at the expense of services. With respect to our peers (above): hands off.

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Marketing myth exposed: sexy is nothing!

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Note: The original post was published in May 2015. We added a significant update at the bottom of this post in May 2016. Enjoy and please share.

One of the greatest myths in the nonprofit world was trotted out in response to Carrie Bickmore’s 2015 plea for greater funding for brain cancer research. It was delivered by the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation’s head of engagement. When asked why her cause gets such a small slice of National Health and Medical Research Council funding she explained it thus:

marketing advice for nonprofits

Sexy? No. Interesting? Undeniably.

“We don’t have the awareness we need. It’s not a ‘sexy’ cancer.”

That quote may be taken out of context or it may have just been a passing thought but the attitude is endemic. It’s convenient thinking, defeatist, demonstrably wrong and we want to tackle it to the ground right here.

Nonprofit marketing is a fiercely competitive playing field – like every other kind of marketing. Every cause, every disease and every charity is fighting for hearts, minds and wallets. Nonprofit marketing is in no way a meritocracy. It’s showbiz – which is the opposite of science.

 

 

marketing myths

Prostate cancer and depression anybody?

Agreed, there’s nothing sexy about brain cancer but there’s little that’s ‘sexy’ about bowel cancer, lung cancer, domestic violence, drink driving, depression, asylum seekers, Indigenous reconciliation or live animal export. Yet all these causes currently outperform brain cancer in terms of media coverage, public support and funding. Good for them. It’s not by accident.

It’s true that every cause starts with natural advantages and disadvantages. In terms of impact, HIV – a new, fatal, sexually-transmitted disease – was pretty hard to beat for a while. The sight of puppies in squalid puppy farms is gut churning. Kids with just about any diagnosis tug at the heart strings. Anything with the prefix “trans” (-gender, -fats, -Pacific Partnerships) sparks curiosity. Yet we follow and support many causes to which we have little connection.

fundraising advice

Child sponsorship has been made standard operating procedure.

One of the great feats of social marketing is child sponsorship in which global charities convince Australians to donate on a monthly basis, to kids they’ve never met, in countries they’ll never visit. The kids often come from countries and cultures with which we feel little affinity yet we give millions a month, often while actively avoiding any contact with the beneficiaries. Remarkable.

Similarly there are plenty of causes that we ‘should’ care about more deeply, which aren’t being effectively marketed:

• we’re all gettting older yet there’s no effective grey lobby in Australia;
• 100% of people are going to die yet dying with dignity commands no army of active supporters;
• twice as many students attend state schools than non-government options yet state-schooling parents hardly form a pro-state-education voting block.

We heard a brain cancer researcher justify her cause’s poor public profile by saying that as brain cancer mortality is so high, there are few survivors to spread the story and stoke the fires of the cause. She should stick to the lab.

• Road fatalities are pretty damn fatal yet attitudes to drink driving have turned on a dime.

• Battery hens live in misery and many of us have sworn off cage eggs; yet few of us speak chicken.

Despite everything you’ve heard, your cause or brand doesn’t have to be ‘sexy’ to get the media coverage, political sway and public support you seek. There are many factors behind any campaigning success; so if you ain’t sexy; fear not. Here’s what you need to be to cut through:

 

You need to be emotional.

Live export eMarketing campaign

Tough to look at. Tough to ignore?

There’s nothing rational about emotions. Corporations make us feel passionate about their products and services.

Queues form for the latest iPhone, football teams inspire violent support from superfans, people pay extra to wear the logos of the favoured tax-minimising global megabrands.

Make people feel something. Animals Australia, PETA and the folks behind Anzac Day are masterful at this.

 

 

 

You need to be interesting.

Can you put a human face to your cause? Will you challenge government or public policy? Being seen as an advocate works nicely for Greenpeace. When was the last time you really stood up for your stakeholders?

Will you create media friendly events that we can join and cover? Head-shaving, moustache-growing and boss-incarcerating are all winners. Who knew?

