Every year, we watch the Super Bowl with great expectations for cause marketing, which has become more prominent in the soght-after advertising spots. Although Pepsi received much of the pre-Super Bowl advertising buzz for not buying spots and instead investing in their cause program, the Cone team felt disappointed there wasn't more cause efforts during the big game.

Check out the video below to hear what they had to say:

The country is awash in red today as millions support the fight against heart disease by uniting for National Wear Red Day. This icon day is a cornerstone event of the American Heart Association’s (Cone client) year-round Go Red For Women initiative and has helped raise millions of dollars - and supporters - for the cause.

The Cone team goes red for National Wear Red Day 2010

Go Red For Women has transformed the issue of heart disease - the number one killer of women in America – to be more approachable and engaging through a multi-faceted program. Today’s sweeping support of National Wear Red Day on TV, in the news, on the Internet and in the workplace is evidence of the immense passion supporters have for this cause.

Its ability to capture the hearts and attention of the public makes it no surprise that the American Heart Association (AHA) came out as one of the top nonprofits on The Cone Nonprofit Power Brand 100. The organization serves as a beacon for others in its ability to engage the public and create an army of supporters for the cause. Here are just a few of the reasons the AHA resonates with the public:

Strong corporate partnerships – Macy’s, Merck, Campbell’s and Jiffy Lube (Cone client), among others, are supporters of the Go Red For Women campaign, offering additional resources to help drive awareness of the cause.

Celebrity endorsement – Actress Jennie Garth joined the Go Red movement as a celebrity spokesperson for 2010, helping drive additional attention to the issue. Past spokespersons have included Marie Osmond and Andie MacDowell, who continue to engage in and drive awareness of the cause.

Iconic color – The AHA has created a movement around the color red and the red dress, establishing it as a symbol for the fight against heart disease.

Multi-channel engagement – Go Red For Women has penetrated the communications landscape, with messaging for the cause in print and broadcast channels, through social media, in the workplace and even on mobile phones.

Brand ambassadors – Go Red For Women owes its success to the millions of passionate supporters who rally for the cause by fundraising, advocating and educating others about the disease.

All of these, and more, contributed to the AHA Go Red For Women's honor as one of the top Public Relations Campaigns of the Decade by the Holmes Report. To learn more about Go Red For Women or National Wear Red Day, visit www.goredforwomen.org.

Geolocation apps for mobile devices are one of the rising social media trends du jour and Foursquare is the undisputed leader of the pack. But Shopkick’s latest free iPhone app, CauseWorld, delivers geolocation technology with a philanthropic twist - it allows users to make charitable contributions just by walking into stores.

Launched in December of 2009, CauseWorld works in the same way as apps like Foursquare and Gowalla. Using geolocation, the app will show the user a list of nearby participating stores. The user enters the store, checks in on their phone, and earns “karma” – no purchase necessary. “Karma” is not measured in dollar amounts, but in actual deeds. There are nine pre-defined causes, with karma costs ranging from 2-100. Supported by a $500,000 fund donated by Citi and Kraft, CauseWorld is able to take action without any paid contribution from the app user.

With so-called “microgiving” on the rise, Shopkick seems to have stepped into an open mobile niche. But can CauseWorld compete with Foursquare? Let’s take a look at how they stack up:

CauseWorld vs. Foursquare

1. Integration with Other Platforms. Both have wisely integrated with Facebook, allowing users to post their latest accomplishments in order to generate more interest but Foursquare also integrates with Twitter. Real-time updates rock – +1 Foursquare
   
2. Prizes vs. Donations. Foursquare users earn badges for visiting participating locations. The most frequent visitor can become a location’s “Mayor,” entitling him or her to free promotional items. CauseWorld karma-collectors are able to make increasingly more large-scale charitable contributions as their visits pile up. Giving is in – +1 CauseWorld
   
3. City Guide vs. Karma Guide. Foursquare serves as a neighborhood guide, showing lists of all businesses in the area. According to Michael Arrington at TechCrunch, CauseWorld lists only the businesses that offer karma. To-do lists and tips are good – +2 Foursquare
   
4. Competitors vs. Do-Gooders. Foursquare may attract users with a desire to compete (looking to earn Mayor-status prizes). After the thrill of the chase has ceased, these users may move on to a new challenge: a different app. With only charitable giving offered in exchange for use, CauseWorld attracts users who have a desire to “do good.” As Marijane Miller of WhatGives writes, a CauseWorld user is “potentially more likely to be converted into a regular shopper” at a store that back his or her cause and values. Doing good and potential ROI – +2 CauseWorld

Winner: ?

