“Being good in Business is the most fascinating kind of art.” –Andy Warhol
We’ve all heard of Direct Marketing, Internet Marketing, Relationship Marketing and Guerrilla Marketing.
Now there’s a new term in use: Generosity Marketing.
While the concept has been around as long as commerce and the Golden Rule, Generosity Marketing as a strategy is beginning to become more widespread as companies see its efficacy. Generosity Marketing takes place when an organization offers something free without strings attached, giving more value than anticipated, links its brand with a worthy cause, or gives consumers and clients a warm and fuzzy feeling by its willingness to help without expected compensation.
Here are some recent examples of Generosity Marketing as executed by known brands:
- Walt Disney World in Orlando is giving away free park admission tickets in exchange for one day of community service in one’s local community.
- KFC offered to fill potholes in Louisville, Ky. and other cash-strapped cities around the country.
- Oprah (and General Motors) gave away 276 Pontiacs to every audience member in the opening show of her 19th season.
- Day in and day out Southwest Airlines and its employees go out of their way for their customers, having wheelchairs ready for disabled passengers at the gate when the plane lands, abstaining from aggressive credit card sales techniques or showing a bit of added courtesy when it is needed most.
- Lunch and learn free seminars about everything from how to manage your HR to effective use of social media.
- Target, & Ingle’s and others have School Cards that donate a percentage of purchases to local schools.
I recently spoke with John David Mann, the best selling co-author of the business book the Go Giver and asked him about Generosity Marketing and what businesses could do in a down economy to boost their bottom line. His response was, “The main thing businesses can do ~ and it does not have to cost anything extra ~ is to extend greater value than they have in the past and that customers expect for their industry.”
Whether it is a cleaner storefront, warmer smile, stickers for kids or courtesy above and beyond expectations, people generally respond favorably to these freely-offered acts of kindness, and with the Internet and the word of mouse spread on social media, good will can travel fast.
The essence of an effective Generosity Marketing strategy is that the gift, offering, promotion or donation has to be genuine, with no strings attached (not even to gather an email address). The boomerang effect of good acts usually results in people telling others how great an experience they had interacting with your company, and the good it’s doing in the community.
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John Miles is Chief of What’s Next at Integritive, an Asheville firm specializing in web design, web development, strategic planning, search engine optimization and e-marketing. For more information: www.integritive.com or ctbiz@integritive.com
Citizen-Times Article: http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009312200034
Tags: direct marketing, generosity, go giver, internet marketing, marketing