Paul Keating described it as “flicking the switch to Vaudeville” and he was right. If you want to engage the masses, you better be willing to play by their rules. They like fun events, blunt spokespeople, sympathetic ‘victims’, simple slogans, hope, celebrity endorsements, very little science and even less guilt.

Attention spans are limited and their favour is fickle but some campaigns do cut through and maintain a place in their hearts. In terms of events Australia’s Morning Tea is cutesy, low-tech and highly successful. In 2014 it raised $11 million! No lab coats required.

 

You need to be entrepreneurial..

It’s about trying something, failing, changing and moving on to something that works. That’s how tech start-ups work and you should too (with less hipsterism please). Cliches such as ‘minimal viable product’ and ‘iterate’ and ‘ready, fire aim’ may come in handy. Does your organisation hustle or haggle?

 

You need to be passionate

Sadly we often see more passion from app developers, real estate agents and the paleo crowd than from non-profit folk. Passion for any cause goes a looong way. It is zero coincidence that many campaigns run by passionate volunteers and amateurs outperform those run by full-time paid professionals. Eg: Oscar’s Law which is about to change state legislation.

You need to have PR skills.

Do you have people who know how to conceive and package a media story idea? Can they then pitch to media? Don’t expect the part-time graphic designer-come-PR-person to have media sense. Get some training!

 

media training

Makes SCIENCE sexy by being interesting, passionate and available. Bless him.

You need to have talent

Do you have spokespeople who can deliver an interesting interview or killer presentation? We’ve heard too many boring spokespeople recently, wasting precious opportunities. Dr Karl Kruszelnicki makes science sound sexy on a daily basis. Dr Tim Costello is one of Australia’s most-interviewed citizens. He’s authentic and outspoken. What’s that worth to World Vision? A. Whole. Lot. Get some training!

 

You need to possess expertise.

What do you know that others don’t? What special experiences, knowledge or perspectives do you bring? What cats are you willing to bell that others are not? (Consult your Brewers.)

Media runs on expertise. Want proof? The weather bureau! Show me one other (cardigan-clad) body that gets more media time on an hourly daily basis. Nobody. Weather is not sexy – but expertise is. But don’t expect the media to recognise your expertise – shout it from the rooftops.

 

marketing advice for nonprofits

What a simple thing to get behind. Not sexy. Simple.

You need to be simple.

People abhor complication. Fred Hollows Foundation restores sight for $25! Pretty simple ain’t it? (It probably ain’t quite that simple but who cares?) What a great value proposition. What’s yours?

 

You need to be persistent and consistent.

We’ve met clients who put their faith in a TV commercial campaign, a mail out or a single event. That’s not how brands are built or movements made. You need to find the resources to be in front of people on an ongoing basis and that includes the 51 weeks that aren’t your awareness week.

carrie bickmore

Who says brain cancer ain’t sexy? Not us.

Now make yourself irresistibly sexy by donating to Cure Brain Cancer Foundation.

Still unconvinced? A: go to hell B. Read our interview with Lucy Perry who is one of the best speakers you’ll ever hear on matters NFP, marketing and the like. Until recently she headed Hamlin Fistula Ethiopia in Australia.

marketing advice

Listen to Lucy

Lucy is a rule breaker, ideas maker and communicator. She now uses her powers for speaking and writing about leadership, creative thinking and changing the world. Visit lucyperry.com.au

So Lucy, where does fistula in Africa rate on the sexy scale? Thanks to celebrities like Oprah and Natalie Imbruglia, obstetric fistula has received a lot of awareness in the last 10 years. But it really doesn’t matter which way you look at it, smashed up vaginas and incontinent women on the other side of the world is a tough story to tell. I would give it 2 out of 10 for broad appeal.

Did the inherent unsexiness of your cause inhibit you? Did it change the way you campaigned? I have always attacked communication messages head on with the truth. It is the only way to be heard, understood, trusted, believed. I saw the challenge of explaining the horrors of obstetric fistula as the best part of the success story. When people hear a strong message about women’s health, women can empathise, men are protective. There is no point dancing around the truth and softening the reality. You will never find me saying “birth canal” instead of “vagina” and you will never find me pretending shit ain’t real.