CauseWorld is just the first of Shopkick’s soon-to-expand repertoire of offerings. However, bloggers such as Joe Waters have begun to speculate how philanthropy and microgiving can be more consistently incorporated into the Foursquare universe. Is it idealistic to believe that CauseWorld has a fighting chance to survive in the same arena as Foursquare?

- By Emily Coogan, New Media Intern & Marcus Andrews, New Media Associate

Transparency is a critical issue for corporate leaders, one that separates the compliers from the leaders in corporate responsibility reporting. It is a difficult aspect to measure, but Corporate Knights has tried to do just that with a new and improved release of its annual study, The Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World.

The Corporate Knights added a unique measure this year, called a Transparency Indicator. The number quantifies how easy it was to find information for the 10 other Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), therefore indicating the level of disclosure companies are practicing. As Corporate Knights' editor-in-chief Toby Heaps notes, "You need to have transparency if you want people to take you seriously. Then you can get beyond platitudes and discuss issues that people really care about."

But Corporate Knights is not the first to incorporate transparency. In 2009, CRO based its analysis of the 100 Best Corporate Citizens on data that was publicly disclosed, but Corporate Knights took it to the next level by creating a transparency metric that factored into the overall scoring.

What effect does transparency have on the final rankings? At #1, GE had a 73 percent transparency rank and at #2, PG&E had a 25 percent transparency rank. It's difficult to say without further analysis, but could decreasing the transparency gap have helped PG&E rise to the top? Fortunately, Corporate Knights walked its own talk by publishing complete data tables on its Web site for you to review.

Cause sponsorship remains the fastest-growing slice of the sponsorship pie, projected to grow 6.1% in 2010, according to IEG. As a nonprofit, finding the support to keep your organization growing is more crucial than ever. No matter your size, now is an ideal time to tap into the power of cause marketing by aligning your organization with like-minded companies who see the strategic value of association with a cause. Here are a few tips for getting started on your selling journey:

• Create guidelines. While corporate partnerships are a proven method to grow revenue, expand relevance and enable program delivery, even more important is protecting your organization’s brand and reputation. Before you begin the selling process, convene the key stakeholders in your organization and come to consensus around what types of companies/industries you will and will not partner with. Put these decisions on paper and make a simple process for determining if new companies fit your standards moving forward.
  
  
• Recognize that it’s not just about the cause. Coming from a nonprofit background myself, I still find it hard to believe – but many companies won’t be sold on supporting your work simply because it is important or meaningful. While you should absolutely educate the company on the social benefit of your organization’s work, your primary job is to show sponsors that association with your work will positively impact their bottom line. A great resource for data to support your case is Cone’s Research and Insights page.
  
  
• Prepare to sell. Ensure that the program or package you’re selling has a specific target audience, multiple points of engagement and a built-in plan to measure success. Develop solid criteria and objectives about the types of organizations you want to work with, research which have a history of (or potential of) supporting cause programs and approach each with its own tailored opportunity.
  
  
• Find the right contact. Don’t overlook networking – you never know when your plumber’s cousin or mom’s best friend might be your ticket to that breakthrough meeting. If you don’t already know the right person, look first for contacts with marketing or brand responsibilities, (they typically have the promotions budget) and quickly identify if they have access to the tools that make things happen at your target company: decision-making authority, budget ownership or a weekly golf date with the CEO.
  
  
• Know their WIIFM (“what’s in it for me?”). Do detailed research on a prospective partner before the first meeting. Tailor your pitch to their needs and share initial ideas of what you envision a partnership becoming. Be clear about the benefits they will receive as a sponsor and show how their key audiences will engage with the program, and by extension, their brand.
  
  
• Close the deal. Don’t let the “ask” linger. Set out a timeline by which you need a decision. Simply ask – what would it take for you to say YES to this opportunity?

And always remember – love your sponsors! No matter what organization you represent – the sponsor is taking a risk by committing to a partnership. Recognize this and delight them with your attention and recognition and you’ll be on the road to creating a true partnership.

- Emily Nichols, Account Supervisor