This week’s topic for the blog is interesting to research. Advertising in the non-profit world is not non-existent. Organizations like the United Way publish ads on mainstream television to promote their initiatives. However, they stand out from other organizations in promotions.
There is no advertising on the UW site. One page on the site is dedicated to UW partners – partners that include corporations, other nonprofit and government organizations and even the NFL. On this page, users can find logos of the listed organizations. When they click on the logo, users can read about the organization’s contributions and social responsibility. That is what the UW promotes – social responsibility. Users don’t learn about a corporation’s products or recent promotions. They learn about what the company or organization has done to help communities in the USA and those worldwide.
As previously mentioned, no tangible products are advertised on the UW site. Companies are not allowed to promote services or products on the site when they partner with the UW. The UW does not even promote their promotional products on the site. Their “product” is an opportunity volunteer and donate. They offer partnership from outside organizations and companies in exchange for worldwide brand recognition.
I receive approximately two emails per month from the United Way of Central Ohio. Most of these emails are promoting local fundraising events or volunteer opportunities in the community. One email I received contained a junction of information – social media trends, results from frundraisers, and write-ups from recent volunteer opportunities. I have only received one Live United Newsletter this year. That was in June, so I am assuming they release the newsletter once or twice a year. This could be halfway through the year and again at the end of the year (which we will see in a couple of months!). The emails I receive are never exactly the same. The goal of these communications is to garner support and get the user involved.
Advertising is not just about promoting products. According to Jason Bloomberg, it is all about the “transformation of branding” (Bloomberg, 2015). Founded in 1887, the United Way is still doing what it was founded to do – help solve the toughest problems that communities face (unitedway.org). So a branding transformation would do some good. In Bloomberg’s article, he gives an example of GM’s transformation which was completely digitally led (Bloomberg, 2015). The United Way has been around for over 100 years, and, while they are still doing the same thing as they did back then, they are now reaching a younger generation. It will need to develop a stragegy that continues to bring the brand in front of the current generation. Unlike GM, it may not need a total transformation. UW has already developed more mobile-friendly digital components (i.e. mobile sites) and is beginning to expand and transform its brand. A total transformation may not be the answer, but that answer may be a walk up an incline toward a world that spreads awareness digitally.
Bloomberg, J. (2015, July 1). Transforming Branding: Digital in Advertising. Forbes, paragraphs 1,2, and 4.
United Way. (2015). unitedway.org
mcdigitalmarketing 