Were there times with prospective partners / donors / staff etc that they expressed some trepidation about becoming involved with fistula as an issue?
There were times when major corporates were not interested in supporting a charity in Ethiopia. It was not so much the fistula injury that bothered them as much as their financial support going to the other side of the globe. But that was not across the board. I developed relationships with whopping great corporates like CommBank who were happy to give financial support to a vagina charity on the other side of the world. Go CommBank!

How important is it for campaigns to balance making people feel angry with giving them hope?
One of the top 10 shared emotions on social media is outrage so that is an important part of gaining traction for any cause. People have to feel uncomfortable with the reality of the issue. Then they have to feel like their contribution is needed and they can actually help. Then you have to make people feel good about their contribution after the fact. So, the emotional trifecta for successful fundraising communication is outrage, hope, satisfaction. Take your donors on a loop of those feelings and you’ll have them for life!

Is it possible for any charity fighting any cause to be positive, interesting and hopeful? How?
Absolutely. In fact it is essential. Add to that list: funny and entertaining. People have very short attention spans and they also have a limited capacity for horror stories. So any charity fighting any cause needs to be positive, interesting, hopeful and humorous so that when they do slam their supporters with the heartbreaking truth of their cause, the audience hasn’t already suffered a mild case of cause fatigue. Your comms have been so entertaining, funny, positive and uplifting that your story lands on ears ready to listen and hearts ready to donate.

Were there times when you wished you were representing puppies or fighting to save a much-loved landmark?
Never. I have always preferred to fight for the underdog and fistula sufferers are some of the most marginalised women in the world. Puppies and landmarks don’t float my boat like womens’ health does. I need to be working on something I am truly passionate about so that it shines through in my communication. Love for the cause, love for the patients, love for the underdog – it all fuels my reason for being, my purpose as a communicator.

Update: can we talk vaginal prolapse?

media coverage for unsexy stories

Sexy is nothing. Prolapse is everything. For the moment anyhow.

We had the honour of Shauna Hurley’s company at our most recent Media Savvy workshop. Shauna handles media among other things for medical research reviewers nonprofit Cochrane Australia and recently scored some media on what may be the least sexy topic we’ve encountered in a while – vaginal prolapse. (Google it if you dare or ask 50% of mothers.)

Anyhow Shauna did not presume that the topic was taboo, unsexy or of little interest and her pitch – based on the fact that the common surgical intervention may be more harmful than helpful – scored a lovely big hit in The Conversation which lead to a follow-on hit on ABC RN’s The Health Report with fabled presenter Dr Norman Swan.

Prolapse unsexy? Vaginas unsuitable for primetime? Bollocks. Money can’t buy these hits and Google analytics won’t track how many women may well avoid unwelcome complications surgery. Kudos Shauna.  Go ask for a raise.

Now – how many media hits are you counting yourself out of?

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eMarketing advice – refine your sign-up page

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Any eMarketer wants visitors to their website to sign-up to their email database.

Friction is your enemy. Friction is anything that slows down people from doing what you want them to do.

Badly design sign-up forms add friction and lower results.

Let’s see how we can fix this.

And if you want to really get your eMarketing together call Brett to discuss an eMarketing Savvy workshop.

Oh – download your free eMarketing eBooks from the Hootville Giftshop.

 

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Marketers! Know thy audience

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We’ve written previously about the importance of knowing your audiences and the value of the conversion formula. Infact it’s one of our most-read post. We ensure every Marketing Savvy workshop devotes time to just this.

Well know we’ve made a short video about it. Enjoy.

Straight to video: how to write a media release.

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Prepare for a dramatic expansion in the size of YouTube. Brett’s been in the studio (back of his house) lately. He’ll soon be delivering all manner of PR advice and marketing tips. The NBN will finally get a proper workout as we premiere 20+ full colour productions, several of which feature a canine companion in a non-speaking role.

Video #1 gives a quick look at the media release – headlines, length, quotes and other components. Short sweet, video advice.

 

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