COMMENTARY
CIMIRELAND DIARYDATES
All events are open to members and non members. Some events are free to members, and some events are free to all attendees. All CIM events have CPD points.
14 March 10:00 ' MINTEL Winners and Losers 2016 ' Crumlin Road Jail, Belfast: FREE.
Mintels ' Winners & Losers ' presentation will highlight KEY launches from 2016, look at their development, including similar products in their category. In addition, we will look to understand the consumer sentiment and positioning for each product, why they have been brought to life and whether they fulfil a specific need. The chosen products we will discuss will span across various food & drink categories, such as meat, dairy, alcoholic beverages and confectionery. www. cim. co. uk / event / 81980 /
25 April 10:00 Google Analytics Masterclass The Academy, Ulster University, York Street, Belfast.
Early Bird booking discount available. Led by a CIM tutor, these masterclasses have sold out for the past three years. This year we focus on analytics with tools and tips to demonstrate how you can track your Google activity and make sure your actions are making a return on investment. hwww. cim. co. uk / event / 81985 /
Partnership: working for the common good
by Carol Magill, Chartered Institut of Marketing in Ireland
T
he current generation of causedriven marketing campaigns is breaking new ground. Working in partnership, businesses and charities both have much to gain.
Younger people, in particular, are increasingly demanding that the companies they buy from act in an ethical manner and / or participate in charitable giving.
A positive American example is offered by the partnership of the Call of Duty Endowment and US retailer Best Buy.
When Best Buy wanted to promote its Gamers Club Unlocked membership programme, the company knew it was best to do so in the authentic voice of its target audience. It identified the launch of a major new release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 3, as the perfect opportunity.
This was done by linking up with the Call of Duty Endowment, which was founded to help US army veterans get back to work. The campaign took the form of a livestream marathon session of the new game – called the“ Race to Prestige” – with YouTube gamer personalities playing Black Ops 3 in a relay.
Fans could watch, comment and donate to the Call of Duty Endowment. Those who gave were offered rewards by Best Buy, which also supported the event on social media. Meanwhile another participating company – Activision – offered to match gifts from viewers.
The mutual benefits of this causedriven campaign are clear. It was the third year that the Race to Prestige was held, but the first with Best Buy as a partner – and this time, more than US $ 450,000 was raised for the Call of Duty Endowment.
This included US $ 204,000 from viewers – a 1,360 per cent increase on the year before. Meanwhile, awareness of Gamers Club Unlocked was strongly increased through featured ads on the livestream, and people were made aware of its existence by voices that they trusted.
Locally, there are many of examples of this kind of collaboration, most recently RADAR and Diageo Northern Ireland announced a new strategic partnership aimed at raising awareness of the risks associated with underage drinking.
The initial two year deal, which will include a rebrand of RADAR’ s conferencing facilities, will focus on educating Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 visitors to the centre on the negative impact harmful use of alcohol can have on the
body, relationships and wider society.
The specialist RADAR facility, a first for Northern Ireland, employs interactive teaching methods to engage visitors and challenge them to don their‘ beer googles’ to experience firsthand some of the dangers associated with alcohol misuse.
From the lifesize driving simulator to indoor street scene, RADAR’ s trained staff will guide young people through the dangers they face from excessive or underage consumption of alcohol in a riskfree environment.
Partnership can take many forms, optimising digital or, increasingly, Virtual Reality to engage with hard to reach groups and maximise messaging and interaction. Read more about cause related marketing online, including some local examples.
More details available at regions. cim. co. uk / Ireland / home
34 www. businessfirstonline. co. uk